D-backs have faith Pfaadt will find his groove in '26

Over the past two springs, the Diamondbacks have locked up some young players they feel are key for their future.

There was Corbin Carroll in the spring of 2024, and this past spring shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, closer Justin Martinez, and when it came to starting pitchers, they landed on Brandon Pfaadt.

The Diamondbacks gave the right-hander a five-year deal worth $45 million, which also includes a $21 million club option for 2031 and a $25 million mutual option for 2032, with a no-trade clause for 2030-32.

"Brandon falls very much in the group of players that we have that we feel like getting some certainty around what the future is going to look like. That is very important for us, in terms of building a roster and keeping this team together for as long as we can," Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said at the time.

The Diamondbacks have loved Pfaadt’s work ethic since he was drafted in 2020 and have long believed in his character as well as his pitching ability.

And while he had a down season in 2025, the Diamondbacks have no regrets about the deal and little doubt that he will return to form in 2026.

"There's ups and downs to young stages of Major League careers, especially as a starting pitcher," Hazen said. "He'll work with the coaches and figure out some of the inconsistencies that happened this year, and I think he's going to be well situated to turn the page and move in a different direction."

After his final start of the season, Pfaadt was already looking ahead to what he could do differently in 2026.

"Not exactly what I was looking for," Pfaadt said of the season. "A lot of ups and down, but a lot to learn from and a lot to build off and come back stronger for next year."

Pitching coaches Brian Kaplan and Owen Drew will return in 2026, the Diamondbacks are making an effort to beef up their pitching development program, as evidenced by the recent hiring of Jeremy Bleich, who had been the Pirates' director of pitching development.

Bleich joins the Diamondbacks as an assistant general manager and will oversee Arizona's pitching processes, acquisition and development.

The Diamondbacks' confidence in Pfaadt bouncing back comes back to the reason they were so high on him while he was coming up through their system and why they signed him to an extension.

"He's got good stuff," Hazen said. "But it's the makeup, work ethic and the dedication he brings to what he does that really makes you believe in what he's going to be able to do."

Part of the focus for Pfaadt this offseason and into the spring will be refining his sweeper as well as continuing to develop the cut fastball that he began throwing in 2025.

"I think the [sweeper] has kind of been hit or miss all year," Pfaadt said after his final start. "I think tightening that up first will go a long way. That's my best pitch and I felt like I didn't have it for at least half of the year. So locking in on that, building off that and just executing more pitches."