As free agent starters start to search out new houses — Blake Snell, Yusei Kikuchi, Frankie Montas, Matthew Boyd and Kyle Hendricks have all signed previously two weeks — curiosity within the Diamondbacks’ assortment of rotation arms has “began to choose up,” basic supervisor Mike Hazen tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The D-backs have at the very least 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 choice to have invested that cash in a man that carried out as poorly as he did” and “our largest mistake this season from a expertise standpoint.” Montgomery unsurprisingly exercised a $22.5MM participant possibility even after being known as out by Kendrick — an easy choice for a pitcher coming off an injury-shortened yr with career-worst marks in ERA (6.23), strikeout price (15.6%) and stroll price (8.3%).
For all the main target positioned on Montgomery’s struggles final yr, the opposite veteran lefty signed by Arizona final offseason additionally fell properly wanting expectations. Rodriguez signed a four-year, $80MM pact with the Snakes however was restricted to only 10 begins after opening the season on the injured checklist because 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 probably make him even more durable to unload.
Any of the opposite 4 arms in Arizona’s rotation could be exhausting 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 wonderful requirements, anyhow), however any group would like to have the right-hander. He’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $14.1MM in his remaining season of membership management earlier than changing into a free agent subsequent winter. Gallen shouldn’t be 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 price and a powerful 6.3% stroll price. Arizona made a straightforward 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 price and excellent 5.4% stroll price 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 price, 5.5% stroll price, 3.61 FIP and three.65 SIERA are all much more encouraging. He would possibly’ve worn down a bit late within the season as he pushed by that new career-high workload, as his worst months had 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 practically 40 factors. Regardless, the previous high prospect is a 2025 breakout candidate when contemplating his pedigree and price stats that far outpace his pedestrian earned run common. Of the arms on the large league workers, he’s most likely essentially the most troublesome for one more group to accumulate.
There’s depth even past that sextet. Proper-hander Drey Jameson can 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 sure ticketed for Triple-A, all of whom have minor league choices remaining and at the very least 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 group would most strongly favor to deal. Hazen said that Kendrick’s feedback relating to the left-hander have “zero” impression on the urgency to commerce him, although there’s probably some public-facing lip service at play there.
Piecoro provides that the D-backs could be prepared to tackle one other contract of some word in return for Montgomery (if mentioned participant stuffed a roster want) or maybe pursue extra of a conventional wage dump, the place they shed as a lot of the contract as doable for little to no return. Of word, Hazen advised that if he’s to finally transfer Montgomery in deal that’s primarily rooted in wage aid, the commerce would wish 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 someone (who’s extra of a goal).”
