It's still the early portion of the offseason for the Arizona Diamondbacks, with the MLB postseason beginning to culminate in the eventual 2026 World Series.
Once the final touches are placed on 2026 and a new, non-Dodger champion is crowned, the stove will begin to heat up. Free agency, and everything that comes with it, will be here sooner than later.
The Diamondbacks are in a position of need — as are most teams — but are operating under the assumption of a somewhat reduced payroll ahead of 2027. That means GM Mike Hazen and the Arizona front office will have to be intentional with their moves and prioritize their biggest areas of need.
And according to a new report, it's become quite clear what areas those will be for Hazen this offseason.
Diamondbacks' Mike Hazen on offseason priority
Hazen recently spoke with Steve Gilbert of MLB.com regarding this very topic. Here's what he had to say, according to Gilbert:
"The offseason priorities, from an addition standpoint, are certainly going to be being a little more left-handed," Hazen said. "We struggled versus right-handed pitching this year. So that's a clear and obvious one. I think DH/first base is a clear area [of need]. ... I think that's a clear area, no matter what, that we need to improve upon."
The Diamondbacks certainly did have a tough time with righties. They attempted to remedy that during the season on multiple occasions, turning to the likes of Max Kepler, Jesus Sanchez and Pavin Smith to provide some left-handed thump. They all struggled to consistently produce.
A trade for Lars Nootbaar helped in that endeavor, but not enough to fix the wholesale issue.
The Diamondbacks' first base position, meanwhile, was the least productive in baseball. Arizona's .636 first base OPS ranked dead last by nearly 30 points.
That's not to say players like Ildemaro Vargas, Tim Tawa, Jose Fernandez and even Smith did not have some positive moments, but none provided consistent thump, and none were a serious weapon against right-handed pitching.
The free agent pool of lefty-hitting options is not the most robust this offseason. If Hazen were to make such an addition, the most reasonable method to expect might be a trade, similar to the one that initially brought Josh Naylor to Arizona for Slade Cecconi.
Whether or not a deal like that exists remains to be seen. But the Diamondbacks simply can't go into 2027 without some upgraded hitting, both in terms of first base coverage and with regard to some legitimate lefty-hitting power.
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