After the Ketel Marte decision, Arizona’s focus shifts to snagging a controllable starter, GM Mike Hazen tells Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. He expects a trade rather than free‑agency, as payroll cuts loom.
The rotation posted a 4.28 ERA this season, with a 9.6% K‑BB rate only better than Colorado’s. Eduardo Rodriguez outperformed expectations, posting a 2.89 ERA over 32 starts and leading with 3.2 fWAR. Michael Soroka and Brandon Pfaadt followed, each under 3.40 ERA; Soroka posted a 24.1% strikeout rate, while Pfaadt leaned on ground balls and command.
Soroka will hit free agency if he declines his $10 MM mutual option. Both sides still talk about a reunion, yet it’s unclear how far Arizona will stretch to keep him while fixing the bullpen, first base and left‑handed hitting, as Anthony Franco noted in MLBTR’s Offseason Outlook.
Zac Gallen also reaches free agency, but his decline is stark. At 30, he logged 105 1/3 innings in 22 games (20 starts) with a 6.07 ERA, a meager 13.6% strikeout rate and 1.62 HR/9. FanGraphs rates him below replacement, giving Arizona a solid reason to let him walk.
Corbin Burnes will undoubtedly stay, shaping a 2027 staff of Rodriguez, Pfaadt, Burnes, Merrill Kelly and Ryne Nelson. Bringing Soroka back would lift the floor, yet a strikeout ace remains essential to hedge against regression. For my money, securing a high‑K arm is the smartest move. Burnes returns after a three‑year gap, likely on an innings cap, heightening the need for another starter.
If Arizona trades, it may flip right‑handed hitting depth. Jordan Lawlar and Ryan Waldschmidt are possible pieces. Lawlar spent most of the year on the IL with wrist and hamstring woes but hit well in limited action and was a Top‑100 prospect as of 2025. Waldschmidt posted a 93 wRC+ in 284 PA. Neither alone moves the needle, but packaged with mid‑tier prospects they could fetch a controllable arm.
Several clubs have surplus starters. Seattle holds Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller, both under three years of control. Miller, a more realistic target, posted a 6.14 ERA with waning strikeout and walk numbers in his last 13 starts after July 9, though he was dominant in 2024 (2.94 ERA in 31 starts). Woo offers steadier production but commands a higher price.
Los Angeles tried to move Reid Detmers at the deadline and may do so again, while New York could ship Will Warren or Ryan Weathers to unload rotation depth. Warren, under contract through 2030, posted a 23.3% strikeout rate this year; he was mentioned in Adrian Morejon’s Padres talks, though no deal materialized. Pittsburgh’s Carmen Mlodzinski sits in a similar over‑qualified sixth‑starter role. Can the D‑backs land a cheap, controllable arm before the trade deadline looms?