Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen made it clear that the results of the team’s 2025 season, an 80-82 record and missing out on the postseason, were unacceptable.
The roster the team built for the season never stayed fully intact. The starting rotation struggled early before righting itself toward the end. Expectations weren’t met as a whole.
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But something happened in late July after the Diamondbacks traded Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor, Randal Grichuk and Merrill Kelly at the deadline. They turned things around and were in the postseason hunt until the last weekend of the regular season.
“Those last five games (all losses) leaves a bitter taste in everybody’s mouth, including ours,” Hazen said on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in the season wrap-up with manager Torey Lovullo speaking to local media. “I’m not sure I’m allowed to feel disappointed in the way it ended, given the roster that we had going through to the end.
“But we still feel that way because you get that close, and you play as well as we had.”
Changes will be made. Hazen spoke of looking to add starting pitchers and back-end bullpen help. But if there was one silver lining to a season of injuries and underachievement over the first four-plus months of the season, it was that the Diamondbacks were able to see young and dynamic players with upside play meaningful games and win some of them.
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Blaze Alexander got to play every day and flashed a solid glove at third base and center field. Tim Tawa had two stints in the majors and also showed his defensive versatility, even though he has work to do with the bat. Jorge Barrosa, Adrian Del Castillo, Jordan Lawlar and Tyler Locklear, before his season-ending injury, came up from Triple-A and got meaningful experience in important games.
The same for the bullpen, where eight relievers on the active roster at season’s end started the season in Triple-A or lower in the organization. Time and again down the stretch, Philip Abner, Taylor Rashi, Brandyn Garcia, Kyle Backhus, Andrew Saalfrank and John Curtiss were pressed into service in critical moments of games.
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The experience can only help, it stands to reason. And some of those who got their opportunity this year will get a long look in spring training, with relievers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez not back from major surgery until later in 2026 and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. coming off a torn ACL.
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“It was certainly valuable,” Hazen said. “I remember saying to people in the office that no matter what ends up happening, having watched those guys play in games where it didn’t matter would have been completely different than watching them have to play and have to win.
“And the most valuable thing that happened was they had to play the Los Angeles Dodgers with our season on the line, and for the better part of the first 18 innings, we had two wins.”
Lovullo credited the Diamondbacks’ player development arm for getting so many ready to jump in when called upon in the big leagues.
The most challenging thing for the younger players who might have felt like nothing was expected of them anyway, Hazen said, is that when next season begins, expectations to perform will be there right away.
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“You did it for that two-month window, that was great,” Hazen said. “Can you go and do that again now that everybody’s relying on you?”
The plan is to surround the young and now somewhat experienced players with the right veterans to join the key lineup cogs including Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno.
“We’re going to work around that, with that group of players,” Hazen said of forming the major league roster for next season. “They probably don’t all make the team. I’m going to push them all; they should all be going off for the offseason with the expectation that they should make the team. The one thing … that I encouraged them when I met with them in August was, don’t let me sign players on top of you if you don’t go out there and earn this opportunity, because that’s what I’m going to do.
“I think some of those players took a step forward to say ‘I deserve a spot on this team,'” Hazen said, “and good for them.”
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José M. Romero can be reached at jose.romero@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @RomeroJoseM or Instagram at @romerojosem. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Diamondbacks’ young players have foundation for 2026 season