Dozens of roster moves this offseason will change how the national media and fans perceive Major League Baseball teams, but early power rankings preview the winter and they are not optimistic about the Arizona Diamondbacks’ outlook.
That’s somewhat understandable given a couple hard truths: 1). The Diamondbacks underachieved and missed the postseason in 2025 and 2). Their starting rotation is a major question mark.
That said, the Diamondbacks have made public their intention to compete next year, and they roster an exciting offensive core of Geraldo Perdomo, Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno.
Arizona improved from 52 wins in 2021 to 74 in 2022, 84 in 2023 and 89 in 2024 before falling back down to 80-82. The club lost its final five games, as an admirable comeback over the final two months fell short of October.
The Athletic placed the Diamondbacks No. 18 in its way-too-early power rankings, right behind the Giants and ahead of the Royals. USA Today also listed them 18th, behind the Rangers and ahead of the Marlins. ESPN was harsher with a No. 22 rank, which is ahead of the Astros and behind the Marlins.
The Athletic’s reasoning:
Through trades and free-agent attrition, the Diamondbacks are likely to enter 2026 without starter Zac Gallen, starter Merrill Kelly, first baseman Josh Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suarez. And the team could explore a trade for second baseman Ketel Marte. General manager Mike Hazen blamed himself for not bolstering the club’s depth in 2025, which contributed to a disappointing fourth-place finish (in the NL West). The Diamondbacks still have plenty of talent, but Hazen will need to improve the margins of his club’s roster to bring them back to contention.
ESPN’s rationale:
The Diamondbacks finished 80-82 and have scored a lot of runs the past two seasons, though they will be missing 47 home runs from Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor. But they head into the offseason with lots of pitching holes to fill: Zac Gallen is a free agent, Merrill Kelly was traded and Corbin Burnes might miss the season or most of it after Tommy John surgery. Even with Gallen, Kelly and Burnes combining for 66 starts, the Diamondbacks were just 19th in rotation ERA. Oh, and they had 17 pitchers record a save, which is a fun statistic but not really a good boat to be in, so they need to figure out the back end of the bullpen.
All three outlets picked the two-time defending-champion Los Angeles Dodgers as the top team going into next year after their Game 7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. Fellow NL West competitors San Diego and San Francisco were placed outside the top 10, as it looks like the top competitor for the Dodgers in the division is up for grabs.
These rankings are simply a means to take stock in the state of the league before the free agency and trade bonanzas begin to change the landscape. Perhaps being an underdog goes back to Arizona’s identity in 2023, anyway.
The Diamondbacks finished the regular season sixth in scoring after they led MLB in runs during the 2024 campaign. Even after trading Suarez and Naylor, the D-backs maintained a top-five scoring offense in August before taking a step back in September after losing Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to a torn ACL.
The identity shifted from power reliance to speed, as Arizona was top seven in steals, bunts and triples over the final two months of the season.
With questions at third base, first base, outfield and designated hitter, the Diamondbacks have a lot to figure out when it comes to their position player group around the team’s stars. Where Blaze Alexander and Jordan Lawlar fit in that puzzle factors into what the club can do to address holes.
Hazen has been blunt that pitching and defense will be prioritized this winter, so the Diamondbacks may be willing to sacrifice some offensive thump like they went after over the previous two offseasons (Suarez, Naylor and Joc Pederson, for example) for improved run prevention.
The Diamondbacks ended the season 23rd in team ERA at 4.49, a small step up from their 4.62 ERA in 2024 that led to the departure of then-pitching coach Brent Strom.
The rotation is going to be the biggest need with Gallen a free agent and Burnes eyeing an All-Star break return. Given the free agent class and potential trade market, there looks to be ample opportunities to improve, although the D-backs will have to get creative with a lower payroll.
The bullpen completed 42 saves in 71 opportunities with a unit ERA of 4.82 and will enter 2026 banged up with Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk recovering from elbow surgeries. Arizona has a lot of young options to fill relief roles, but that is an area in need of additional reinforcements.
