PHOENIX — How are the Arizona Diamondbacks going to manage six, seven or even eight MLB-caliber starting pitchers in 2025?
The Diamondbacks received an uptick in trade inquiries regarding their starting rotation after signing ace Corbin Burnes, general manager Mike Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Wednesday. But Hazen reiterated the point he’s made all offseason when it comes to their surplus.
“We have a lot of starting pitchers, which is good. We’ll see how it plays out, Hazen said. “We have a long way to go between now and the start of season.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gone through a spring training with five starting pitchers and broken with that same group of starting pitchers. It just doesn’t happen in this sport. And we’re not the only ones, so I’m not too worried about having more starting pitchers than may fit on a theoretical roster three months from now. … Hopefully, in the marketplace, if there’s something available that will help us build our team, then that’s something we’re gonna have to look at.”
The season does not start for another 10 weeks with pitchers and catchers to report on Feb. 12.
The D-backs have a lot of starting pitchers after signing Corbin Burnes.
Mike Hazen tells @BurnsAndGambo where he is at when it comes to the rotation. pic.twitter.com/XOZyaPFa78
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) January 16, 2025
Hazen said back in November that teams had called about all of Arizona’s starting pitchers. It is clear a Zac Gallen trade is off the table as he enters his final season, with the D-backs wanting to compete with a Burnes-Gallen 1-2 punch atop the rotation.
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Veterans Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez are looking to provide more volume after injuries knocked them both out for much of the season (123.2 combined innings). Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt are younger arms who showed promise last season, and there is always the possibility of a prospect shoving in the minor leagues whether it be Yilber Diaz, Cristian Mena or even Yu-Min Lin at some point.
And there’s the Jordan Montgomery situation, despite an offseason of trade rumors following owner Ken Kendrick’s public regret signing him, the veteran is still here and expected to bounce back in some fashion.
“You got a great group of guys that have established themselves in the big leagues,” Burnes said during his introductory press conference on Wednesday. “Obviously, you’ve got Zac, you’ve got Merrill, Eduardo and then some of the young guys that are coming up. It’s a promising young group.
“I think everyone knows you got to have more than five stars to get through a season. So being a part of this group, being able to help some of the young guys to continue to evolve as pitchers and to develop into really good major league starters is one I’m glad to help out as well.”
Diamondbacks have time to make moves
Starting pitching is a premium in MLB, as it has become rarer for pitchers to give their teams 200 innings and injuries have increased.
There could be more opportunities when other clubs miss out on starters either in free agency or trades, as Hazen explained conversations are ongoing.
“We still have a lot long way to go in the of season … Corbin is going to be in the rotation, and that’s really all that’s matters right now,” Hazen joked during the press conference.
Kendrick stated there are moves to make, but he also suggested the payroll would not jump much higher than the Diamondbacks’ projected $194 million payroll, which would mark a new franchise record. The club had not anticipated adding an expensive star pitcher going into the offseason.
The club remains focused on addressing the bullpen, while the designated hitter spot is a bit uncertain at this point, especially against lefties.
Trading a starter still seems like the most clear path to either clearing salary or directly addressing one of these needs.
But the Diamondbacks have shown patience all offseason when it comes to their rotation, and a salary dump, per se, is not something that’s been of interest.
“We have some moves to make, but we have a little time,” Kendrick said.
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