If you\u2019ve only been following the Major League deals Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen has made over this offseason, you\u2019re likely very disappointed in the lack of pitching additions via Free Agency, aside from Merrill Kelly and Taylor Clarke. However, GM Mike Hazen has actually made quite a few additions at the minor league level, and this article I\u2019ll be going over the majority of them, while gauging their chances at cracking an MLB roster in 2026.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s five pitchers that GM Hazen signed to minor league contracts that I think are the most likely to contribute at some point in 2026, with the major caveat of \u2018if healthy\u2019.<\/p>\n
Makakilo just did a great writeup on Lo\u00e1isiga<\/a>, which I suggest you go read for a much more in depth look at him. Out of all the players in this group, Lo\u00e1isiga likely has the best chance at providing positive value at the MLB level in 2026.<\/p>\n Law was an effective reliever from 2019 through the 2024 season, especially in 2023 when he posted a 3.60 ERA for the Reds, and even more so the following year, when he put up an even better 2.60 ERA for the Nationals. Unfortunately, Law is coming off a forearm injury that left him sidelined for all of 2025, but he hasn\u2019t thrown an inning since the 2024 season, so how healthy and effective he can be is really in question.<\/p>\n Hatch was a somewhat effective reliever back in 2023, when he put up a 4.08 ERA for Toronto and Pittsburgh. Hatch would head to Japan to play for the Hiroshima Carp but it wasn\u2019t exactly a succesful stint, considering he put up a 7.36 ERA, but his 5.65 FIP and 3.73 xFIP show that he wasn\u2019t nearly as bad as the results indicate. He\u2019d come back to the states last season and pitch for the Kansas City Royals, but spend the majority of his season for them playing in AAA Omaha.<\/p>\n In AAA, Hatch was acceptable, putting up a 4.22 ERA, 4.12 FIP, and 4.09 xFIP, but he\u2019d allow a run to score in his only inning of work at the MLB level. The Royals would go on to designate hatch for assignment, and he\u2019d then get claimed on waivers by the Minnesota Twins. Hatch would actually get into eleven games and 33 innings pitched for the Twins, but he\u2019d put up a 5.82 ERA (4.81 xERA) and an even worse 6.02 FIP and 5.29 xFIP.<\/p>\n Shawn Dubin\u2019s most valuable season came in 2024, when he put up a 4.17 ERA (3.98 xERA, 3.72 FIP, 4.29 xFIP) in 45.1 innings pitched in 31 games for the Houston Astros. In 2025, he wasn\u2019t nearly as effective for the Astros; after 25.2 innings with a 5.61 ERA, which was bad enough that he\u2019d get Designated For Assignment. The Baltimore Orioles would claim him off waivers, and he\u2019d appear in seven games and pitch eight innings down the stretch. Dubin would have six scoreless appearances before he gave up three runs in his final outing of the season. I actually think this may be one of the more underrated signings by Hazen this offseason, especially if the Dubin of 2024 and down the stretch with Baltimore shows up in 2026<\/p>\n Campbell was excellent for the Seattle Mariners in his pro debut, pitching 28.2 innings in 27 games with a 2.83 ERA. His advanced metrics weren\u2019t nearly great, as evidenced by the 3.86 xERA, 3.32 FIP, and 4.15 xFIP. The Red Sox were particularly impressed by Campbell, who\u2019d acquire him in the offseason for Luis Urias. The 2024 season saw Campbell beset by injuries; first a shoulder impingement in April, right elbow inflammation in September along with minor 7 day IL stints in-between the two.<\/p>\n He\u2019d appear in just 6.2 innings at the MLB level with a 16.20 ERA. In 2025 Campbell spent the majority of the season in AAA, where he\u2019d put up a 3.90 ERA in 57.2 innings. At the MLB level, he\u2019d appear in only 7.2 innings while putting up a 7.04 ERA, 5.01 xERA, 4.83 FIP, and 4.14 xFIP. The biggest positive for his 2025 season was his velocity being not only higher than the 93.8 vFA he put up in his injury plagued 2024 season, but at 96.1 it was a full 1.1 MPH faster than where was averaging in his healthy 2023 season.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s guys who have yet to make their MLB debuts, some of whom have made it as high as AAA amd some of whom have only just made it to the AA level in 2025. Of the latter group of players, unless one of them dominates the hitter friendly confines of the Texas League and Pacific Coast League in a sustained run of pitching, it\u2019s unlikely any of them make it to the MLB level, or contributes any positive value. Gerardo Carrillo RHP<\/a>, Indigo Diaz RHP<\/a>, Junior Fern\u00e1ndez RHP<\/a>, are all guys that fall into this category.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the Rule 5 guys, who although they aren\u2019t minor league free agents, the process is basically the same as far as the AAA portion goes. The Diamondbacks didn\u2019t select anyone in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 draft this past December, but they did take select three players in the AAA phase, two of which are pitchers, so I\u2019ll discuss them here.<\/p>\n