As free agent starters start to seek out new properties — Blake Snell, Yusei Kikuchi, Frankie Montas, Matthew Boyd and Kyle Hendricks have all signed prior to now two weeks — curiosity within the Diamondbacks’ assortment of rotation arms has “began to select up,” normal supervisor Mike Hazen tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The D-backs have no less than six starters on the roster at current: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson and Jordan Montgomery.
Of the six, Montgomery is the obvious commerce candidate, following a tough 2024 exhibiting and proprietor Ken Kendrick’s public, verbal thrashing of the participant. In October, Kendrick brazenly lamented ever pushing his entrance workplace to signal Montgomery late within the 2023-24 offseason, calling it a “horrible determination to have invested that cash in a man that carried out as poorly as he did” and “our greatest mistake this season from a expertise standpoint.” Montgomery unsurprisingly exercised a $22.5MM participant possibility even after being referred to as out by Kendrick — an easy determination for a pitcher coming off an injury-shortened yr with career-worst marks in ERA (6.23), strikeout charge (15.6%) and stroll charge (8.3%).
For all the main focus positioned on Montgomery’s struggles final yr, the opposite veteran lefty signed by Arizona final offseason additionally fell effectively wanting expectations. Rodriguez signed a four-year, $80MM pact with the Snakes however was restricted to simply 10 begins after opening the season on the injured listing as a result of a shoulder pressure. He pitched 50 innings of 5.04 ERA ball whereas exhibiting diminished life on his four-seamer and sinker. Rodriguez is owed $20MM for the approaching season, $21MM in 2026 and $19MM in 2027. He’s additionally assured a $6MM buyout on a $17MM mutual possibility for the 2028 season — an possibility that might routinely vest primarily based on his innings tallies in 2026-27. Whereas Montgomery’s contract is underwater, the three years and $66MM remaining on Rodriguez’s pact very possible make him even tougher to unload.
Any of the opposite 4 arms in Arizona’s rotation could be onerous to pry unfastened. Ace Zac Gallen is a Cy Younger contender when wholesome, evidenced by fifth- and third-place finishes in 2022 and 2023 balloting. He missed a few month of motion with a hamstring pressure in 2024 and flashed worse command than typical (relative to his glorious requirements, anyhow), however any staff would like to have the right-hander. He’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $14.1MM in his closing season of membership management earlier than changing into a free agent subsequent winter. Gallen isn’t being shopped, to be clear. Hazen even chuckled on the mere notion of Gallen being a outstanding commerce candidate in a mid-November look on Arizona Sports activities 98.7’s Wolf & Luke Present (2:35 mark). That’s unlikely to cease different groups from attempting.
Kelly, like Gallen, is a free agent subsequent offseason. He missed greater than three months in 2024 with a shoulder pressure however was usually efficient when wholesome, logging a 4.03 ERA with a barely below-average 21% strikeout charge and a powerful 6.3% stroll charge. Arizona made a simple name to train a $7MM membership possibility on Kelly for the upcoming season.
Nelson and Pfaadt are each controllable and thus fairly precious to the Snakes. The 26-year-old Nelson is below membership management for 4 extra seasons and simply tossed 150 2/3 innings with a 4.24 ERA, 20% strikeout charge and excellent 5.4% stroll charge in 2024. These numbers are skewed by a gradual begin, however from July onward, Nelson posted a 3.05 ERA, 24.8 Okay% and 5.0 BB% in 82 2/3 frames. He’s not but eligible for arbitration.
Pfaadt, additionally 26, paced the D-backs with 181 2/3 innings and 32 begins. His 4.71 ERA doesn’t stand out, however his 24.3% strikeout charge, 5.5% stroll charge, 3.61 FIP and three.65 SIERA are all much more encouraging. He may’ve worn down a bit late within the season as he pushed by that new career-high workload, as his worst months have been August and September. A disproportionate quantity of the harm in opposition to Pfaadt this season got here in a single nightmare September outing, whereby the Brewers tagged him for eight runs in simply 1 2/3 innings. Lopping off even that one begin would trigger his season-long ERA to drop by almost 40 factors. Regardless, the previous high prospect is a 2025 breakout candidate when contemplating his pedigree and charge stats that far outpace his pedestrian earned run common. Of the arms on the massive league workers, he’s most likely probably the most tough for an additional staff to amass.
There’s depth even past that sextet. Proper-hander Drey Jameson will probably be again from 2023 Tommy John surgical procedure subsequent yr. He’s already had some massive league success. There are one other 5 starters on the 40-man roster and certain ticketed for Triple-A, all of whom have minor league choices remaining and no less than a little bit of MLB expertise: Yilber Diaz, Slade Cecconi, Blake Walston, Cristian Mena and Tommy Henry. Few organizations boast a stockpile of arms so deep.
All of that’s to say — it’s hardly a shock that golf equipment are calling the D-backs about their starters. The identical is true of their outfielders, as Hazen already acknowledged a pair weeks again. Piecoro writes that (naturally) Montgomery is each the likeliest to maneuver and the pitcher whom the staff would most strongly desire to deal. Hazen said that Kendrick’s feedback relating to the left-hander have “zero” affect on the urgency to commerce him, although there’s possible some public-facing lip service at play there.
Piecoro provides that the D-backs could be keen to tackle one other contract of some notice in return for Montgomery (if stated participant crammed a roster want) or maybe pursue extra of a conventional wage dump, the place they shed as a lot of the contract as potential for little to no return. Of notice, Hazen urged that if he’s to finally transfer Montgomery in deal that’s primarily rooted in wage aid, the commerce would want to come back collectively earlier than the majority of high quality free brokers come off the board: “Sooner or later, it doesn’t make sense as a result of your pivot strikes are choosing on the edges slightly than getting any person (who’s extra of a goal).”
