Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen outlines team's offseason priorities

The question posed to Mike Hazen at this week’s general manager meetings was an expected one: Is third base atop your offseason wish list? Hazen’s answer was both simple and instructive.

“No,” the Diamondbacks’ general manager said. “I would say starting pitching is probably equal, if not more than third base. But third base is a concern. Not a concern, a goal. But starting pitching is probably up there at number one for me.”

Hazen did not speak with certainty when discussing what addressing that need could look like, but his answers provided a window into the Diamondbacks’ thinking.

When asked whether the club could pursue a top-of-the-rotation starter, Hazen said: “We have two top of the rotation starting pitchers (in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly) and we think Brandon Pfaadt has the ability to get into that mode. So I think we're starting in a pretty good spot. Who is the number one or two or three, don't get too bogged down into where they slot in, we need to improve our rotation.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Hazen was asked whether the Diamondbacks would be aiming for a reclamation project on an undervalued pitcher with less certainty in his production profile.

“I would prefer to have somebody — given the team that we have constructed right now — to have somebody that we can bank on,” Hazen said. “But that doesn't mean that we wouldn't take chances on guys that are bounceback candidates, too.”

The Diamondbacks are likely in a position to be more aggressive in their pursuit of free agents than they have been in recent offseasons. Speaking with The Arizona Republic last month, managing general partner Ken Kendrick said that he expects the team’s payroll to increase from last season, in which it sat in the $125-130 million range, because of their run to the World Series. On Arizona Sports 98.7 last week, he expanded on that, describing expected payroll investments as “not insubstantial.”

In the starting pitching market, that type of investment could be a requirement to get a reliable arm. In a news conference Wednesday, agent Scott Boras said that seven teams have told him they are seeking multiple starting pitchers.

That said, there are more quality pitchers than quality position players in free agency. The group is headlined by Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, National League Cy Young favorite Blake Snell and Phillies star Aaron Nola. Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez and Marcus Stroman are among the other desirable free agents.

Hazen, though, is not limiting himself to that pool.

“We’re going to do what we can continue to improve this roster any way we can,” Hazen said. “And that involves both trades and free agency.”

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That goes not just for starting pitchers, but for the Diamondbacks’ other positions of need. Beyond third base, the Diamondbacks seemingly have a hole at a corner outfield spot and at designated hitter, though Hazen said he likes the flexibility to use multiple players in that role as a day off from playing in the field.

At each of those three spots — third base, corner outfield, designated hitter — the Diamondbacks lost free agents from their pennant-winning team: Evan Longoria, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Tommy Pham. They will be aiming to replace not just the right-handed power that those players provided, but also their veteran leadership.

“I feel like the culture of our clubhouse was a major reason why I think we overplayed (external expectations),” Hazen said. “… When we took a big loss in Game 2 of the NLCS, I think it helped us come back in Games 3 and 4 and compete at a level where those veteran players we had in our clubhouse helped our younger players understand. So I think it's a major piece to what we're going to think about moving forward.”

Hazen, though, did not pigeonhole himself into replacing the Diamondbacks’ three key free agents with short-term contracts for veterans. He repeatedly used the word “flexibility” when describing the club’s long-term roster makeup. In other words, the Diamondbacks could opt for short- or long-term solutions at their positions of need.

It’s easy to see where that flexibility comes from. For example, Hazen said the team views prospects Ivan Melendez and Deyvison De Los Santos as players who can stay at third base at the major league level. Both, though, have also played extensively at first base. And while third base is a need in 2024, first baseman Christian Walker is entering the final year of team control. If he reaches free agency and the Diamondbacks shore up third base long-term, Melendez and/or De Los Santos could shift across the diamond.

“(Melendez and De Los Santos) are gonna get to a point now moving forward where it becomes as much about where do you slot in on the major league team as much as it does, what can you actually do,” Hazen said.

In all of Hazen’s discussions regarding this offseason, one spot went largely undiscussed: the bullpen. With that unit’s emergence over the second half of 2023, Hazen pointed to five trusted relievers returning: Paul Sewald, Kevin Ginkel, Ryan Thompson, Joe Mantiply and Andrew Saalfrank. They’re not alone. Kyle Nelson, Miguel Castro, Luis Frias and Scott McGough are also among the team’s bullpen options who are set to return in 2024.

“My hesitancy in not doing anything with the bullpen is that I think that's dumb because the bullpen could disappear on you,” Hazen said. “However, this is the best bullpen we've rolled into an offseason since I've been here.”

Entering the offseason, that gives the Diamondbacks flexibility to be patient in the relief pitcher market, waiting for potential values to arise.

“I think we're not as laser-focused on diving into relievers, from a prioritization standpoint,” Hazen said. “We can prioritize starters, third basemen before we prioritize relievers. But we'll attack the market all the same. I just think, in the past, that was way higher on the list.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen outlines offseason priorities