Arizona Diamondbacks: Three free agents to target this offseason
By Nick Stevens
Bolstering the bullpen needs to be at the top of the list for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
One quick look at the Arizona Diamondbacks depth chart and the bullpen names immediately stand out. Not because the Diamondbacks have an elite bullpen, but because unless you are a Dbacks fan, you likely haven’t heard of more than one pitcher in Arizona’s bullpen.
According to FanGraphs’ Roster Resource (as of November 7), names like Stefan Crichton, Kevin Ginkel, and Travis Bergen are who the Diamondbacks would have to rely on if the season started today. After dealing Andrew Chafin and Archie Bradley, upgrading the bullpen is at the top, or very close to the top, of Arizona’s needs for the offseason.
Liam Hendriks is projected to command a contract worth about $10 million per year as this year’s top available bullpen arm, while names like Brad Hand and Trevor Rosenthal may see something close to that.
The Diamondbacks may not be in play for any of the names at the very top of the list, but former Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen could be a viable option.
Treinen was dominant back in 2018, striking out nearly 32% of hitters and going 9-2 with 38 saves and a 078 ERA with the Oakland A’s. But it’s been quite the slide since. Treinen was worth -0.3 fWAR in 2019 with Oakland, but rebounded a bit this season with the Dodgers, posting a 3.86 ERA and slashing his walk and home run rates in route to a 0.5 fWAR campaign across 27 games.
He isn’t the shutdown closer Arizona would like, but Treinen has a 97 mph fastball in his repertoire and was among the league leaders in terms of keeping the ball on the ground and producing weak contact. His familiarity with NL West lineups won’t hurt either.