The Arizona Diamondbacks have time to figure out what exactly they’ll look like on Opening Day from the roster construction to the batting order, but baseball is upon us.
Pitchers and catchers report on Wednesday, and last year the D-backs made two notable moves after camp began. A week into spring training, they signed veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk, and after camp broke they shocked fans by agreeing to terms with starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery.
There are some roster questions remaining for the 2025 squad looking to get back to October baseball, namely what will happen in the rotation given the clear surplus.
Working with what the Diamondbacks have under contract as official team workouts are set to start, let’s take a crack at devising an Opening Day roster:
Diamondbacks roster projection: start of spring training
Starting pitchers (6)
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Oh man, this is the tough one. The Diamondbacks will have Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen at the top of the rotation. Merrill Kelly is under contract for another year, so let’s slide him into the No. 3. Eduardo Rodriguez had a disappointing first season largely due to injury but is making $20 million and was brought in to be a cornerstone, so he’s No. 4.
You’d think Brandon Pfaadt has got to be in here at No. 5. He was Arizona’s workhorse last year and mostly pitched pretty well with a 3.98 ERA through his first 24 starts before some tough outings as his innings climbed. He finished the year strong, and his reputation for stepping up in high-stakes moments preceded him. His ERA at the end of the year was an unremarkable 4.71, but his FIP (fielding-independent pitching) and xERA (expected ERA) were 3.61 and 3.78, respectively, suggesting he was better than his stats.
That’s five. And that does not account for Ryne Nelson, who was Arizona’s best starter in the second half of last season, or Montgomery, a veteran on a contract year coming off the worst campaign of his career. Nelson accounted for a 3.05 ERA and 3.14 FIP across 82.2 innings from July-on. Montgomery has been subject of trade rumors as a bounce-back candidate and is still in Arizona.
The club’s depth includes Tommy Henry, Yilber Diaz, Cristian Mena and Blake Walston.
Pitchers get hurt, as was the case for the entire Diamondbacks rotation last year minus Pfaadt, and depth is essential. But having this many MLB-caliber starters is tricky, and it brings up the idea of a six-man rotation.
A six-man rotation keeps pitchers on five to six days of rest to manage workloads in an age when pitching injuries are particularly prevalent. The D-backs would not be the only team doing so if that is the path.
The obvious con of running a six-man rotation is a team cuts down on innings pitched by their best starters. Plus, pitchers are very routine oriented and this would change the pre-start process. It is not something they have done often over the past couple seasons.
Let’s go that route to start spring training and work from there. Next projection could get back down to five. Let’s use Nelson as the No. 6 given his success last season and considering the Diamondbacks moved Montgomery to the bullpen in August. If they go to a five-man, keep the top five listed below:
– Corbin Burnes – Zac Gallen – Merrill Kelly – Eduardo Rodriguez – Brandon Pfaadt – Ryne Nelson
Bullpen (7)
Another con of implementing a six-man rotation is it then shortens the bullpen. Having Montgomery (or Nelson or whomever) in there to eat multiple innings helps.
Arizona has been in the market for bullpen help this offseason and has not acquired any potential closer. They have internal options such as Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk to try out and could address a need later. Besides, what if Martinez — who worked a 2.48 ERA and 29.5% strikeout rate as a 22-year-old rookie — runs with the role? Or Puk for that matter, who finished with a 1.32 ERA in 30 games with Arizona?
The rest of the bullpen appears to be similar, with Kevin Ginkel, Joe Mantiply and Ryan Thompson under contract.
That leaves one spot for the following options on the 40-man: Drey Jameson, Bryce Jarvis, Seth Martinez and Kyle Nelson.
It’s hard not to be intrigued by Jameson’s potential given his electric fastball and wipeout slider, but he’s missed the last year and a half after Tommy John surgery. He will be someone to watch closely at spring training after getting on the bump for bullpens at the end of last season. Kyle Nelson is also coming off surgery, having dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome.
Jarvis missed the final two months with a sprained right elbow but produced a 3.19 ERA in 59.1 innings before going down. Martinez, a Sun Devil, was claimed off waivers from Houston this offseason and is out of options.
– Justin Martinez – A.J. Puk – Kevin Ginkel – Ryan Thompson – Joe Mantiply – Jordan Montgomery – Seth Martinez
Catchers (2)
The Diamondbacks appear to have a backup catcher competition between trusted backup Jose Herrera and the much more offensively sound Adrian Del Castillo.
Del Castillo made a loud first impression in the majors last season, driving in 14 runs in his first nine games that included a walk-off home run against the Philadelphia Phillies. His defensive improvements were pointed out last year, but he has a ways to go in terms of pop time and throwing out runners. Herrera is well known and respected in the room, although he’s never been much of an offensive threat. He’s also no Moreno when it comes to defense.
I waffled on this one, but let’s get Del Castillo some everyday reps behind the dish in Reno first before calling him up sooner than later. Arizona optioned Del Castillo in favor of Herrera when Moreno returned from injury last September.
– Gabriel Moreno – Jose Herrera
Infielders (6)
The starters here are simple with Josh Naylor taking over for Christian Walker at first base and Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Eugenio Suarez back in their positions. Top prospect Jordan Lawlar heads back to Reno for everyday reps considering the time he missed last year.
Pavin Smith is the in-house option to slide into Joc Pederson’s role of being the designated hitter against right-handed pitchers, giving him the first look after his .896 OPS in 60 games last year.
The D-backs lost Kevin Newman in free agency and need a versatile backup infielder. Garrett Hampson signed a minor league deal, and he can play in the outfield and everywhere along the infield.
Blaze Alexander is a candidate to receive at-bats against left-handed pitchers along with infield reps after an up-and-down rookie year.
Other options in camp will be Grae Kessinger, Tim Tawa, Connor Kaiser and Ildemaro Vargas.
– Josh Naylor – Ketel Marte – Geraldo Perdomo – Eugenio Suarez – Pavin Smith – Garrett Hampson
Outfielders (5)
This one was pretty straightforward with the No Fly Zone trio of Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy, plus Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Grichuk re-signed a week ahead of spring training this time to further solidify the unit. Hampson can act as a backup to any position, while Jorge Barrosa and Cristian Pache are plus defensive outfielders in the organization for depth.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo is surprised Randal Grichuk did not sign quicker or with another team.
"He had a great year, and I'm just thrilled to have him back in the fold." pic.twitter.com/nrAeJJtSj8
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) February 5, 2025
Thomas is a player to watch here this spring, as any breakout potential after his postseason in 2023 was quashed by an early-season injury and offensive struggles upon returning.
– Corbin Carroll – Alek Thomas – Jake McCarthy – Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – Randal Grichuk
Mock Diamondbacks lineups
Against RHP
RF Corbin Carroll 2B Ketel Marte 1B Josh Naylor 3B Eugenio Suarez LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. DH Pavin Smith C Gabriel Moreno CF Jake McCarthy SS Geraldo Perdomo
Against LHP
2B Ketel Marte RF Corbin Carroll LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 3B Eugenio Suarez C Gabriel Moreno 1B Josh Naylor DH Randal Grichuk CF Jake McCarthy SS Geraldo Perdomo
I used the formula from their league-leading scoring offense’s lineups in 2024, moving Suarez into Walker’s cleanup spot and Naylor into Pederson’s 3-hole against righties.
What was difficult was handling the outfielders.
McCarthy had a bounce-back 2024 season (.749 OPS), taking over every day reps after his role during spring training was not obvious. Thomas is the best defensive outfielder on the team. He hits the ball hard, but can he show in spring training any differences in his ability to lift and drive the ball to deliver better results?
Anyway, lots of baseball to be played in the next few weeks and moves to be made around the league before these decisions get made, so let’s do this again closer to Opening Day.
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