What's on tap for D-backs at Winter Meetings?

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The Diamondbacks will spend a lot of time talking with teams and agents about both trades and free agents next week at baseball's annual Winter Meetings, which will take place Monday-Wednesday in Orlando, Fla., but whether a deal will actually get done is less certain.

Arizona has not swung any big deals at the Winter Meetings under GM Mike Hazen, but it has laid groundwork for some big moves at previous meetings.

Last year, for instance, the Meetings set the stage for a trade with the Guardians a couple of weeks later that netted Arizona first baseman Josh Naylor.

Two years ago, the Diamondbacks had extensive meetings with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez that resulted in him signing a four-year, $80 million deal just days after the Winter Meetings concluded.

"I know the deals that get done at the Meetings are splashier, because there are more people around paying attention to it," Hazen said. "I think, in reality, the majority of all the work that you're going to get done for the offseason, a lot of it gets [started] during the Meetings, and then the work comes after that."

Club needs

Pitching, pitching and more pitching. Did I mention that the Diamondbacks need pitching?

With Merrill Kelly traded at the Deadline and Zac Gallen declining the team’s qualifying offer, Arizona has two huge holes to fill at the top of its rotation. While the Diamondbacks do have talented young pitchers in their farm system, they are planning to compete for the postseason in 2026, so they want to acquire pitchers who have already had some success at the big league level.

In addition, the team’s bullpen struggled last season, and it will be without co-closers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez at the start of the year as both recover from Tommy John surgery, so Arizona will need to acquire back-end bullpen help as well.

The Diamondbacks are far from the only team looking for arms, so whether they're able to acquire all the arms they would like remains to be seen.

"[Pitching is] the hardest thing to acquire," Hazen said. "It's why it's so valuable. When you try to acquire it in a trade, it's extremely difficult. That's why at the [Trade] Deadline last year, when we had access to players, because teams were pushing in, we prioritized getting as much pitching as we could, knowing going into the offseason, trying to pull off some of those same trades, it's just more complicated without the urgency of teams pushing for the playoffs."

Potential trade candidates

Outside of outfielder Corbin Carroll, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and catcher Gabriel Moreno, the Diamondbacks are willing to listen about any of their players as well as prospects.

Yes, that includes All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte, and Arizona has gotten numerous inquiries about him. Because he is still in his prime and is under a relatively affordable contract, the Diamondbacks would need to get a haul back for him.

Hazen has maintained that while he will listen to offers for Marte, he doubts a deal will come to fruition.

Arizona would be open to moving outfielders Jake McCarthy or Alek Thomas, and Hazen has even said that top prospects like Jordan Lawlar, Ryan Waldschmidt (the D-backs’ No. 1 prospect and No. 66 in baseball, per MLB Pipeline) and Tommy Troy (D-backs’ No. 5) are not off-limits for the right return.

Prospects, Hazen said, are simply not as widely desired as they once were because of the competitive balance in the game.

"Teams that are aggressively acquiring prospects probably aren't pushing in as hard [for the postseason]," Hazen said. "And I just think there's fewer and fewer of those [teams]."

Prospect to know: INF/OF Jordan Lawlar

Yes, I listed him as an infielder and an outfielder, because come this spring, you'll likely see him get some reps in center field.

A shortstop when he was selected sixth overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, Lawlar got a look at third base and second base with Triple-A Reno last season. He struggled defensively at third with the Diamondbacks in September, and when Blaze Alexander emerged at the position, Arizona decided to give Lawlar a look in center during the Dominican Winter League.

Hazen said Lawlar didn't get a ton of reps in center during his stay in the Dominican Republic, but the D-backs will give him a serious look at the position during the spring, though he will also see time in the infield as well.

Rule 5 Draft

The Diamondbacks didn't have any high-profile prospects that went unprotected, and the Rule 5 Draft has not been an avenue they have used much during Hazen's tenure. The last time the club selected a player in this draft was in 2020, when Arizona took right-hander Zach Pop and immediately traded him to the Marlins for a player to be named.

Burning question: Will Marte get moved?

This seems like a long shot for the reasons stated above, and it's hard to believe that even if it happened that it would occur at the Winter Meetings. It seems far more likely that Marte will be back with the Diamondbacks next year. He will have earned 10-and-5 rights in April, meaning that he has 10 years of MLB service and the past five consecutive years with the same team, and cannot be traded without his consent.