Arizona

Diamondbacks

Diamondbacks’ general manager Mike Hazen said last week that he wanted to resolve Marte’s status in the near future, and while he was willing to listen to offers on his 32-year-old superstar, nothing came close to materializing. Of course, Hazen isn’t bound to anything here and this could very well just be a leveraging ploy to see if he can get any potential suitors to up the ante. The most likeliest scenario is still that Marte opens the season as the Diamondbacks’ starting second baseman.

Nelson had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $3.3 million via arbitration, so this seems like an equitable solution for both sides. He was terrific in a swingman role for the Diamondbacks in 2025, registering a 3.39 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a 132/41 K/BB ratio over 154 innings in 33 appearances (23 starts). He should be locked into the team’s rotation heading into 2026 and makes for a strong mid-round option for fantasy purposes.

Despite a brutal season at the dish in 2025, McCarthy earns a decent raise in his first season of arbitration eligibility. The Diamondbacks still have a logjam of outfielders on their roster heading into 2026 though and there has been plenty of speculation that either McCarthy or Alek Thomas could be moved elsewhere. Unless he winds up in a full-time gig someplace, it’s unlikely that the speedy 28-year-old will gain relevance from a fantasy perspective.

Smith sees a nice salary bump in his second season of arbitration eligibility, going from $1.5 million to $2.25. The versatile 29-year-old slashed .258/.362/.434 with eight homers, 28 RBI and a 92/41 K/BB ratio over 288 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks in 2025. Unless the Diamondbacks add a first baseman, Smith appears to be in line for a much larger role in 2026.

Ginkel had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $3 million via arbitration, so it feels like a fair deal for both sides. He was limited to just 29 appearances with the Diamondbacks in 2025 before being shelved for the season with a right shoulder strain in early August. When healthy, the 31-year-old hurler has proven to be a viable late-inning weapon for the D’Backs.

The 30-year-old southpaw will earn a slight raise over the $2.95 million that he took home in 2025. Puk underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in June and is expected to miss most of the 2026 season while recovering. He’ll be arbitration-eligible one final time before hitting free agency.

Thompson, 33, was limited to 41 1/3 innings last season and his 3.92 ERA was his worst mark since his rookie year in 2020, making him a non-tender candidate. Still, the D-backs though it was worth about $4 million to bring him back for his last season before free agency. There’s very little in front of him in the Arizona pen, so though he’s never been thought of as a closer, he could be in position to earn some saves this year.

Moreno has been bitten by the injury bug in consecutive seasons, but he did take a clear step forward offensively by hitting .285/.353/.433 last year. He seems well on his way to establishing himself as a top-notch catcher if the durability is there.

Thomas stayed healthy last season, but he managed only a .249/.289/.370 line with his strikeout rate taking a big jump to 26%. He’s also already showing signs of decline on defense at age 25. This is probably a make-or-break season for him if he wants to be taken seriously as a starting outfielder. He’s looked more like a reserve of late.

Marte is still available in trade talks at the moment, but Hazen might shut down things soon if no one steps up with the offer the D-backs want. “But this isn’t going to continue to linger,” he said. “We need to focus our offseason. Again, my gut this whole time was that [a trade of Marte] wasn’t going to happen, and I think it seems likely that that’s the case and we want to focus on other things we need to do.” The Red Sox, Rays and Tigers are among the teams to have asked about Marte, who is entering the second year of a seven-year, $116.5 million extension.