The Arizona Diamondbacks signed relief pitcher Taylor Clarke to a one-year contract on Thursday, bringing back a familiar face to deepen the bullpen.
Clarke, 32, was drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2015 and pitched in 78 major league games for the club between 2019-21 with a 4.99 ERA.
Arizona non-tendered the 6-foot-4 righty after the 2021 season, and he has since pitched in three seasons for the Kansas City Royals.
To make room on the 40-man roster, Arizona designated right-handed reliever Gus Varland for assignment. Clarke is the first bullpen addition the Diamondbacks have made this offseason via major league free agent contract or trade, as the club has made a series of minor league deals for pitchers to compete in spring training.
Diamondbacks bring back Taylor Clarke
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Clarke is coming off his best statistical season in Major League Baseball with the Kansas City Royals, making 51 appearances (55.1 innings) and pitching to a 3.25 ERA, 44 strikeouts and nine walks.
His low walk rate (4.4%) and career-high ground ball rate (excluding 2020 due to sample size) of 44% allowed him to eat innings and limit damage without many strikeouts. He allowed runs in 11 of 51 games and produced a 1.82 ERA in the second half of the season.
Clarke has shifted his pitch mix since he last played for Arizona, leaning more heavily on the slider and changeup with fewer four-seam fastballs (21.8% in 2025 compared to 53.4% in 2021), per Statcast.
Opponents hit .380 against his four-seamer in 2021, when he finished with a 4.98 ERA in a miserable all-around season of Diamondbacks baseball.
Against his slider last year, opponents hit .188 with a 33% whiff rate, while they hit .306 against the four-seamer.
The #Royals bringing back Taylor Clarke this offseason didn’t seem notable.
However, here’s some changes since his time in KC:
‘23 slider spin: 2191‘25 slider spin: 2288
‘23 change-up spin: 1583‘25 change-up spin: 1758
27 of his 38 pitches this season have been SL/CH. pic.twitter.com/cc01sYa69B
— Jack Johnson (@JohnyJ_15) May 7, 2025
He has also introduced a sinker since then, which has performed better than the four-seamer.
Clarke did not appear in many save situations in Kansas City, making most of his appearances in the seventh and eighth inning, although he earned more high-leverage looks in the second half.
The righty did not pitch in the major leagues in 2024 after tearing his meniscus, making 22 appearances and starting 15 games in Triple-A.
He joins a Diamondbacks bullpen without clear roles, as the D-backs await the returns of A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez from elbow surgeries.
Arizona has been busy this week, trading outfielder Jake McCarthy on Saturday, trading for Nolan Arenado on Tuesday, signing former Yankees setup man Jonathan Loaisiga to a minor league deal and now bring back Clarke.
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