The Arizona Diamondbacks are bringing back a familiar face to the desert, signing right-handed reliever Taylor Clarke to a one-year deal. To make room on the 40-man roster, the team designated fellow righty Gus Varland for assignment.
For D-backs fans, Clarke’s name should ring a bell. Arizona drafted him in the third round back in 2015 out of the College of Charleston, and he made his big league debut four years later in a swingman role.
While he started his career bouncing between the rotation and bullpen, Clarke has been almost exclusively a reliever since the shortened 2020 season. He did get some starting reps in Triple-A with Milwaukee in 2024, but in the majors, he’s been a bullpen arm through and through.
Clarke’s first stint in Arizona ended after the 2021 season, when the team non-tendered him following a year that saw his ERA hover around 5.00. Kansas City picked him up not long after, giving him a shot in their bullpen over the next two seasons.
The results were mixed - the strikeout and walk numbers were solid, but Clarke struggled with batted-ball luck, posting a 5.08 ERA across that stretch. Eventually, the Royals shipped him to Milwaukee, where he spent time in Triple-A after clearing waivers.
But Kansas City wasn’t done with him. They brought Clarke back on a minor league deal last offseason, and this time, he made the most of the opportunity.
Called up in early May, Clarke delivered the best season of his career: 55 1/3 innings with a 3.25 ERA. His strikeout rate (21.4%) and swinging strike rate (10.1%) weren’t eye-popping, but he kept the walks to a stingy 4.4% and was particularly sharp in the second half of the season.
Sure, a .208 BABIP suggests he had some help from the baseball gods, but the performance was enough to turn heads.
Even so, the Royals chose not to tender him an arbitration contract - a decision that likely would’ve cost them around $2 million. That opened the door for a full-circle moment: Clarke, once non-tendered by Arizona, is now back in their bullpen on a big league deal.
With over five years of MLB service time, Clarke can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent. So barring injury, he’s locked into the Opening Day bullpen.
He’ll join Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel in a group that has some solid arms, but no clear-cut closer - especially with A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez sidelined.
Clarke won’t be the go-to guy in the ninth, but he adds needed stability in the middle innings. He may not have the high-leverage track record, but he raises the bullpen’s floor at a time when Arizona is eyeing another playoff push.
As for Gus Varland, his time with the Diamondbacks may be short-lived. Arizona picked him up off waivers from the White Sox in August while he was recovering from a season-ending lat strain.
The 29-year-old never threw a pitch for the organization, but held a spot on the 40-man roster for several months. Across 42 big league appearances between 2023 and 2024 - spread across stints with Milwaukee, the Dodgers, and the White Sox - Varland put up a 4.82 ERA.
Now, Arizona has five days to trade Varland or place him on waivers. If he clears waivers, he could remain in the organization, as he doesn’t yet have the service time or previous outright assignment to elect free agency.
Bottom line: Clarke’s return gives the D-backs a dependable veteran arm in the bullpen - not a game-changer, but a piece that can help steady the ship. And in a National League race that’s shaping up to be tight, that kind of reliability could prove valuable down the stretch.