Diamondbacks eye a return to playoffs at season's start
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The Diamondbacks made a big move in the offseason when they added Cy Young-winning pitcher Corbin Burnes to the roster. Photo: Jeremy Chen/Getty Images
The Arizona Diamondbacks narrowly missed a chance last season to replicate their 2023 Cinderella run to the World Series, but they improved in the offseason and look poised to seriously compete this year.
The big picture: There's a lot of buzz about the Diamondbacks' playoff odds in 2025.
- The D-Backs still have most of the core of their 2023 National League championship squad, and they made some noteworthy offseason additions.
1 big addition: The D-Backs made a huge move in free agency by signing 2021 Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes.
- Burnes joins Zac Gallen in the pitching rotation, giving the D-Backs one of the best one-two punches in the majors.
- Don't forget about Merrill Kelly, who's been a solid No. 2 starter, though injuries limited him to just 13 starts last season.
Yes, but: Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery will undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time and will miss the entire season.
State of play: Arizona lost one of its biggest bats in the offseason when free agent first baseman Christian Walker signed with Houston.
- But the D-Backs replaced Walker with Josh Naylor, who had 108 RBI and 31 homers with Cleveland last season.
- Second baseman Ketel Marte was the team's best hitter last season, finishing finished third in NL MVP voting.
- And third baseman Eugenio Suarez led the team with 101 RBI in 2024.
The intrigue: 2023 NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll had a bit of a sophomore slump last year, at least in the earlier part of the season.
- But the 24-year-old outfielder had a strong second half, ending the season with 74 RBI and 31 stolen bases.
- He hit 14 triples last season, the most in the NL and tied for most in the majors. It was Carroll's second straight year leading the NL in triples.
- ESPN predicts the biggest storyline for the D-Backs this year will be Carroll "reestablishing himself as one of the sport's brightest young stars."
Zoom in: Arizona was one of the top hitting teams in Major League Baseball last season, leading in runs batted in and tying with San Diego for the highest team batting average.
- But their pitching was a weak spot. The snakes had one of the worst ERAs in the majors and blew more saves than all but five teams.
Threat level: The D-Backs may have improved in the offseason, but the overwhelming favorites to win the NL West are the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- The reigning World Series champs somehow got more stacked in the offseason, adding two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell.
- Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, one MLB's best hitters and pitchers, is expected to return to the mound after recovery from Tommy John surgery, which kept him out of the Dodgers' rotation last year.
- And the Dodgers aren't the only NL West foe the D-Backs have to contend with — the San Diego Padres are legit contenders as well.
The bottom line: With the Dodgers likely to win the NL West again, if the D-Backs are going to reach the playoffs, it'll probably have to be with a wild card spot, a path that served them well in 2023.
What's next: The MLB season opens Thursday, and the snakes host the Chicago Cubs at 7:10pm at Chase Field.