A few familiar faces could make a lot of sense if they end up back where they started.
Michael Soroka is one of the clearest examples. Before his call-up in 2018, he was sitting near the top of the Braves’ prospect lists, with some outlets placing him in the top three.
Then came the breakout. In 2019, his first full season, Soroka made his lone All-Star team, finished sixth in Cy Young voting, and came in second in the Rookie of the Year race.
At that point, he looked like the next great Braves arm in waiting.
The road after that got rough fast. Soroka tore his right Achilles twice, once in 2020 and again in 2021, and the question shifted from how good he could be to whether he would pitch again at all, much less wear a Braves uniform again. He did recover, though, and over the last few years he has kept building himself back up.
Last season with the Diamondbacks marked the first time since 2019 that Soroka got over 100 innings. Injuries still cropped up along the way and kept his workload in check, but crossing that threshold matters. It suggests he is moving toward the kind of season where 30 starts is a realistic target.
That is why Atlanta keeps coming up. The Braves are always connected to starting pitching, and Alex Anthopoulos has a reputation for working the margins and keeping costs down while filling holes. With the Braves needing multiple starters this offseason, Soroka fits the profile of the kind of affordable arm that matches how “AA” tends to operate.
Kevin Gausman is another reunion that makes plenty of sense, even if his path has been different. Since the post-COVID season, he has been one of the most dependable starters around. From 2021 on, he has made 30-plus starts every year across three teams, a stretch that tracks with the moment his career really settled into place.
In 2026, Gausman logged 32 starts, threw 177.2 innings, struck out 184, and posted a 4.51 ERA with a 3.74 FIP and 1.1 bWAR. He finished the year with the Blue Jays before they dealt him at the deadline to the Cubs, and there does not seem to be much reason he could not wind up back in Toronto.
The numbers suggest a pitcher who still got the job done even if the season was not as clean as some of his best work. His ERA sat well above his FIP, which points to some bad luck in 2026. That lines up with the Baseball Savant graphic referenced in the source, which showed little difference between 2026 and 2023, his best Blue Jays season.
In Other News...
Derrick Hall Just Sent D-Backs Fans An Early Warning About 2027
Derrick Hall spent part of his season wrap-up looking back at a year that tested the Diamondbacks depth and resolve, and he came away emphasizing how the club kept pushing even as injuries piled up. The president and CEO also pointed to the bullpen and the young prospects who were forced into bigger roles as bright spots, a reminder that Arizona found value in places it did not necessarily plan to lean on so heavily.
Hall also had reason to smile when he talked about the 25th anniversary reunion of the 2001 World Series team, which gave the organization a chance to celebrate one of its defining moments with the people who lived it. The bigger issue for the present-day club, though, is the financial picture ahead, and Hall made clear the Diamondbacks are preparing for a leaner budget while still trying to stay in the race. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Offseason Plans Just Got More Complicated Around Corbin Carroll
The Diamondbacks went into the offseason wanting to trim costs, but the expectation now is that the payroll comes down only a little, not enough to force a full-scale reset. That leaves the front office in a familiar middle ground: trying to save money while still leaving room to add quality if the right opportunity comes along. One name that has surfaced in that conversation is pitcher Kyle Bednar, though any real push would depend on how the club reads its budget and how the new Collective Bargaining Agreement shapes spending.
There is also the matter of Corbin Carroll, whose status adds another layer to the winter planning. He recently had surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow, and the club expects him to be ready for spring training, which at least keeps one of its core pieces on track. Even so, with trade talk around Ketel Marte complicated by his no-trade clause and personal preferences, the Diamondbacks are navigating an offseason where the financial picture and roster picture are not lining up neatly. [Read more 🡒]
Gabriel Moreno Just Put The D-Backs In A Tough Position
Gabriel Morenos season gave the Diamondbacks exactly what every team wants from a young catcher: impact, stability and a player who looked like a fixture for the long haul. He finished with a historically strong year behind the plate, and his production only sharpened the sense that Arizona has one of the more valuable catchers in the sport. The contract situation, though, is still not simple. Moreno is under team control through 2028, but he remains on a year-to-year track as he enters his second arbitration year, even after extension conversations have already happened.
That is where the tension starts for Arizona. A catcher with Morenos profile is the kind of player clubs try to lock up early, but the Diamondbacks also have to weigh what his market value could look like if they keep waiting. The front office has to balance the appeal of keeping an elite catcher in place against the reality that his trade value would be enormous if the team ever decided to listen, all while trying to sort out a catching picture that could get complicated in the years ahead. [Read more 🡒]