With pitchers and catchers now teetering on the edge of reporting, and with a number of definite changes over the month since we last checked in, I figure it was a good point to update the expected roster. So here are the players I currently expect to be present, when the team takes the field in Dodger Stadium on March 26. Changes from the previous edition are in bold.
Starting rotation
No changes here since last time. There is still the dangling and oft-floated possibility of Zac Gallen returning to the team. While there would be some irony to this, the pitcher having declined a hefty qualifying offer from the team at the start of the off-season, I don’t see it happening, unless Gallen comes insanely cheap. The team has its starting rotation, and won’t be bumping Soroka to very expensive long-relief. That aren’t actually short in rotational depth, with the likes of Cristian Mena, Kohl Drake and Dylan Ray – and that’s just the ones currently on the 40-man roster. You can never have too much pitching, true. But Zac simply doesn’t seem to fit the team’s need.
Bullpen
This was, almost universally, the area of the team seen as needing most help. So far, it appears Mike Hazen is mostly content to wait for reinforcements in the shape of, probably, first A.J. Puk, and then Justin Martinez. However, the addition of Clarke and the trade earlier in the week for Stroud should be helpful, and push some lesser arms into lower-leverage situations. That does now feel like five of the (likely) eight bullpen slots for Opening Day are accounted for. That’s a clear improvement on the three we had locked down, when we checked in last month.
As before, the remainder of the positions could be anyone, and will likely be up for grabs in spring training. Keep an eye on the non-roster invitees: there’s a good chance one or two end up at the back of the bullpen. Jonathan Loaisiga is one to watch, and if Derek Law is healthy and back to anything like his 2024 form, he has the experience to be a significant asset to the Arizona bullpen. I’d currently be inclined to pencil Curtiss as the long reliever – though he’s not on the 40-man roster, there will be spots opening up. He performed well for the D-backs, with an ERA and FIP around four. Almost half of his outings (13 of 30) saw John going more than three outs too.
While the free-agent pickings remaining are increasingly scant, I do note that Jalen Beeks is one of the names still available at the time of writing. If we’re going to re-unite with a free-agent pitcher from the 2025 D-backs, Beeks seems more likely than Gallen. He was both effective and durable, and at a cost of $1.25 million, Jalen was reasonably priced as well. I’m a little surprised he hasn’t been signed by anyone. Perhaps we have a gentleman’s agreement in place with Beeks, but the team are waiting until the IL becomes available, and 40-man roster spots open up, to announce it officially. /adjusts tin-foil hat.
Starting line-up
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Catcher: Gabriel Moreno ($2.55m)
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First base: Carlos Santana ($2m)
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Second base: Ketel Marte ($15m)
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Shortstop: Geraldo Perdomo ($6.25m)
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Third-base: Nolan Arenado ($5m)
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Left field: Jordan Lawlar
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Center field: Alek Thomas ($1.96m)
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Right field: Corbin Carroll ($10.62m)
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Designated hitter: Pavin Smith ($2.25m)
The D-backs made 84 errors last year, the vast majority (77) coming on the infield. That’s a drastic increase over the total errors in both 2023 (56) and 2024 (62). While errors are an unreliable stat, the more advanced metrics also show a clear downturn in Arizona’s defense in 2025. It was no secret it was going to be a focus this winter, and the addition of Arenado and Santana should help get things going back in the other direction. It’s interesting, because early in the off-season, Hazen was speaking about keeping things in-house: “I feel like we have more options internally, position player-wise, to solve some of our issues that we may have defensively and offensively.”
After the trade of Alexander, Hazen also confirmed that while Lawlar will still see some work in the infield this spring, “I think the majority of his work is gonna come in the outfield.” That’s presumably to allow him to fill in left field while the team waits for the return of Lourdes Gurriell. However, that need may not be as long as initially suspected. Last month Hazen said the outfielder “was well ahead of schedule” in his rehab from ACL surgery, though wouldn’t be drawn on a specific date. The original expectation was 9-10 months from the procedure, which works out to around late June. Less than that would certainly be helpful, though how effective he’ll be is also an issue. As discussed earlier, Ryan Waldschmidt could be another option.
Santana and Smith would form a natural platoon at first, but Santana definitely has the greater defensive reputation, while Smith is the better bat. So we could end up seeing both in the line-up on the same day. We don’t really have any obvious DH candidates otherwise: last year, it was mostly Smith, plus Randall Grichuk, with Marte and Adrian DelCastillo seeing time there too. If we don’t want to overtax Gurriel when he comes back, he could play there against left-handed pitching.
Bench
The usually well-informed John Gambadoro says that the team “will be looking trade/free agency for a Blaze Alexander replacement – someone who can play 3B/2B. Could also be looking for LF help with Blaze’s departure.” Certainly, that makes sense, since Blaze’s departure does leave the bench looking a little thin. McCann is obviously there as catcher, and Tawa offers a lot of positional flexibility (can he play two positions simultaneously?). But Barrosa still has no bat, while DelCastillo has virtually no professional experience at any other position bar catcher, and as a left-handed bat does not platoon well with Smith as designated hitter.
So I would not be at all surprised if there are indeed further moves to come at the back end of the roster. Exactly what that will be, and whether the cost will be in salary or prospect capital, is uncertain. And speaking of which…
Payroll
I’m going to skip the detailed math from last time, regarding players on the IL, pre-arbitration candidates, etc. and go straight to the Fangraphs figure , which currently has the team at $173 million. That compares to a closing figure last year of $188 million. The team did say they wanted to cut payroll, but technically $187,999,999 would do that. So they still have almost $15 million to spend, right? Uh… Probably not: and that’s another reason why I doubt Gallen will be here. There may be room for some more free-agent spending, such as on Beeks. But we have absolutely no idea how much, if any, is left.
Rather than going all-in immediately, Hazen may also want to keep some resources back, and see how the season progresses. If things are going well, then he can look to take on the salary of a rental at the trade deadline. It’s hard to be sure what would count as “going well”. Yes, we will be getting reinforcements for the pitching staff, in Corbin Burnes, Puk and Martinez, who might help in the second half. But how players perform on their return from Tommy John is never certain. Expecting everyone to go right back to pre-operation form is likely an optimistic assumption.
So, there we go. I’ve no doubt things will change further between now and Opening Day. But I definitely feel things look more solid than they were a month ago. What do you reckon? Who would you change? See you in the comments…
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