The Arizona Diamondbacks were playing meaningful baseball in the final week of the season.
Past tense “were” because a 7-4 loss Friday night to the San Diego Padres officially eliminated the snakes from postseason contention. Arizona needed to finish one game ahead of the Cincinatti Reds, which is no longer possible.
A top eight offense and a bottom eight pitching staff was always going to be a recipe for a .500 finish. A split om Saturday and Sunday would solidify that with a 81-81 record.
In the coming days and weeks, a lot will be said about what is next for this team.
Nuance is needed. The expectations for this team were postseason or bust on Opening Day. That never truly changes, despite selling off at the trade dealine.
Then every high leverage arm in the bullpen was on the IR by the end of May. Corbin Burnes, the new ace of the squad, went down for the year.
43 games were lost due to blown leads.
Some point the finger at manager Torey Lovullo. Some at General manager Mike Hazen. Both deserve part of the blame, but that’s the case with any team that experiences disappointment. I don’t expect either one to be canned, unless Ken Kendrick is ready to pull the cord. Can’t blame him wither way he decides to go.
Who was Torey supposed to call out of the bullpen from June on? It felt like he had to pull a card out of hat and hope it worked every night. Most nights it didn’t, and the offesne either bailed out the bullpen or it didn’t.
Two months ago I would’ve said this team should “punt” on 2026 and focus on retooling for 2027.
That’s no longer the case.
Young players like Blaze Alexander and Jordan Lawlar showed growth down the stretch. Enough growth that says they can play important roles on a playoff team. I imagine Alexander will move to Left Field next year and Lawlar will open the year as the everyday third baseman.
If Hazen is done with the Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy experience, Alexander is also a candidate to be the everyday center fielder.
Corbin Burnes, Justin Martinez, and AJ Puk should all see the field at some point net year. But if this team, wants to be in a better position, every dollar this offseason needs to be spent on pitching in the rotation and bullpen.
Zac Gallen may have ended his career in the valley giving up a Grand Slam to Fernando Tatis Jr. on Friday night. Due to the lack of pitching options and his second half improvement, a team-friendly deal could be in place.
More to come in the following days and weeks…
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