The D-backs sold off at the 2025 trade deadline, most notably shipping and to Seattle in separate deals and trading to the Rangers. Despite effectively waving the white flag on the 25 season with that series of moves, Arizona rallied in the final two months and was in the mix for a postseason spot right up to the final weekend of the season. Owner Ken Kendrick chatted with John Gambadoro and Dave Burns of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM about his teams hot finish, the decision to retain manager Torey Lovullo for a tenth season, and his clubs outlook for next year ( ). Most notably, Kendrick conceded that payroll is likely to decline, but that doesnt mean the Diamondbacks are entering a rebuild or moving out of win-now mode. We will not be spending at the same level, Kendrick said when asked about payroll. We dont just pay the 26 guys on the active roster. We have a 40-man roster. The amount of money we spent on our 40-man roster this year is $220MM. Will we spend 220 next year? I dont think that we will. Will we have a very significant payroll that will allow us to compete and be in the playoffs? I think we will. The 2025 season, fueled by last years surprise signing of , pushed the Diamondbacks to a franchise-record payroll. The deep postseason run in 2023 likely left the team with some extra spending capital, and that wont be the case this year, but Kendrick repeatedly thanked fans for their commitment to the team and the manner in which they turned out. He pointed out this years 2.4 million tickets sold were the highest since 2008 and give the club the ability to be more competitive in subsequent seasons than if the fan base had checked out following the deadline. While we didnt have playoff money, we had significant revenues from our fans attending games, Kendrick continued. And what Ive said, and Ill continue to say it, Malik Beasley Jersey the money that is there from the revenue we take in, were going to reinvest in the team. Were in a good position to have a very, very credible commitment, financially, to next season. Will the number be the same? It probably wont be, but I think itll be a handsome number that will allow us to have a very, very competitive team and I wouldnt want us to back away from the goal of being in the postseason a year from now. With a return to the postseason the stated goal, the Snakes will have no shortage of work to do. Burnes will mi s most or all of the 2026 season due to Tommy John surgery. Relievers and are in similar boats. is a free agent. Kelly was traded midseason and would have been a free agent anyhow. The pitching staff will need significant help in order to rea semble a playoff-caliber roster. At the moment, the only starters who can safely be penciled into next years staff are , and . Both Rodriguez and Pfaadt posted ERAs north of 5.00 as they battled home run troubles throughout the year, though the veteran Rodriguez at least finished with a respectable 4.09 ERA following the trade deadline. Nelson was terrific all year, finishing out the 2025 campaign with a 3.39 ERA in a career-best 154 1/3 innings at the MLB level. General manager Mike Hazen cited the rotation, the bullpen and solidifying the defense around the diamond as the top priorities this offseason ( ). Pitching help takes priority, per Hazen, but the D-backs clearly plan to focus on run-prevention. Could a reunion with Gallen be part of that? Its po sible. While the longtime Arizona ace struggled greatly through the seasons first four months, he finished brilliantly, to sing 65 innings with a vintage 3.32 ERA following the deadline (albeit with le ser strikeout numbers than were accustomed to seeing from him). Gallen has been open about his love for the organization and the roots he and his family have put down in Arizona. Kendrick heaped praise on Gallen when asked about the right-handers future, adding that he wouldnt say its out of the realm of reality that the two parties could come to terms on a deal to bring Gallen back next year. Whether its a reunion with Gallen, a reunion with Kelly or bringing a new rotation piece aboard via free agency or trade, the D-backs will have to add at least one starter this offseason and likely two. Many of the organizations top pitching prospects either took steps back or went down with notable injuries in 2025. Beyond needing help on the big league staff, the depth is going to need to be bolstered. The bullpen is every bit as much of a puzzle if not an even larger quandary. It wont be an easy path for Hazen and his staff. In discu sing the decision to retain Lovullo, Kendrick pointed both to the injuries he navigated six D-backs pitchers had Tommy John surgery this year and added that it wasnt Lovullos decision to trade key veterans like Naylor, Suarez and Kelly at the deadline. That decision, he noted, came from himself, from president/CEO Derrick Hall and from general manager Mike Hazen. However, it was Lovullo who kept the teams spirits up and guided the club down the stretch. I dont think a single one of our fans, on the first of August, would have thought we could be potentially on the edge of being in the playoffs on the final weekend of the season, Kendrick said. [Lovullo] did manage all of those games. Even with a spending reduction, the Snakes could have room to maneuver this offseason. pegs their 2025 payroll at $188MM with a $212MM competitive balance tax calculation. Both of those are below Kendricks $220MM figure, though the Diamondbacks moved a bunch of money off their books at the deadline, so those numbers would have been higher before the trades. Going into 2026, RR lists the payroll at just $107MM with a CBT number of $142MM. Those numbers dont include the clubs arbitration-eligible players but there should be some dry powder there, depending on exactly how much lower the payroll will go. Jaden McDaniels Jersey