Hazen told\u00a0Arizona Sports\u2019 Burns & Gambo\u00a0on Tuesday that current in-house position players, especially younger ones such as Blaze Alexander (26) and Jordan Lawlar (23), will mostly be \u201cprioritizing defense\u201d this offseason and potentially \u201cserving a number of positions\u201d in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we have more options internally, position player-wise, to solve some of our issues that we may have defensively and offensively,\u201d Hazen said. \u201cA lot of those guys prioritizing defense in some cases, I could see that being a little bit of a systematic change that you may see year over year from the \u201924 and the \u201925 team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The GM pointed out that the Diamondbacks since he was hired in 2017 haven\u2019t spent an offseason \u201cwhere we haven\u2019t added some level of offense,\u201d the most recent examples being Josh Naylor from the Cleveland Guardians last year and Joc Pederson as a free agent ahead of 2024.<\/p>\n
Hazen said he hasn\u2019t had many discussions about more offensive-minded trades on the first day of meetings, only that the D-backs will not \u201cignore that completely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawlar was given his longest major league run (28 games in 2025) thus far into his still young professional career, and he played all but first base in the infield \u2014 12 games at third, five at second and one at shortstop. He also was inserted in the Arizona lineup as designated hitter on six occasions.<\/p>\n
Though his bat woke up after a 0-for-31 start \u2014 seven doubles and nine runs in 66 at-bats \u2014 Lawlar\u2019s defensive struggles were evident with four errors in 24 total fielding chances at third base and a pair in 23 chances at second.<\/p>\n
In his second season playing for the Tigres Del Licey in the Dominican Winter League, Lawlar expanded his skillset beyond the infield with a start at center field coming on Oct. 29. As of Tuesday, he has made three starts<\/a> at the position he hadn\u2019t touched so far into his pro career.<\/p>\n Alexander made his MLB debut more than six months after Lawlar\u2019s call-up at the end of the 2023 regular season but has demonstrated more consistency at the plate to remain at the highest level.<\/p>\n He actually got the most experience at shortstop during 2024 (20 games) but made himself a true utility option for manager Torey Lovullo in 2025 by playing seven games at center field (three starts) and left field (four appearances). Alexander made an impression especially in left with a home run robbery of Red Sox\u2019s Alex Bregman<\/a> in September at Chase Field.<\/p>\n Without the presence of Eugenio Suarez at third after a trade with the Seattle Mariners, Alexander was the everyday third baseman for the D-backs by racking up 49 starts (54 appearances) and turning eight double-plays en route to a .954 fielding percentage.<\/p>\n \u201cI see a lot of those good, young position players serving a number of positions (with) their versatility, their ability, how they perform in the lineup,\u201d Hazen said. \u201cI think we may see a little more contact, a little more athleticism.\u201d<\/p>\n The Diamondbacks have shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, outfielder Corbin Carroll and second baseman Ketel Marte \u2014 a subject of recent trade calls<\/a> that Hazen is listening to \u2014 locked down for the foreseeable future but first base will likely be more of a platoon position.<\/p>\n It looked that way last season with Pavin Smith making 34 starts there while Naylor suited up for 73 prior to being traded to Seattle. Tyler Locklear, 24, made 28 starts from Aug. 1 onward after coming over in the Suarez trade and utility player Tim Tawa sprinkled in 10 of his own.<\/p>\n Arizona Sports\u2019\u00a0John Gambadoro on Oct. 17 said he expects the club to \u201ckick the tires<\/a>\u201d on reuniting with Paul Goldschmidt, a D-back from 2011-18. While Hazen didn\u2019t specifically comment on that idea, he said his gut says \u201cwe may see a little less power on the team next year,\u201d which is something the five-time Silver Slugger still has in the tank at 38 years old with 20-plus home runs in four of his last five seasons.<\/p>\n MLB GM meetings last through Thursday before owners meet in New York on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Winter meetings are set for Dec. 7-10 in Orlando, Florida, with this period typically being the busiest for trades and free-agent signings.<\/p>\n
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