After deciding whether or not to trade Ketel Marte, a secondary item on the Diamondbacks’ to-do list will be upgrading the rotation. General manager Mike Hazen tells Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic that he would like to acquire a controllable starter. That is more likely to happen via trade, as Hazen is unlikely to push hard for a starter in free agency given the team is planning to reduce payroll.
The D-backs had a middling 4.28 earned run average out of their rotation this year. The group’s 9.6% K-BB rate bested only the lowly Rockies, as Arizona’s starters showed good control but struggled to strike opponents out. Eduardo Rodriguez was better than expected. He posted a 2.89 ERA over 32 starts despite middling peripherals and led the staff with 3.2 fWAR. Michael Soroka and Brandon Pfaadt were the next best performers after him. Both had ERAs below 3.40, with Soroka riding an above-average 24.1% strikeout rate and Pfaadt relying on ground balls and control.
The trouble is that Soroka will become a free agent once he declines his end of a $10MM mutual option. Both sides have expressed interest in a reunion, though it remains unclear how far Arizona will go to retain Soroka while also addressing the rest of their roster. The bullpen, first base, and left-handed hitting all need to be addressed, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco wrote in our Offseason Outlook series.
Zac Gallen is also a free agent, though he won’t be missed as much as Soroka. Gallen posted career-worst numbers across the board in his age-30 season. In 105 1/3 innings over 22 appearances (20 starts), his ERA shot up to 6.07. He also struck out only 13.6% of opponents and allowed 19 home runs, or 1.62 HR/9. That was below replacement level according to FanGraphs, and it’s reason enough for the Diamondbacks to pass on bringing Gallen back.
Corbin Burnes will unsurprisingly be sticking around. That leaves the D-backs’ 2027 rotation as Rodriguez, Pfaadt, Burnes, Merrill Kelly, and Ryne Nelson. Bringing back Soroka would raise the floor, but even if the team manages that, they could still use a strikeout artist to protect against regression from Rodriguez and Pfaadt. Burnes will be going for his first full season in three years, so he’s likely to face an innings limit, increasing the need for another starter.
If the Diamondbacks go after starters on the trade market, perhaps they’ll do so by trading from their depth of right-handed hitting outfielders. Jordan Lawlar and Ryan Waldschmidt are options in that regard. Lawlar spent most of the year on the injured list with right wrist and hamstring ailments, though he hit well in limited action and was a Top 100 prospect as recently as 2025. Waldschmidt had a 93 wRC+ overall in 284 plate appearances. Neither of them would be enough on their own, but Hazen could try packaging them with mid-tier prospects to obtain a controllable starter.
Several teams have starting pitching to spare. The Mariners have Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller, each of whom have three remaining years of control. Miller is a more feasible target for Arizona, considering he’s coming off a down year (or really a down second half). The 28-year-old righty had a 6.14 ERA with diminished strikeout and walk numbers in his final 13 starts from July 9th onward. He was highly effective as recently as 2024 (2.94 ERA in 31 starts). Woo has a more consistent track record than Miller, so he’d be more expensive prospect-wise for the D-backs.
The Angels shopped Reid Detmers at the trade deadline and figure to do so again this offseason. The Yankees could try to deal one of Will Warren or Ryan Weathers to clear their rotation surplus. New York reportedly offered Warren to the Padres for Adrian Morejon at the trade deadline, which the Padres rejected. Warren is controlled through the 2030 season and had an above-average 23.3% strikeout rate this year. The Pirates’ Carmen Mlodzinski is in a similar spot to Warren as an overqualified sixth starter, so the Diamondbacks could engage with them as well.
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