Diamondbacks president: I’m sure we’ll talk to Gabriel Moreno about his future

Arizona Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall alluded to previous contract talks with starting catcher Gabriel Moreno and suggested there would be further discussions about his future.

Moreno has two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining before he hits free agency in 2029, and he is experiencing a career year at the plate.

“I’m sure we’ll continue to have conversations with him about his future because he has become really a mainstay, and he’s one of the best catchers in all of baseball,” Hall told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta last week. “I mean, this kid, if he was playing like this, he definitely would have been in Philadelphia for the All-Star Game.”

The backstop has reached base safely in 24 straight games and 43 straight starts, entering Tuesday. The latter is one away from tying Corbin Carroll’s Diamondbacks record.

Moreno is batting .310 with an .844 OPS, the fourth highest among MLB catchers with at least 200 plate appearances, as his spray chart covers the whole field.

“He’s got a great knack for putting the ball where he needs to,” Hall said. “And I think he sends a good message to the rest of our team. I mean, he struggled for a while. He stuck with it, got out of it, looks like himself, looks even better than himself right now.”

So, what might an extension look like based on recent trends?

Moreno is in a phase of his career similar to other franchise catchers when they signed extensions. He is 26 years old and playing in his fourth season as a regular. He has not made an All-Star team and has gone through injured lists stints every year in Arizona so far. But he also won a Gold Glove in 2023 and is one of the top two-way catchers in baseball.

The Toronto Blue Jays, who traded Moreno due to their catching surplus, extended Alejandro Kirk in 2025 after his third full season as their primary catcher at 26 years old. He signed a five-year, $58 million deal, buying out his final season of arbitration and four years to follow. Kirk was coming off a pair of okay 1.9 bWAR seasons before signing the extension and made the All-Star team during the ensuing season.

The Seattle Mariners extended Cal Raleigh with a six-year, $105 million contract to buy out his final two years of arbitration in 2025. That contract was agreed to right before his 60-home run campaign. Raleigh won a Gold Glove and finished 12th for the AL MVP in 2024. He was 28 years old when he signed.

The Los Angeles Dodgers extended Will Smith for 10 years and $140 million in 2024 to buy out his final two years of arbitration right before his 29th birthday. Smith had been an All-Star the year before.

These are not exact comparisons, but they do paint a picture for what quality-to-star catchers have signed for with varying resumes.

The Diamondbacks have extended several key members of the team over the years, including Corbin Carroll through 2031 (club option), Geraldo Perdomo through 2030 (club option), Ketel Marte through 2031 (player option), Brandon Pfaadt through 2030 (club option) and Justin Martinez through 2031 (two club options).

Under general manager Mike Hazen, the D-backs have not extended a player in the middle of a season.

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