When it came to constructing the 2026 Arizona Diamondbacks, bringing in veteran players to mix with the team’s youthful talent was a big emphasis for general manager Mike Hazen this offseason.
For the general manager, the moves came down to two meaningful areas after falling short of the postseason for a second straight season in 2025.
“We lost a lot of it in free agency, (Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor) and other guys that had left. That’s a big piece to it,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Wednesday. “Most of our superstar players are still young. We got a bunch of guys coming up in the minor leagues. They’re going to start making an impact on this team. They’re young. We’ve seemed to have some of our best success when we’ve had guys like (Evan Longoria and Joc Pederson) around. It matters over the course of 162 games.
“Then the second piece to the position players specifically is, I think it’s going to really help shore up our defense. That was another point of emphasis for us this offseason. We’ve done a good job offensively over the last couple of years. The pitching and the defense need to improve for us to get where we need to go.”
Of that vet talent gained this offseason were third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Carlos Santana.
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Arenado not only presents the Diamondbacks with a no-doubt starter at third base, he also brings with him eight All-Star Games, 10 Gold Gloves and six Platinum Gloves. His defense needs no explanation given the accolades he’s racked up, and he possesses the right kind of leadership Arizona sought after this offseason.
Santana, meanwhile, didn’t have the best year offensively but did post 12 defensive runs saved and eight outs above average. Those marks were good enough for second and third, respectively, in MLB.
He also has plenty of experience to fall back on and/or share with his Diamondbacks teammates with 2,204 games played. His leadership in the clubhouse is another trait Hazen coveted.
For a team that was 23rd in defensive runs saved above average last year (-4), bringing in two sturdy infielders isn’t a bad move by any means.
The returns of pitchers Merrill Kelly and Paul Sewald help move the needle that much more in the veteran department.
Hazen found success not that long ago when it came to mixing young and old. During Arizona’s 2023 run to the World Series, Longoria, Sewald and Tommy Pham were a trio of tone-setters integral in nearly taking home the championship that season. They were brought in that year, with Pham and Sewald coming over as midseason trade additions.
Hazen is hoping to catch that lightning in a bottle once more.
He won’t have to wait much longer to see those offseason additions in action, either, with Arizona opening up the year in Los Angeles for a three-game series against the Dodgers.
You can hear all of Thursday’s action beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com.
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