👋 GOOD MORNING – Things are heating up this MLB offseason!

As quiet as it can often be, the Winter Meetings have brought the D-backs their first (major league) external pitching addition. Hopefully it’s just the start of a long and productive offseason for GM Mike Hazen’s team.

Let’s break down the latest in the baseball world!

— Alex D’Agostino, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

D-backs Sign Michael Soroka

The Winter Meetings have been quite entertaining so far this year.

On Monday, news broke that the Arizona Diamondbacks had agreed to terms with free agent starter-reliever hybrid Michael Soroka — formerly of the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs.

Soroka’s deal is for just one year, at $7.5 million, but comes with incentives that could boost it to $9.5 million. The deal is pending a physical, and has not been officially confirmed by the team until that goes through.

So, what’s the deal with Soroka? Well, for one, he doesn’t go by Mike, no matter what you see other people calling him.

But the righty is 28 years old, throws a mid-90s four-seam fastball, and recently introduced an extremely effective slider-curve hybrid pitch (a “slurve,” if you’re into all these new made-up pitch designations).

He pitched to a 4.52 ERA with the Nats and Cubs last season, but his peripheral metrics were significantly more solid. His expected era was 3.45. His strikeout numbers have held somewhat steady throughout his career.

I won’t get too bogged down with some of those “imaginary” (but also important!) metrics, but I’ll also note his slurve was hit by opponents at just a .118 clip — the lowest opposing average on any qualified pitch in MLB last season.

Soroka was primarily a starter for Washington, but was used mainly in relief with Chicago (effectively so). He will start for Arizona, and slides in as the No. 4 starting pitcher in the D-backs’ hole-filled rotation.

The main concern with Soroka is his health. The righty has only pitched 90-plus innings once in his career, although the one year he did (2019) he had an All-Star season with the Braves.

He’s spent quite a bit of time on the IL, so the D-backs are hoping for better luck this season. Injury luck has been anything but kind to Arizona recently, though.

• My Take

This type of deal is the perfect signing for the D-backs… to begin their offseason acquisitions. If this is the only external starter addition, they’re in trouble.

But Arizona needed two starters, and it’s best to land a low-cost, low-risk option now than dump resources into an ace right away. The latter strategy could easily lead to a top-heavy staff without much injury insurance.

Soroka may or may not perform, and he may or may not even stay healthy. He’s got quality stuff, and could easily outperform his past two seasons, but the D-backs will still need to look for a more top-end starter, if possible.

There’s also the future-thinking aspect of this move. If the D-backs add more talent to the rotation, and Corbin Burnes comes back strong, they could convert Soroka back into a relief role. He had a 1.02 ERA in relief for the Cubs last season, after all.

Considering a reduction in payroll is looming, this is a good way to patch a hole without overextending, but Soroka can’t be it for this club. They’ll need another legitimate starter and at least one high-quality back-end reliever (preferably two, in my opinion), and that’s not counting any lineup needs in the outfield or at first base.

Other D-backs Notes

• Ketel Marte Rumors

They’re not going anywhere, and they’re heating up. The Red Sox are the latest club to be named with regard to making a push for a Marte trade. Handfuls of other unnamed clubs are involved, too. But the D-backs have defined their price, and it will be a “superstar-type return,” according to Ken Rosenthal. I still think a deal is unlikely, unless a team offers Arizona an ace-like starting pitcher and more, but the talks will continue.

• Draft Defined

The Diamondbacks will be picking at No. 15 in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft. They fell five spots from their expected position of 10th at season’s end. Ouch.

• Pierce-ing

According to Nick Piecoro of AZCentral, the D-backs are interested in Braves righty reliever Pierce Johnson, who pitched to a 3.05 ERA in 2025, and has provided 50-plus innings in three straight seasons.

• You’re Hired

The D-backs have hired former Pittsburgh Pirates director of pitching development Jeremy Bleich to take an assistant GM role. He’ll work closely with the pitching dev department. Also, former infielder Jake Lamb has returned to Arizona, taking a player development role to work with position players.

Here’s hoping Hazen and the D-backs can pull out some more fireworks! We need it to get through the offseason…

Quick Hits

More Bad News: Cardinals star LT Paris Johnson Jr. has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL, and seems likely to miss some action, though he is considered week-to-week for the time being. Another critical piece for Arizona goes down.

The Cardinals also signed WR Steven Sims to their practice squad and tried out three guards — Wyatt Bowles, Logan Bruss and Tyler Cooper.

Noah’s Arc: Wildcat QB Noah Fifita was named a finalist for the Polynesian Player of the Year Award. Fifita is one of 10 finalists. He’d be the second-straight Arizona player to win the award if he takes home the honors, with teammate Tetairoa McMillan winning in 2024. Fifita is of Tongan heritage.

Wildcat women’s hoops plays an early game today, taking on Eastern Kentucky at 11:00 a.m. at McKale Center.

It just means more: The Suns will play in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup tonight at 5:30 p.m., facing the most brutal matchup imaginable — the 23-1 reigning world champion Oklahoma City Thunder… on the road. There appears to be a chance Devin Booker makes his return for this game. Does Phoenix have another upset in store?