What lies behind the Diamondbacks’ slow start to the offseason?
The D-Backs had an exciting announcement today. They agreed to a minor league deal with Cristian Pache. Seriously. It was announced and everything. With all due respect to Mike Hazen and his staff, you can likely hear the collective yawn and/or frustration grumble from D-Backs’ fans across the valley. Characterizing this off-season to this point as “slow” for the D-Backs would be a vast understatement. It’s also a telling divergence from last offseason when the front office aggressively sought to augment a roster that miraculously made it to the World Series. That certainly hasn’t been the case this off-season. Outside of options and non-tenders, the team has yet to make a major league signing. At this same point last year, the team had already signed Eduardo Rodriguez, traded for Eugenio Suarez, and re-signed Lourdes Gurriel Jr to a new contract. So what is the team’s strategy this year and how might it play to their advantage?
First, I think it’s worth clarifying that if money truly is the limiting factor, then that is a telling indictment of Ken Kendrick’s ownership strategy. There is no real reason he and the team can’t afford to sign the players they need to be successful. I am not suggesting the team could be or necessarily should be bidding for the Corbin Burnes or Juan Sotos of the baseball world. But to allow a fan-favorite player like Christian Walker to depart in free agency without a viable alternative at his position because of money is a travesty. We have discussed multiple times on the site here that the team is unlikely to expand the payroll beyond what it was this year ($134 million) which put the team into the top half of the league by a nose. That decision and number is an artificial limit that Kendrick is placing on the front office because of his own personal preferences rather than an external economic reality or independent rule. He is creating that restriction despite the substantial public funds the team has received for constructing and maintaining the stadium, the considerable revenue he and the team receive from various streams including TV and concessions, and the (perfectly legal) ability to deduct the team’s expenses from his overall taxes. On top of all that, he can look forward to the payday he can expect when he eventually sells the team to the highest bidder – a process that could ultimately end up in a multibillion-dollar deal given the price we recently saw for the Baltimore Orioles for their recent sale.
It was laudable for Kendrick to double down on the team after their World Series run in 2023, and I genuinely do believe he wants the team to succeed moving forward as well. But there appears to be a limit to that desire that I find baffling. In many ways, the D-Backs need Walker more than Walker needs the D-Backs as both the eye test and projections show exactly how gaping a hole his absence creates on the diamond, in the dugout, and in the lineup. Similarly, the inability at this point to sign Zac Gallen, the closest thing to a homegrown ace the team has had since Brandon Webb, is equally troubling to me as it could result in a similar situation next offseason. If they fail to find that common ground, then idiots like myself will ponder the possibility of the team trading their ace to maximize his value rather than watch him walk to someone like the Dodgers or Mets and only netting a compensation draft pick in the process – a la Max Fried this offseason. That distasteful possibility only becomes more likely if the team finds itself out of contention near the trade deadline given the value Gallen represents to another contender and Hazen would have to at least entertain any hypothetical offers for the good of the franchise.
Still, I’ll openly admit that it’s extremely easy for someone like myself to call for additional spending on one of my favorite baseball teams. After all, it isn’t my money that’s being spent and a poorly signed contract only creates fodder for baseball writers like myself rather than poor press coverage for me personally. But all of those reasons don’t stop me from feeling frustrated and disillusioned with an owner that has shown a genuine desire to see his team succeed also limit that same team for unknown reasons. I sincerely hope there are other reasons behind the slow start to the offseason for the D-Backs and that there is in fact a comprehensive plan for the roster construction of another crucial year for the team.