Grading Diamondbacks’ offseason trades, signings 1 season later

The Arizona Diamondbacks went into last offseason in need of corner infielders, starting pitching and bullpen help, quite an undertaking for a club that had to account for several players expected to miss significant time with injuries that carried over from the preceding season.

The D-backs did pretty well filling some of these holes, but others proved to be problematic.

Arizona ended up committing over $77 million in free agent contracts, the most expensive two going to veteran pitchers Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen ($62 million), but the roster was flawed enough that the D-backs missed the playoffs by a measly two games.

The postseason has entered the championship series phase, while the general manager meetings will be underway in a month. During this quieter time of Diamondbacks roster movement, let’s look back at last offseason and how the moves played out with grades.

Diamondbacks offseason grades with a year of hindsight

(Arizona Sports Photo/Felisa Cardenas)

Major league free agents

C James McCann (1-year, $2.74 million): B+

McCann missed six weeks with a quad strain this season but came back and hit .330 with a .943 OPS over his final 30 games played. Arizona’s backup catcher to Gabriel Moreno, McCann was no longer in his prime when it comes to defensive metrics, but pitchers loved working with him as essentially another coach on the field with 13 years of MLB experience. He will turn 37 years old next season as he re-enters the market.

RHP Michael Soroka (1-year, $7.5 million): B+

Given the investment and Soroka’s output, this grade would be higher had he not spent significant time on the injured list in the second half. Soroka made 15 starts through June 19 and only seven appearances throughout the rest of the season. But he delivered 116 innings, his most since his breakout 2019 campaign, and in those innings he produced a 3.41 ERA, 3.19 FIP and 1.09 WHIP. With his wipeout slurve, Soroka has the makeup of an attractive free agent this offseason with health being the ever-present risk.

RHP Merrill Kelly (2-year, $40 million): C-

Kelly ate 162 innings despite starting the year on the injured list with a back issue that prevented him from starting on Opening Day. Only Eduardo Rodriguez threw more innings for Arizona. Kelly also got off to a horrific start through four appearances but threw to a 4.28 ERA over his last 25 games, which is not great but not disastrous. In that span, however, there were too many blowup outings of five-plus runs (six), as he was not the consistent force he had been for years coming into his 2026 reunion. He finished with a 4.94 ERA, a half-run worse than his previous career high.

RHP Taylor Clarke (1-year, $1.55 million): A-

Clarke’s return to Arizona went about as well as anyone could have asked. He filled a number of roles in relief, made 71 appearances (second to Kevin Ginkel) and finished with an ERA of 2.96. He had some trouble with inherited runners as a result of his low strikeout rate and appeared to run out of gas by the end of the season, hence the minus. But Clarke was a reliable presence out of the bullpen who excelled in drawing ground balls and weak contact.

1B Carlos Santana (1-year, $2 million): F

The Diamondbacks wanted a sure-handed defensive first baseman who could provide a veteran voice in the clubhouse. Unfortunately for the club, Santana lending his glove to Jose Fernandez and Ildemaro Vargas ended up being his most notable contribution. Santana played only eight games before suffering an adductor injury that ultimately spelled the end of his brief D-backs tenure, so he just was not around very much. Setbacks during his injury recovery held him back, and the D-backs eventually cut the cord by designating him for assignment. The D-backs paid $2 million for two hits, and first base was a weakness of the team for most of the season.

RHP Paul Sewald (1-year, $1.5 million): B-

The final stats are grisly, but Sewald was brought in to help fill a void in the ninth inning to open the season, and that is what he did. Sewald held a 3.18 ERA and 18 saves through his first 31 appearances. He had only blown one save through July 20, at which point the wheels fell off. Sewald was removed from the closer role and DFA’d in early August, ending his second stint in Arizona with a 6.23 ERA. Given how long he lasted into the season as an effective stopgap closer, this was a useful reunion.

RHP Zac Gallen (1-year, $22.05 million): F

This one was tough to watch. Gallen finished a frustrating 2025 season strong and came back to Arizona with an attitude of “unfinished business.” Gallen is one of the most effective Diamondbacks starters of the 2020s, but this was his worst season by far, even after a down 2025. Gallen finished with a 6.07 ERA and only threw 105.1 innings due to an elbow injury, his fewest output since the 60-game 2020 campaign. His most memorable moment was getting booed off the mound at Chase Field after giving up nine runs to the Twins. This was the worst possible outcome for a feel-good story in spring training.

Minor league free agents

This would be too long of a list with players who never cracked the roster, so let’s focus on the two that made the biggest impact:

INF Ildemaro Vargas: A-

Vargas was the story of the Diamondbacks’ season early on, winning a shocking National League Player of the Month for March/April. His offense was streaky all year, but he provided value with his defensive versatility, particularly his ability to handle first base at a solid level. For a minor league free agent brought in for depth, Vargas played more than he probably should have, but he provided a massive boost early, flexibility and positive vibes in the clubhouse.

RHP Jonathan Loaisiga: A+

The D-backs took a flier on Loaisiga, who had been injury-prone over the past half-decade with the New York Yankees. Loaisiga was nasty for the Arizona bullpen, pitching a career-high 67 games to a 2.42 ERA and two saves. The veteran did what he does when clicking, which is draw tons of ground balls to get through big spots.

Trades

Obvious disclaimer: Trades are hard to grade after one year, because prospects are lottery tickets. But the D-backs made some trades that directly impacted their ability to win in 2026.

D-backs acquire 3B Nolan Arenado, cash from Cardinals for RHP Jack Martinez: A+

The Diamondbacks wanted stability at third base, and they got more than they bargained for. Arenado played 152 games, was worth 3.4 wins above replacement and led the team with 30 home runs and 86 RBIs. There were several “Where would this team be without this guy?” options for Arizona, but Arenado was at the top of such a list. This was Arenado’s best season statistically since 2022, as he found new life at age 35. It was not a perfect season, as he struggled at times with runners in scoring position, an area he pointed to at the end of the season. But considering the D-backs only committed two years and $11 million to take on Arenado from St. Louis, this was a massive win.

D-backs trade INF Blaze Alexander to Orioles for RHP Kade Strowd, RHP Wellington Aracena and INF Jose Mejia: C-

This is one of those trades that could look different down the road. For the 2026 season, it was an L. The always energetic Alexander was very good in Baltimore, hitting .303 with 1.9 WAR in only 93 games due to injuries. Strowd was a nonfactor in Arizona this past season despite the club expecting him to be a big part of the bullpen. Strowd could still contribute moving forward, and the swinging doors potential of this trade lies with Aracena and Mejia, two 21-year-old prospects who vaulted into MLB Pipeline’s top 30 D-backs prospects.

D-backs trade OF Jake McCarthy to Rockies for RHP Josh Grosz: D

Similarly, if Grosz breaks out as a viable major league starter one day, then this trade looks a whole lot better, although he is not considered a highly-ranked prospect. McCarthy bounced back in Colorado, hitting .291 with a career-high 15 home runs and 32 steals. Coors Field is a factor, as he was much better at home, but his road stats were decent (.886 OPS at home, .727 OPS away). The trade looked worse when the D-backs DFA’d Alek Thomas, the other left-handed center fielder the D-backs listened to offers for.

D-backs trade LHP Kyle Backhus to Phillies for OF Avery Owusu-Asiedu: ?

Evidently, the Diamondbacks’ bullpen did just fine without Backhus, who made 32 appearances as a rookie for Arizona in 2025. He went on to have a 4.95 ERA in Philadelphia. Owusu-Asiedu got off to a poor start in High-A Hillsboro, but he went off after getting promoted to Double-A Amarillo. He hit .328 with 14 home runs and a 1.198 OPS in 30 games for the Sod Poodles, helping them win a Texas League championship. The 6-foot-4 outfielder will have to prove next year this was more than a hot stretch, but no one in the minor leagues finished the season on such a power surge.

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