Arizona Diamondbacks: Three free agents to target this offseason

More pitching never hurt anyone, especially Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a rotation they can roll out on Opening Day and be somewhat happy with. The organization seems confident that Bumgarner can rebound and there are a few signs you can point to and say Luke Weaver improves as well.

Zac Gallen appears poised to be a very solid rotation piece for many years to come, while Merrill Kelly had his option picked up for 2021 and Caleb Smith is an intriguing arm who you can slot in fifth in the rotation and see what he can do for you. A lot has to click for this rotation to succeed, but there are plenty of other teams across the league who would be happy to switch arms with the Diamondbacks.

Bringing in a veteran arm wouldn’t hurt and provide a bit of insurance for Arizona. One name that may fit is Garrett Richards.

He isn’t the sexiest name on the market, but there are a few reasons to like Richards. MLBTradeRumors.com projects Richards receiving a two-year/$16 million deal and believes he will have his share of suitors this winter.

After missing almost all of 2019 after recovering from Tommy John surgery, Richards had a decent 2020 with the San Diego Padres. He finished the year with a 2-2 record, a 4.03 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 14 outings, but seemed to experience a bit of turmoil behind the scenes in San Diego.

He finished the year in San Diego’s bullpen and was largely used in low-leverage situations, for reasons unknown. He allowed just one run on three hits across five relief innings.

Armed with a high-spin fastball and curveball (both rank among the top spin rates in baseball) and slider that produced a near 40% whiff rate last year, Richards can be a back of the rotation arm for the Diamondbacks or serve as a long-man out of the bullpen, filling a few different roles with this team.

The Arizona Diamondbacks won’t be extremely aggressive this offseason, but they can improve and make the 2021 season more entertaining.