Friday, February 21

Welcome to the D-backs Beat newsletter! I’m Steve Gilbert, and I’ve been writing about the D-backs since 1998. Let's get right to it …

Spring Training is underway for the Diamondbacks' pitchers and catchers, with the position players set to join them for the first full squad workout on Monday.

Optimism is running high in camp with the D-backs -- who missed the postseason due to a pair of tiebreakers last year -- expected to open the season with a club-record payroll of nearly $200 million.

Here are three storylines that we’re going to be keeping a close eye on over the next six weeks:

1. How will the rotation shake out?

It’s an enviable position to be in when a team has too many proven starting pitchers for its rotation, but it’s also something that the Diamondbacks are going to have to sort out this spring.

With Jordan Montgomery exercising his $22.5 million player option for this year as well as the surprise signing of Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million free-agent deal, Arizona has seven starters for five spots.

Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez seem like locks barring injury, which leaves Montgomery, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson as the main competitors for the final rotation spot. 

Pfaadt was a big part of the Diamondbacks' postseason run to the World Series in 2023 and was their only starter to avoid the injured list in 2024.

Nelson, meanwhile, was Arizona’s best pitcher over the final two months of last season.

As of now, the Diamondbacks don’t seem inclined to go to a six-man rotation because they believe it would be hard for pitchers to stay in a rhythm, especially when scheduled off-days early in the season are factored in.

“I'm not worried about the number of starting pitchers that we have,” D-backs GM Mike Hazen said. “I have yet to be through a Spring Training where, however you want to map out what the rotation is going to look like, that we actually broke with that rotation. So I'm not overly concerned about that right now. I think having more than less is where I'd like to be.”

2. Who is closing out games?

Having a consistent closer for a full season has been a challenge for the Diamondbacks ever since Fernando Rodney departed following the 2017 season.

Signing veterans like Greg Holland and Mark Melancon didn’t work out like they hoped and going with a closer-by-committee in 2023 didn’t either. It wasn’t until Paul Sewald was acquired at the Trade Deadline that year that the bullpen settled in.

With Sewald gone, right-hander Justin Martinez and lefty A.J. Puk appear to be the prime competitors to close out games, but manager Torey Lovullo said not to rule out Kevin Ginkel.

The signing of free-agent right-hander Kendall Graveman on Friday added another element to the mix, though it seems unlikely he would be part of the initial closer competition.

3. Can the offense keep scoring?

The Diamondbacks surprisingly led the Majors in runs scored last year, and it was their offense and not their pitching that carried them to within a tiebreaker of making the postseason for a second straight season.

The pitching should rebound this year and not just because they added Burnes, but because they figure to be healthier and their advanced metrics last year showed they pitched better than the actual results.

The pitching will need to step up because the Diamondbacks lost two of their best hitters from a year ago when first baseman Christian Walker and DH Joc Pederson departed via free agency.

To help make up for the losses, Arizona traded for first baseman Josh Naylor, but they will also need Pavin Smith to step up in place of Pederson as the left-handed-hitting DH complement to Randal Grichuk.

Arizona also has to hope that it gets the second-half version of Eugenio Suarez (.307/.341/.602 slash line) and not the first-half one (.216/.302/.366).

Spring Training workouts are free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MST.

Fans may park in the Desert Lot on the north side of the complex, which is best accessed via 90th Street off Via de Ventura.

Spring Training tickets are currently on sale.

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