SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said his bullpen is one of the better versions his club has come into spring training with, but there are major decisions to be made over the next six weeks.
One involves adding a piece, which the club is actively looking to accomplish. Another is deciding who will be the closer, if there is one.
Pitchers and catchers officially reported to spring training on Wednesday, and while Opening Day isn’t until March 27, the clock has started for Diamondbacks relievers to compete for positioning.
“We’re very active trying to add to that area of our team,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta. “I know (manager Torey Lovullo) wants to go in with a closer. He’s always wanted to have a closer. We’ve gone into years when we’ve had a closer. We’ve gone into years where we’ve kind of had to piece it together.”
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“I would like to, but it’s not going to be an absolute necessity for me,” Lovullo said during his first spring training press conference on Wednesday. “I got to make sure wherever we’re handing out these spots …. it’s for the best reasons for this team to go out and win baseball games. I’ll adhere to that. I’d like to, but I’m not going to force it.”
Lovullo mentioned having had a couple conversations about hulking southpaw A.J. Puk in particular, but he said it would not be surprising for someone else like Justin Martinez or Kevin Ginkel to win the job should the D-backs stand pat.
The manager added Puk’s left-handedness is not an issue when it comes to picking a closer.
Where Diamondbacks left off at closer
The Diamondbacks went into last season with Paul Sewald set as the closer, but he suffered an oblique strain during spring training. Ginkel handled the role interimly until Sewald returned, and eventually the latter lost the ninth inning on merit.
The final two months were a mix-and-match process, and Martinez received experience in high-leverage moments in the midst of a breakout rookie year. Puk came along at the deadline, shortly before the closer change, and dominated until his final outing went awry (two ninth-inning home runs in Game 161).
Martinez ended up leading the bullpen with 72.2 innings pitched and 2.0 rWAR. He worked a 2.61 ERA in save situations, picking up eight saves and two blown saves, per Baseball Reference.
Puk came over in a trade from Miami and while he only saved two games, he did not give up a run for nearly two months (23.2 innings).
“We’re just here to win,” Puk said on Wednesday when asked about competing for the closer’s role. “I don’t know what the roles would be, if it’s gonna be the same thing with the matchups. All I want to do is just win, get to the World Series and win a ring. Whatever those matchups are, whatever role they put me in, I’ll be happy.”
“I’m not really thinking about that,” Martinez added. “I’m here to work hard be able to show that I’m ready.”
Checking in on their offseasons, Puk said he tinkered with a changeup to pair with his heaters, sliders and sweepers. He wanted a different pitch to keep hitters guessing, he described.
Martinez explained feeling stronger physically after training back home in the Dominican Republic, and that he feels he’s made progress mentally after everything he learned from last season.
Sewald signed with the Guardians over the winter, so closing experience on the roster is pretty limited, but the Diamondbacks feel confident in the pieces in place.
“It’s a pretty full bullpen,” Lovullo told Bickley & Marotta. “We’re gonna have some really hard decisions overall as a pitching staff goes. … I feel like this team, if he doesn’t make a move, is ready to go out and compete, but Mike and company, they’re always trying to find a way to make us better.”
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