The Diamondbacks know exactly what they need to fix this winter, and the answer starts with the left side of the plate.
After finishing 86-76 and missing the postseason when the Phillies beat the Rays on the final day of the regular season, Arizona is heading into the offseason with a clear offensive mandate: do better against right-handed pitching. General manager Mike Hazen said that plainly on Thursday, and the club’s biggest holes appear to line up at first base and designated hitter.
“ The offseason priorities, from an add standpoint, are certainly going to be somewhere being a little more left-handed, ” Hazen said. “ We struggled versus right-handed pitching this year.
So that’s a clear and obvious one. ”
The numbers back him up. Arizona was excellent against lefties, ranking third in the majors with a 114 wRC+.
Against right-handers, though, the Diamondbacks were fourth-worst in the league at 92 wRC+. Ten hitters reached at least 150 plate appearances versus righties, and only Gabriel Moreno, Geraldo Perdomo, and Nolan Arenado finished above average by wRC+.
Corbin Carroll checked in just under the line at 95 wRC+, while the rest of the group ranged from poor to essentially unusable.
That split explains why first base and DH are at the center of the conversation. Diamondbacks first basemen combined for a 74 wRC+, which ranked dead last in the majors at the position. Their DHs weren’t much better, posting a 77 wRC+ that topped only the Royals, who came in at 67.
At first base, Arizona leaned heavily on switch-hitter Ildemaro Vargas. He logged a career-high 486 1/3 innings there and held his own defensively, finishing with +7 Defensive Runs Saved and +2 Outs Above Average.
The bat told a different story. As a right-handed hitter against lefties, Vargas was productive, hitting .321/.347/.500.
As a left-handed hitter against righties, he fell off badly, batting .216/.271/.309 for a 59 wRC+. That line was dragged down by a .239 average on balls in play, but it also fit his broader track record against right-handed pitching.
Vargas has now crossed six years of service time, making him a free agent.
Designated hitter was even less settled. Adrian Del Castillo, Ketel Marte, and Moreno each topped 100 plate appearances there, but the spot never really found a steady home.
Marte and Moreno were slightly above average overall in the role, though Moreno’s 107 wRC+ as a DH was well below his 141 wRC+ across the board. Del Castillo had the roughest stretch of his three-year big league career, hitting .193/.246/.309 in 197 plate appearances overall.
Marte’s season also dipped below his usual level, and questions about his maturity have resurfaced, even though his 10-and-5 rights make him likely to stay in the organization.
Moreno should still get occasional DH time to lighten the load of catching, but the Diamondbacks may prefer to add a player who can handle that spot close to full time. First base could be treated the same way. Vargas probably returns only as a defensive reserve, and Tim Tawa, who played 51 games at first, does not bring enough offense for the position.
Finding the right bat will be the tricky part, especially with payroll expected to come down in 2027. Owner Ken Kendrick has already said the team will reduce spending that year.
Zac Gallen and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are coming off the books, but Arizona also hopes to bring back Michael Soroka, likely at a higher price. That means the front office will need to be selective.
There are at least some possible fits. MLBTR’s Leo Morgenstern and Steve Adams recently broke down the first base and DH markets, and names like Jake Bauers, Josh Bell, and Nathaniel Lowe stand out as left-handed or switch-hitting options at first.
Bauers and Bell were effective against both righties and lefties this year, with Bauers drawing the stronger marks. He would represent the more meaningful upgrade and could be available on a one-year deal or a multi-year contract with opt-outs.
At DH, the list thins out fast, with Bell and Joc Pederson among the best available choices and most of the remaining candidates hitting right-handed.
In Other News...
Nolan Arenado Gave Arizona Hope At Third Base Again For Now
Nolan Arenados first season in Arizona gave the Diamondbacks a familiar kind of reassurance at third base, even if it came with some familiar caution signs attached. After arriving from the Cardinals, he provided an early boost, went quiet in June, then finished strong enough in September to remind the club why his bat still carries weight, even in a year that ended with a .255 average, 30 home runs and a 120 wRC+.
For Arizona, the bigger question is not what Arenado did in stretches, but how much of that version is sustainable going forward. The offensive production was real enough to help, yet the underlying trends pointed the other way, with his exit velocity and hard-hit rate slipping, leaving the Diamondbacks with a useful answer at the hot corner for now and a longer-term evaluation still hanging over the spot. [Read more 🡒]