Diamondbacks seeking controllable starter via trade as payroll reduction shapes offseason

Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen has told Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic that upgrading the rotation with a controllable starter is a priority this offseason — and per that report, a trade is the more likely avenue, with the club planning to reduce payroll rather than push hard in free agency.

What happened

Per AJ Eustace at MLB Trade Rumors, Hazen's pursuit of rotation help is framed as a secondary item behind the club's deliberations on Ketel Marte, but it is a genuine priority nonetheless. The preference for a trade over a free-agent commitment is directly tied to the payroll reduction the organization is reportedly planning, which shapes the entire offseason calculus.

The rotation Arizona is currently projecting for 2027 includes Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, Corbin Burnes, Merrill Kelly, and Ryne Nelson. Burnes, per the report, will be sticking around. The others are already under control. What the group is missing, per MLB Trade Rumors, is a high-strikeout arm capable of protecting against regression from Rodriguez and Pfaadt — and with Burnes reportedly heading into his first full season in three years and likely to face an innings limit, the need for additional rotation depth is real.

Why it matters

The rotation question does not exist in isolation. Per the report, the bullpen, first base, and left-handed hitting all require attention this winter — a point MLBTR's Anthony Franco detailed in the outlet's Offseason Outlook series. The payroll reduction plan means the front office is essentially working a constraint optimization problem: address multiple roster holes without expanding the budget, which is precisely why a trade — potentially drawing on what the report describes as a depth of right-handed hitting — is the preferred mechanism for adding a starter.

Two departures are shaping the need. Zac Gallen is a free agent, and per the report, the Diamondbacks are not expected to pursue a reunion. After posting career-worst numbers in his age-30 season — a 6.07 ERA across 105 1/3 innings, a 13.6% strikeout rate, and 19 home runs allowed at a rate of 1.62 HR/9 — FanGraphs rated his 2026 contribution below replacement level. That is, per the report, reason enough for Arizona to move on.

The more complicated departure is Michael Soroka. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Soroka is expected to decline his end of a $10MM mutual option, making him a free agent. Both sides have reportedly expressed interest in a reunion, but it remains unclear how far Arizona will go to retain him while simultaneously addressing the rest of the roster. Soroka's return would raise the rotation's floor; his absence leaves a more pronounced gap.

The numbers

The 2026 rotation posted a 4.28 ERA, a figure the report characterizes as middling. The group's 9.6% K-BB rate ranked ahead of only the Rockies among MLB rotations — a profile that reflects solid control but a genuine inability to miss bats at a meaningful rate. That strikeout deficiency is the specific problem Hazen is reportedly trying to solve.

Within that group, Rodriguez was the standout. He posted a 2.89 ERA across 32 starts and led the staff with 3.2 fWAR, per the report, even with peripherals the report describes as middling — a combination that tends to invite regression questions and explains why the front office is not simply banking on a repeat. Soroka posted an ERA below 3.40 with a 24.1% strikeout rate, the above-average punch the rotation otherwise lacked. Pfaadt also came in below 3.40, relying on ground balls and control rather than swing-and-miss stuff.

Gallen's 6.07 ERA, 13.6% strikeout rate, and 1.62 HR/9 across 22 appearances (20 starts) represent the other end of the ledger — and the clearest argument for why the rotation needs outside reinforcement rather than internal continuity.

Where the club stands

Arizona closed the 2026 season at 86-76 (.531), sitting third in the NL West. The club finished 14 games back in the division and ranked fourth in the Wild Card, 2.0 games relative to the cut line, and was eliminated from both races. The team dropped its last two games to close the year on a two-game losing streak.

That record is the backdrop against which Hazen is building. A club that finished 14 games out of the division lead and just outside the Wild Card picture has clear incentive to upgrade, but the payroll reduction plan means the front office cannot simply spend its way to a better rotation. The trade market, and whatever leverage Arizona's right-handed hitting depth provides, is the primary tool available.

What we don't know yet

### Is Soroka coming back?

Per the report, both sides have expressed interest in a reunion, but it remains unclear how far Arizona will go to retain him given the other roster needs competing for the same resources. The $10MM mutual option is expected to be declined by Soroka, making him a free agent — at which point the Diamondbacks would be negotiating a new deal while also trying to address first base, left-handed hitting, and bullpen depth. Whether the front office prioritizes keeping Soroka or redirects those resources toward a trade for a controllable arm has not been reported.

The Marte situation also remains unresolved. Per MLB Trade Rumors, the question of whether to trade Marte is the primary item ahead of the rotation search on Arizona's offseason list. How that decision lands will almost certainly affect what resources — financial or prospect-based — are available for the rotation upgrade Hazen is reportedly targeting.

It is also not yet reported which specific starters Arizona might pursue on the trade market, nor which right-handed hitters the club might be willing to move in such a deal.

What to watch

The Marte deliberation is the first domino. If Arizona moves him, the return shapes what the club can do everywhere else, including the rotation. If they keep him, the trade chips available for a controllable starter come from a different pool.

Soroka's decision on the mutual option will clarify whether the rotation floor question answers itself or requires a separate solution. And the broader payroll reduction plan — still reported in general terms rather than with specific figures — will ultimately set the ceiling on how aggressively Hazen can pursue any of these moves simultaneously.

The front office is also working through a roster that, per the report and recent items from the Posterior Wire desk, needs attention at first base and in the left-handed bat department as well. Those needs were flagged across multiple reports in the days surrounding this one, and they compete directly with the rotation search for whatever budget and trade capital the club has available.

Per the report, the front office is aware that even a Soroka reunion would leave the rotation without a true strikeout arm capable of protecting against regression from Rodriguez and Pfaadt. That specific need — a high-strikeout, controllable starter added via trade — is the clearest signal of what Arizona is looking for, and the one worth tracking as the offseason market develops.