{"id":478306,"date":"2026-02-16T10:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T10:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/478306\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T10:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T10:15:11","slug":"diamondbacks-notes-kendrick-trades-kelly-locklear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/478306\/","title":{"rendered":"Diamondbacks Notes: Kendrick, Trades, Kelly, Locklear"},"content":{"rendered":"

As per RosterResource<\/a>\u2019s estimates, the Diamondbacks spent around $191.3MM on payroll in 2025, which translated to a $214.8MM luxury tax number.\u00a0 The Snakes are currently projected<\/a> for a $195.2MM payroll and a $223.7MM tax figure, as team managing general partner Ken Kendrick\u2019s statement from last September that his club \u201cwill not be spending at the same level\u201d has ended up being incorrect.<\/p>\n

Kendrick addressed this topic when speaking with the Arizona Republic\u2019s Nick Piecoro<\/a> and other reporters at the Diamondbacks\u2019 spring camp, saying simply that \u201cwell, sometimes you surprise yourself in life in what you do.\u201d\u00a0 The D\u2019Backs are set for their third consecutive payroll increase since the team won the NL pennant in 2023, and while they haven\u2019t since returned to the postseason, Kendrick remains intent on keeping the team in position to contend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want us to be successful.\u00a0 I want our fans to feel that we are committed to investing every dollar possible and putting the best team we can put together on the field\u2026.I don\u2019t want to overplay it, but, to a degree, we\u2019re in a partnership with the fans,\u201d Kendrick said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the way I see what we do.\u00a0 We\u2019re in a partnership with our fans. They generate revenue by buying tickets and coming to ball games and supporting us.\u00a0 And as a good partner, we need to take the money they spend and invest it wisely, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spending may not be over, since Kendrick said \u201cwe have some room beyond where we are, but we don\u2019t have a ton of room\u2026.Do we have the possibility of adding from the present moment?\u00a0 Yeah, possibly.\u00a0 Not highly likely of significance, but we have some room to add without getting into a tax problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

The D\u2019backs are still well shy of the $244MM luxury tax threshold, though their current $223.7MM figure is as close as the organization has ever been to exceeding the tax line.\u00a0 While Kendrick has obviously okayed larger expenditures already, it is probably safe to assume that $244MM is Arizona\u2019s budget ceiling, though the team has some room to maneuver in terms of trade deadline upgrades.<\/p>\n

Expanding the payroll has reportedly put the D\u2019Backs into the red, as Piecoro hears from sources that the club lost around $30MM in 2025.\u00a0 It is always a source of conjecture about how much or little any MLB team (apart from the Braves, who are publicly owned) is really making given all of the accounting that goes into a club\u2019s many revenues streams, yet even if the Diamondbacks did operate at a loss, it hasn\u2019t stopped Kendrick from continuing to spend on a roster he believes is capable of big things.\u00a0 Further spending to ensure a more competitive team may well be the most logical way of getting the team back into the black, as a winning product leads to higher attendance, higher TV ratings, and extra games in the form of playoff contests.<\/p>\n

More moves could come before Opening Day, albeit on a lower spending scale.\u00a0 John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports<\/a> writes that the D\u2019Backs are looking to trade a prospect for a utilityman type of player.\u00a0 This new addition would replace the recently-traded Blaze Alexander<\/a> as a multi-position asset coming off the Diamondbacks\u2019 bench.\u00a0 While an exact match for Alexander may not be a priority, Alexander is a right-handed hitter who saw time as second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and center field over his two seasons in the desert.<\/p>\n

Most of Arizona\u2019s offseason spending was invested in two familiar faces.\u00a0 Zac Gallen<\/a> spent most of the winter on the free agent market after rejecting Arizona\u2019s qualifying offer, but this past week returned to the fold on a one-year, $22.025MM deal that technically matches the value of the QO, though $14MM of the money is deferred.\u00a0 After the D\u2019Backs traded Merrill Kelly<\/a> to the Rangers at the trade deadline, Kelly was brought back in December on a two-year deal worth $40MM in guaranteed money, with a vesting option covering the 2028 season.<\/p>\n

Soon after Kelly re-signed, reports emerged<\/a> that a team on the West Coast made Kelly a three-year offer worth over $50MM, and that the Padres were one of Kelly\u2019s prime suitors.\u00a0 Speaking with Piecoro<\/a> and other media today, Kelly said the Padres had a three-year deal on the table, though he didn\u2019t confirm the dollar figure.\u00a0 Beyond whatever numbers were involved, Kelly said his decision was based in large part on his family.\u00a0 It may well be that the Kelly clan simply preferred returning to the familiar routine of living and playing in Arizona, and Kelly himself said last summer amidst trade speculation that he would be open to re-signing with the Snakes in free agency.<\/p>\n

Turning to an injury update, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Alex Weiner of 98.7 Arizona Sports<\/a>) that first baseman Tyler Locklear<\/a> isn\u2019t expected back until sometime around mid-May or possibly early June.\u00a0 Locklear underwent twin surgeries to fix both a labrum problem in his left shoulder and a ligament tear in his left elbow.\u00a0 There was some hope Locklear would be ready to return to the Diamondbacks\u2019 lineup at some point in April, though today\u2019s news puts more of a specific timeline in place.<\/p>\n

Locklear will definitely start the season on at least the 10-day injured list, and a move to the 60-day IL would occur if the D\u2019Backs are certain Locklear won\u2019t be ready by the end of May.\u00a0 The team can continue to monitor his progress throughout Spring Training and in April with no penalty, as a shift to the 60-day IL would still keep Locklear\u2019s placement date as Opening Day.<\/p>\n

Over 47 games and 165 career plate appearances with the Mariners and Diamondbacks, Locklear has hit just .169\/.255\/.277 against Major League pitching.\u00a0 His impressive minor league numbers hint at more potential, though once he does get healthy, Locklear\u2019s potential spot as a platoon partner with Pavin Smith<\/a> at first base has now been filled by Carlos Santana<\/a>.\u00a0 Since Arizona doesn\u2019t have a set DH, there is room for Locklear to potentially earn some at-bats down the road, but for the next three months, his only priority is completing his rehab.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As per RosterResource\u2019s estimates, the Diamondbacks spent around $191.3MM on payroll in 2025, which translated to a $214.8MM…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":345186,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[49,48,193852,10621,462,82,28102,10622],"class_list":{"0":"post-478306","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-ken-kendrick","11":"tag-merrill-kelly","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-tyler-locklear","15":"tag-zac-gallen"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=478306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=478306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=478306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=478306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}