Diamondbacks might have to ‘take some risks’ for bullpen help they covet
Corrections and Clarifications: The story has been updated. A previous version incorrectly listed Kirby Yates as a free agent.
LAS VEGAS — The Arizona Diamondbacks’ hunt for power stuff out of their bullpen might lead them to roll the dice on riskier relievers, General Manager Mike Hazen said on Tuesday.
“For us, that may be guys who are coming back from injury,” Hazen said from the Conrad Las Vegas hotel, the site of baseball’s GM Meetings. “We’re just going to be more aggressive in having more options available to us in the pen. Adding some power to the pen is something that we’re looking to do.”
The Diamondbacks finished with the sixth-worst bullpen ERA in baseball and were last in the league in strikeout rate. The veterans the club brought in last winter, Mark Melancon and Ian Kennedy, both fell short of a league average strikeout rate.
The top of the relief market was set with the five-year, $102 million deal the New York Mets reportedly are set to give closer Edwin Diaz. The best and most dominant pitcher in baseball, Diaz finished with 17.1 strikeouts per nine innings, the second-highest in baseball history among pitchers with at least 30 innings.
“I think that’s the challenge,” Hazen said of the cost of elite relief help. “You end up having to pay the higher price if you’re just going straight-line, top-end (of the market) to go get that. We may not be able to do that. So we may have to take some risks in other areas.”
This winter’s free-agent market figures to have plenty of options when it comes to power arms with risky profiles, including right-handers Trevor May, Trevor Rosenthal and Ken Giles, all of whom are accomplished relievers who either finished this season hurt or dealt with injuries throughout the year.
Role change
While other clubs have managed to churn out relievers with big fastballs, the Diamondbacks have struggled to graduate power-armed pitchers from their farm system. Hazen said one way he believes his team could change that trend is by being more aggressive with moving starting pitching prospects into relief roles earlier in their careers.
“We have been a little more resistant to close off the potential starting ability for some guys,” Hazen said. “I think there will be some times when we make some of those decisions.”
That might be easier for the club to do at the moment because it has been able to build up what appears to be a solid base of rotation depth, including right-handers Ryne Nelson and Drey Jameson, both of whom debuted this year, and right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who is expected to debut next year.
Hazen said right-hander Justin Martinez is an example of a pitcher who might have a chance to develop as a starter but now appears ticketed for a relief role as soon as next season.
Martinez, 21, missed much of the past two seasons due to Tommy John surgery, but he returned midway through this year and flashed dominance across multiple levels, finishing the minor league season in Triple-A. He is currently working as a reliever in the Arizona Fall League, where he has given up two runs in 7 2/3 innings with five walks and 13 strikeouts.
Martinez has a fastball that sits in the upper-90s as well as a slider and a split-change.
Martinez is expected to be added to the 40-man roster in the coming week.
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Kennedy declined
The Diamondbacks declined their end of Kennedy’s $4 million mutual option for next season, instead paying him a $250,000 buyout and making him a free agent.
Kennedy gave up a high rate of hard contact throughout the season but managed to pitch to a 3.19 ERA through the end of August. He was roughed up in September, allowing 15 earned runs in eight innings, serving up five homers, and ended up finishing the season with a 5.36 ERA in 50 1/3 innings.
The decision came a day after right-hander Zach Davies declined his side of a mutual option.
Short hop
The Diamondbacks claimed right-hander Cole Sulser off waivers from the Miami Marlins. Sulser logged a 5.29 ERA in 34 innings in relief this year, struggling after returning from a right lat strain. He had a 2.70 ERA in 63 1/3 innnings last season. Sulser throws primarily a fastball (average velocity: 91.8 mph) and change-up.
The Diamondbacks’ 40-man roster is at 37.
Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: D-Backs might have to ‘take some risks’ for bullpen help they want
