4:20pm: Arizona executives have had internal discussions about potentially making a run at Martinez or Turner, tweets Jim Bowden of the Athletic. Martinez played the second half of the 2017 season in Arizona, while Turner has reportedly been on the organization’s radar in each of the last two offseasons.
2:27pm: The annual Winter Meetings are taking place in Nashville this week and Steve Gilbert of MLB.com was able to discuss the ongoing offseason with Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen.
The club is in a very different position than some other recent years. They missed the playoffs in five straight years from 2018 to 2022, including an especially rough 110-loss season in 2021, but were able to go all the way to the World Series in 2023. Though they ultimately lost to the Rangers, the momentum from that run and the extra revenue from those playoff games could perhaps lead to a different offseason approach this winter.
“We’re engaged in the market more aggressively,” Hazen said. “It’s not to say that something’s going to happen involving us there, but I think we’re probably in a little different spot than we have been in the past going into the Winter Meetings is how I would characterize it.” Hazen goes on to suggest they are unlikely to made a trade involving someone currently on their major league roster, meaning they are likely looking to free agency or perhaps trades of prospects.
One thing that is definitely on the wish list is another right-handed bat. The club already brought one aboard by trading for Eugenio Suárez a couple of weeks ago, but that still leaves them a bit behind last year’s team. Each of Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Tommy Pham and Evan Longoria reached free agency at season’s end, subtracting three righty bats from the mix. The club could acquire a right-handed hitting outfielder, though Hazen says they are also open to bringing in a full-time designated hitter.
“I think a right-handed bat is [a need],” Hazen says. “I wouldn’t say a right-handed-hitting outfielder. A right-handed bat is somebody that would help fill out our lineup. There are options and various places to get that. Depending on who that was, where that landed, how that fit, I think we would have more flexibility for how the rest of it would come together.” The outfield market has some options for a right-handed bat, including re-signing Pham or Gurriel. Then there’s also Teoscar Hernández, Harrison Bader, Adam Duvall and others. But by being open to a player that would be limited to DH duties would give them some more options.
J.D. Martinez is coming off a strong 33-homer season but needs a DH slot, having played just 12 innings in the outfield this year and none at all in 2022. Jorge Soler had 36 home runs in 2023 and should be capable of a bit more work in the field than Martinez, with 32 games in right field in 2023. However, he’s generally considered a poor fielder and fits best on a club with an open DH spot. Justin Turner can play the infield corners, and even second base in a pinch, but is now 39 and best suited for a part-time defensive role. Catcher Mitch Garver has a potent bat but has seen injuries diminish his ability to squat behind the plate with regularity. First baseman Rhys Hoskins missed all of 2023 due to a torn ACL and should perhaps be signed by a club that can use the DH spot to give him a lighter workload next year. The club was speculatively connected to Martinez on the weekend and has had previous reported interest in Turner. On the trade market, Eloy Jiménez, Randy Arozarena, Tyler O’Neill, Nick Castellanos or Christopher Morel could perhaps fit the needs in Arizona.
That gives the D’Backs plenty of options to consider, none of whom should be strictly off the table financially, even though the club hasn’t been a huge spender. Roster Resource currently estimates next year’s payroll to be at $114MM right now. They have been as high as $132MM in the past, per the data at Cot’s Baseball Contracts. If their recent World Series run allows them to get back into that range or a bit beyond, then they have some money to work with. But the club needs to add some pitching and will have to balance those needs as the offseason continues to develop.
Diamondbacks are the worst world series team in history. I wouldn’t even say they were a top 10 team last year
Unless you’re a Rangers fan. I’d take that over what your team did.
I’m a fan of all teams
So not really a fan at all, got it.
Maybe he’s from a state like Montana without a team anywhere close to him. It’d be an interesting to see a poll of what team is most popular in Montana.
Western Montana is mostly Mariners/Seahawks fans. Eastern could be the same or possible Rockies fans since they cheer for the Broncos.
Raised in Montana then worked for the Twins 13 years. Eastern Montana definitely Twins, West would be Seattle.
hater and jealous much?
Would you like a tissue?
“Diamondbacks are the worst..
.Top 10 team last year”…They won a pennant last year so the actual results of the ’23 season would beg to differ with your point of view. Nowadays, getting good onfield-results and winning is still not good enough for some fans, you have to check off all the little boxes of “underlying metrics” and peripherals while also winning to please some modern fans.
Josh Naylor is the hot name rumored here. The Guardians have Manzardo coming. I xpect bullpen pieces coming from DBacks
2006 Cardinals had 83 wins, one fewer than this year’s Diamondbacks, and won the World Series. Were the Cardinals worse? Who cares, they all have championship rings.
Best team in the NL though, pitches
I’d take a shot at the big prize than people telling me it can’t be done. Go A’s!!!!!
They had a negative run differential. There’s no guarantee they even make the postseason this year. I still say Dodgers, Padres, and Giants are all arguably better teams.
And I don’t believe the 06 Cardinals had a negative run differential, but I could be wrong on that.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are likely to spend 500M+, just for the right to end up working for Ohtani.
Who’s dumb enough to post your comment on the wrong story?..Me apparently.
@mlb fan
I don’t see the Dodgers spending that kind of money on Ohtani and making Betts the #2 star on the team.
THEY LIVE!!!: Betts doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would care what Ohtani makes. The Dodgers have taken good care of Mookie financially.
Ozuna for Gallen seems fair. 😉
Dream on.
haha! you never know, lightning could strike twice. my wife had a school bus driver growing up that was struck by lightning twice. He developed skin cancer on his scalp.
The NL FINALLY adopting the DH was awesome! It gives players who can’t field more opportunity to prolonged their careers with their bat. I’ll never understand anti DH people.
NL baseball with DH is unwatchable at best. Yeah let’s extend some bum who can’t field for another $40mm :eyeroll:
You would rather watch a pitcher from your team strikeout 9 times out of 10? Yeahhhh that’s REAL enjoyable watching! :eye roll:
“unwatchable at best”
So you don’t watch MLB games at all now, Slibb?
I think it’s more watchable, but definitely dumbed down. There’s less managerial strategy, but more offense.
Von: With manfred limiting the amount of pitchers a team can carry plus the equally idiotic rule of a pitcher having to face a minimum of three batters, it would be very difficult to manage a team without the DH. manfred has basically stuck his brown nose where it doesn’t belong.
Smart teams use the DH to rotate giving everyday players a day off in the field while still keeping their bay in the lineup. Nobody is forcing anybody to sign a primary DH.
Exactly!
Why have players who have to play both ways. Expand the rosters to NFL size and have lineups up batters who never take the field and lineups of defensive wizards who never come to the plate.
Bring back Mark Reynolds? (AZ days)
The most action-packed Winter Meetings this year.
as a diehard dbacks fan I think we need another lefty hitter. Like joc. Besides corbin carrol and Thomas we don’t have much lefty hitters. Perdomo and marte are switch. Maybe a platoon. But I don’t want to be stacked with Righties.I wanted JD back for years! He will hit 35 hrs in Arizona again. He loved it there. Look at his insane numbers for half a year. Incredible!
JD Martinez anyone? I’d hope he would sign with the Angels but the Dbacks looks like a fit.
Hoskins could be a good fit as well
Votto
Manager/Guest hitter
The D-Backs should be talking to the WhiteSox about a Cease and Eloy deal. This would handle two of the teams needs, and they have the prospects to get the job done.
Probably Lawler or Perdomo with Jones, Walston, McCarthy, Lin, De Los Santos, Ryne Nelson, and Tommy Troy. I’d say get’s it done.
That’s a haul and if they could get that done, of course.
8 players going back to CHW..?
Druw Jones and Tommy Troy be off limits. Try something else.
drdback Lawler and Lin off limits as well.
CG: “Hey! We’re willing to deal you Cease and Jiminez for Perdomo, Jones, Walston, McCarthy…”
MH: *hangs up the phone to uncontrollably laugh*
No chance Hazen even entertains the thought of dealing the top three prospects in the pipeline in one deal by themselves, let alone including other players
Plus, paying at best market rate for Jiminez (and at worst carrying dead money, of which there is already Bumgarner on the books) is not feasible without the ChiSox eating money (and I’m certain that there’s no amount of money the Sox could throw in to facilitate that kind of haul).
Cease is a good pitcher, great even, but 2 years of him isn’t enough to warrant throwing the team building philosophy out the window.
I tried to be nice about the return for Cease and Jimenez, but you nailed it. And of course as a White Sox fan, I hope and pray for the day they find a GM to make that kind of deal.
Don’t bogart that joint my friend,
Pass it over to me…..
I have a feeling it’s gonna be JD or JT to AZ when it’s said and done. Both former Sox players, Hazen has the connections and proven leaders for a young team. I hope the Sox bring back JT but with Yoshida needing to DH, not super confident in that happening.
Ohtani will spend the rest of his career in Arizona mashing balls and throwing multiple no-hitters against the garbage teams of the NL West.
Brent Rooker from the A’s straight swp for Deyvison DeLosSantos. Easy
Uh, no!
What a solid find he was
JD did not sign last season until almost spring training with LA, he could do the same thing this year with another team. Hazen has more pressing needs like an outfielder, 2 starters, backup catcher. Payroll budget is going to be the thing though, can’t see this owner letting the money fly. Right now, what I read their budget max is about 130 mil for 2024.
Let’s go AA move Ozuna to Arizona maybe Iglesis with him freeing up the money to bring in Ohtani
Get back a prospect to package with Grissom to get Cease
It would take a very strong prospect to pair with Grissom to get Cease.
Grissom is a good start but would need maybe two decent prospects, nothing huge, to go along with him.
Thinking Stanton might be available. Come on Arizona, you know you want him.
Snakes maybe kick the tires on a buy low Eloy Jimenez acquisition? Injury history & his K probably a concern for them , also might not be a good fit in the Dbacks clubhouse. Doesn’t appear he will reach his potential with the moribund White Sox organization, maybe a change of scenery jump starts his career.
JD raked in Arizona after coming over from the Tigers in 2017. A reunion may not be the worst thing
I hear that Stanton guy might be available
Stanton is very available for a half eaten hot dog
Sold. No take backs.
We will give you Fletcher or Mccarthy for Stanton if you kick in 85% of Stanton’s remaining Salary.
I think Cashman would absolutely jump on that deal, heck he’d probably be willing to eat 70% of his salary. Maybe the warm weather of Arizona, and in general of the NL West, might do his legs some good.
Eloy for McCarthy
Seriously though I just want Stanton off my team. Cashman needs to find some team willing to pay 30-50% of whatever left on his deal. Arizona can have Stanton for 12-15 Million is a great price. Priority number one Unload Stanton. Priority number two Trade Torres. #3 Trade Rizzo then Trade for Soto and sign Bellinger and Chapman for 3B.
Try 80%. If Stanton was a free agent, he’d be lucky to get a $8MM one-year deal with a $2MM buyout of a $12MM mutual option.
Bob Sacanano. Throw in Dylan Cease and you have a deal!
Rhys Hoskins would be a perfect fit as much as it pains me to say.
Shohei sleeper shows it’s hand without showing it’s hand. Diamondbacks have always had deep pockets. West coast enough! Mariners fan here. Go AZ!
Nobody has even taken on my Brent Rooker idea. You’ll all be looking back October 2024 thinking how right I was
My guess is that Arizona picks up Martinez as their DH, though I think the much younger Hoskins would be the better bet. But the injury will probably scare the D-Backs off. I like Turner but sooner or later the clock strikes midnight. Soler is way too inconsistent. Pham might be good for starting fights with fantasy football guys.
The Dbacks are not in the same position as last year, when they had 6-7 lefthanded hitting OF, most of them rookies who would have difficulty hitting same sided pitching early in their careers. Now, they only have 5 lefthanded hitting OF, and 1 or 2 have already proven themselves to be everyday players who can hit against lefty pitchers.
So I don’t agree that the Dbacks are confined to need a right handed bat. I think either LHH or RHH with major thump would help the lineup. Particularly when the entire IF and catcher are right handed hitters or switch hitters.
Dbacks trade with White Sox
Luis Robert, Jr.
Dylan Cease
Eloy Jimenez
For
Jordan Lawler
taking on all of Jimenez’ contract
Blake Walston
Dominic Fletcher
Slade Cecconi
Bryce Jarvis
@YankeesBleecher okay 80% I don’t care get him off my team. DFA him if you have too. Give him the Hicks treatment
Oh, hell no!
In an off-season that Hazen has to add to the roster with roughly $20M between current payroll and the previous franchise high, you want to take on over $25M to create more roster holes? That’s a no from me dawg
Robert Jr. is a luxury that the DBacks can’t afford, and Jiminez just can’t be rostered without the ChiSox paying a sizeable portion of his current salary (and I have a hard time believing that Getz would dilute Robert’s trade value to offload Jiminez’s salary).
But 3(!) members of the near term SP depth? Yikes. I’m fine with just Cease coming back in a deal, but not for anything that would cripple the MLB roster to that extent.
And earlier in this thread he said Lawlar was off-limits?
Anthony Rendon, anyone?
That guy is a persistent injury risk with an albatross contract with the Angels for the next 3 years.