The Arizona Diamondbacks are locked in a tight race with the San Diego Padres for the National League’s third and final Wild Card spot, and the team’s push is being powered by the kind of stretch you expect from its biggest names.
Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte have drawn plenty of the spotlight, but Gabriel Moreno has been piling up a season that’s easy to miss if you’re only watching the headlines. Now, that production is starting to carry real financial weight.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Moreno could be in line for a major new contract that would go beyond the 10-year, $140 million deal Will Smith signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Arizona Diamondbacks prized catcher Gabriel Moreno, the gift that keeps on giving in a trade from Toronto, could be in line to become the game's richest catcher,” Nightengale writes. "... He could eclipse the 10-year, $140 million contract Will Smith signed with the Dodgers two years ago if they can work out an extension this winter."
A long-term extension this offseason would fit Arizona’s timeline. Moreno is entering the second year of arbitration, and the Diamondbacks control him through the 2028 season.
If the club wants to keep the 26-year-old catcher around for the long haul, this winter may be the moment to act.
And Moreno has given them plenty of reason to make that move. In a career-high 119 games, he’s set personal bests with 63 runs scored, 130 hits, 31 doubles, 13 home runs, 73 RBIs and 54 walks.
His numbers across the board tell the same story: a .301 batting average, .377 on-base percentage, .468 slugging percentage and .844 OPS, all career highs. His 134 OPS+ also tops his previous best of 119 from last season.
At 26 and coming off the strongest year of his MLB career, Moreno is positioned as a player the Diamondbacks would have every incentive to keep. A deal in the neighborhood of $140 million over 10 years would be a serious investment, but for Arizona, it would be a clear statement about a catcher who has become one of the most valuable pieces on the roster.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Finally Added A Needed Bat For A Playoff Push
With 11 games left and a 2.5-game gap to the National League Wild Card line, Arizona is taking one more swing at tightening up a roster that still has a path into October. The Diamondbacks claimed outfielder Jesus Sanchez off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, adding a left-handed bat with a reputation for handling right-handed pitching and giving the club another option as it tries to squeeze out every edge in the final stretch.
Sanchez is expected to slot in as a replacement for a right-handed outfielder, which gives Arizona a clearer balance in a lineup that can always use more impact against certain matchups. It is the kind of late-season move teams make when the margin for error has all but disappeared, and for the Diamondbacks, it leaves the focus on how quickly he can fit in as the pressure around the wild-card race keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Take Another Risk On A Bat They Desperately Need
The Diamondbacks dipped into the waiver wire for another left-handed bat, claiming outfielder Jess Snchez after Toronto designated him for assignment. Arizonas offense has been searching for a late-season spark against right-handed pitching, and Snchez gives the club a look at a player with the kind of power profile that can change a game in a hurry, even if the fit comes with some roster complications.
Because Snchez is out of options, Arizona will have to clear room for him on the active roster right away. The catch is that he will not be eligible for postseason play with the Diamondbacks this year, which adds another layer to a decision that already carries some risk. For a team trying to patch a lineup need on the fly, it is the sort of move that could matter in September even if the bigger payoff may have to wait. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Roster Churn Is Starting To Raise Tough Questions
The Diamondbacks roster has been in constant motion lately, with the club cycling through moves to keep both the 28-man active roster and the full 40-man roster intact. A look at the current state of the team, along with the Marlins, shows how much churn there has been around Arizona as the front office continues to juggle designations for assignment, releases and new additions just to stay compliant and keep the roster functioning.
That churn has also meant plenty of familiar names have already come and gone this season, with several players now off the Diamondbacks roster after recent transactions. Some have already turned the page elsewhere, while others are left in the aftermath of repeated moves that say plenty about how aggressively Arizona is managing every spot, even as the questions around the long-term direction only seem to grow. [Read more 🡒]