PHOENIX -- The Diamondbacks have a clear priority this offseason: add pitching both for the rotation and the bullpen.
Pitching injuries devastated Arizona's big league staff and overall top-level pitching depth this past season. GM Mike Hazen is determined to rectify the issue this offseason, and he's open to dealing from the top of the organization's prospects list if the return is right.
“I might,” Hazen said. “I don’t want to do that, but I think at some point if I’m going to get somebody of value, I’m going to have to give up [value]. It just is what it is. I don’t know what the market is going to look like trade-wise."
Hazen will have a better idea of what the trade market looks like next week when he attends the GM Meetings in Las Vegas. The free-agent market will start to take shape over the next month or so.
While the Diamondbacks will explore the free-agent market, Hazen doesn't have the same budget to work with as last year, when the team opened the season with a record payroll of around $195 million.
Hazen and his staff have met with managing general partner Ken Kendrick and team president/CEO Derrick Hall about budgets for next year. Hazen declined to say what the budget would be or whether it would be more or less than last year, saying simply that ownership has given him the resources he needs to build a competitive team.
Kendrick told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM after the regular season that the Opening Day payroll will likely be lower in 2026, but in past years, Kendrick has been willing to exceed the budget if an opportunity presents itself.
That was the case last year, when the Diamondbacks shocked the baseball world by signing free-agent right-hander Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million contract.
This year, it seems more likely they will turn to trades to fill their pitching needs, and the Diamondbacks don't seem to have the players on their Major League roster to do it. That's because they have no intention of trading their core position players -- Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, Gabriel Moreno and Geraldo Perdomo -- who have anchored a dynamic offense the past three seasons.
Arizona would likely be willing to deal either Jake McCarthy or Alek Thomas, but neither outfielder would figure to land the team difference-making pitchers.
To do that, Arizona would likely have to trade Jordan Lawlar -- who was the organization's top prospect per MLB Pipeline before graduating off the list -- current No. 1 prospect, outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt, or other high-end prospects.
Parting with any of them would be a big move for the Diamondbacks, and while they've been hesitant to trade top prospects in the past, they have done it when they got the right return.
An example is the 2019 Trade Deadline, when they dealt their top-ranked prospect at the time, Jazz Chisholm Jr., to the Marlins in exchange for right-hander Zac Gallen, a move that worked out well with Gallen quickly establishing himself as the team's ace.
The focus will be heavy on the pitching side of things, but the Diamondbacks will look to a trade or the free-agent market to fill one position-player role -- first base.
Pavin Smith is expected to be fully healthy for Spring Training and should have a leg up on getting the majority of the at-bats at first, but the Diamondbacks would like to acquire a veteran right-handed bat to share the position.
Tyler Locklear, acquired from the Mariners in the Eugenio Suárez deal at the 2025 Trade Deadline, would have gotten the first crack at that, but he suffered an injury in September that required surgery on both his left elbow and shoulder.
That puts his availability for Opening Day in question, and the Diamondbacks would like to have another alternative.
Could that mean a potential reunion with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who is a free agent? Expect Arizona to at least explore that possibility.