The D-Backs were in Wild Card contention until the final game of the season, but they ultimately fell short of a playoff berth for a third straight year. They’re probably working with a tighter budget this winter and have a handful of glaring needs on the pitching staff and in the back half of the lineup.

Guaranteed Contracts

• RHP Corbin Burnes: $140MM through 2030 (includes $44MM in deferrals)
• 2B Ketel Marte: $87.5MM through 2031 (can opt-out after ’30 season; includes $35MM in deferrals)
• RF Corbin Carroll: $87MM through 2030 (deal includes ’31 club option)
• RHP Brandon Pfaadt: $40MM through 2030 (including buyout of ’31 club option)
• SS Geraldo Perdomo: $35MM through 2029 (including buyout of ’30 club option)
• LHP Eduardo Rodriguez: $25MM through 2027 (including $6MM buyout on vesting/mutual option for ’28)
• RHP Merrill Kelly: $21MM through 2027
• 3B Nolan Arenado: $15MM through 2027; Cardinals paying $9MM at end of ’27 season as condition of trade
• RHP Justin Martinez: $12.5MM through 2029 (deal includes club options for 2030-31)

Option Decisions

• RHP Corbin Burnes can opt out of remaining four years and $140MM
• Team, RHP Michael Soroka hold $10MM mutual option ($1MM buyout)

Additional Financial Commitment: Owe $5MM buyout to released OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

2027 guarantees: $127MM ($14MM deferred)
Total future commitments: $460MM

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

• Lars Nootbaar (5.076): $6.3MM
• Pavin Smith (4.144): $2.5MM
• Gabriel Moreno (4.061): $6.1MM
• Ryne Nelson (4.020): $3.4MM

Non-tender candidate: Smith

Free Agents

• Michael Soroka, Zac Gallen, Jonathan Loáisiga, Kevin Ginkel, Taylor Clarke, Ryan Thompson, James McCann, Ildemaro Vargas, Dennis Santana, A.J. Puk

The D-Backs were MLB’s top non-playoff team in 2026. An 86-76 season certainly isn’t an embarrassing showing, but it ultimately wasn’t enough for a club that entered the year with postseason aspirations. Some of that is just the unfortunate luck of playing in the National League. (The D-Backs had a better record than the Guardians, who finished as the #2 seed in the AL and got a first-round bye.) That doesn’t entirely absolve the front office of leaving a few unaddressed positions that could’ve been the difference in securing the extra wins they needed to snag a Wild Card berth.

The team did show enough that ownership remains on board with current leadership. General manager Mike Hazen is under contract through 2028. The Snakes re-signed manager Torey Lovullo on a two-year deal that’ll align with Hazen’s timetable. Lovullo is going into year 11 and is the third-longest tenured active manager in MLB, behind only Dave Roberts and Kevin Cash. He and Hazen have worked together for a decade.

The two clearly have a strong relationship, but the GM stressed the decision to keep Lovullo in Phoenix goes beyond that. “Nobody cares about who knows who and where everybody comes from. It’s not the driving factor of why he’s still the manager of this baseball team,” Hazen said in announcing Lovullo’s return (link via Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports). “He’s the manager of this baseball team because he’s a good baseball manager.” Lovullo hasn’t announced anything on his coaching staff, though they’re reportedly parting ways with pitching coach Brian Kaplan after two seasons.

Maintaining the leadership continuity turns the organizational focus to the roster. There’s work to be done, as the Snakes have ten impending free agents. Eight of them are coming off a pitching staff that should get the majority of the attention.