The Diamondbacks’ offseason is starting with a familiar theme: money, and how far Arizona can stretch it.
One recent look at the club’s free-agency possibilities argued that the payroll may only come down a little, if it comes down at all. Even with owner Ken Kendrick talking about trimming costs, the expectation is that the D-backs could still find ways to add quality and keep the roster competitive. The piece also suggested that, even with a lower number, Arizona’s spending could still end up in the same neighborhood as previous years.
That same financial question hangs over any pursuit of Pittsburgh reliever David Bednar. A separate report said the Diamondbacks should at least check in on him, though outbidding the Yankees may be tough if Kendrick is serious about cutting payroll. There was also the thought that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement could include a salary floor, which would limit how much Arizona can actually slash and could open the door to a move for Bednar or a pitcher like him.
Ketel Marte’s future is another name already in the conversation. One report laid out possible trade destinations for the 33-year-old, but the biggest obstacle is simple: Marte has a full no-trade clause, so if he doesn’t want to go, he isn’t going anywhere. The same piece noted that he likely would not want to approve a deal to any of the five teams on his former no-trade list - the Yankees, Pirates, Cardinals, Giants and Athletics - while Arizona would also have reasons to avoid sending him to an NL West rival or any club without enough to offer.
There’s also some good news on the health front. Corbin Carroll had surgery this week to remove loose bodies in his right elbow, and the team said Friday he should be ready for the scheduled start of spring training in February.
Recovery is expected to take about eight weeks. Carroll, a three-time All-Star, still put up a strong stat line last season despite dealing with multiple injuries: .239 with 22 homers, 78 RBIs, 33 doubles and a league-high 17 triples.
He had already missed much of spring training after hamate bone surgery, and back soreness later in the year was part of why his second half lagged behind his hot start.
On the prospect side, the club has been watching Nathan Hall closely in the Arizona Fall League. Hall, an outfielder taken in the fifth round of the 2025 Draft, has had his development slowed by hamstring issues and a right arm injury, which limited his professional reps.
The Fall League gave him a chance to get more at-bats, show off his power and demonstrate his range in the field. As Slivka put it, “He’s done a really good job of improving his contact quality since coming into pro ball, even though he’s had limited reps,” and added, “I think it’s a testament to the work that he did when he was coming back from those injuries, because the swing quality and contact quality are much better than they were in college.”
Arizona also has some award-season representation to track. Gabriel Moreno and Corbin Carroll were named Silver Slugger finalists, with both making their cases in different ways during the 2026 season.
Moreno emerged as one of the league’s top offensive catchers, while Carroll kept showing the power-speed blend that makes him one of the team’s most dangerous hitters. The winners will be announced on Nov.
Elsewhere, one item that stood out from the offseason chatter: David Peralta made his pitching debut in the Venezuelan league on Halloween. Peralta, who began his career as a pitching prospect before moving to the outfield, appeared for the Braves de Margarita against the Tigres de Aragua. He entered with two outs in the ninth, needed four pitches to get the final out, allowed two hits and a walk, and still left the bases loaded with a fly ball to right.
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 Linked To Familiar Comeback Arm For Rotation Help
Mike Sorokas name still carries the kind of intrigue that comes with a former top prospect, and for the Diamondbacks, it comes with a familiar layer of context too. Once viewed as a future front-line arm for Atlanta, Soroka saw his career interrupted by injuries in 2020 and 2021, then worked his way back into a real rotation conversation. For a club that has spent recent seasons trying to stabilize its pitching depth, a pitcher who has already shown he can return from major setbacks naturally fits the conversation.
Sorokas recent workload is the part that matters most to Arizona now, because it suggests he is moving closer to the kind of dependable starter the team can count on over a full season. The Diamondbacks have also been linked to other established arms in the broader pitching market, including Kevin Gausman, whose track record since 2021 has been as steady as it gets, even as his contract situation remains tied to Toronto after a midseason move to Chicago. For Arizona, the appeal is obvious: finding a starter who can help without forcing the club to overextend itself. [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 🡒]