It was anything but a quiet offseason for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Sure, they lost longtime D-back Christian Walker and Joc Pederson to free agency but have since revamped with ace Corbin Burnes and first baseman Josh Naylor while inking shortstop Geraldo Perdomo to a contract extension.
In ESPN analyst David Schoenfield’s eyes, that’s good enough for an A- in his final offseason grades.
The Diamondbacks are also being downgraded a half-grade, only because their mid-offseason A felt a little aggressive since it was based primarily on only the Burnes signing (as impactful as he projects). Their other big move was replacing Walker with Naylor at first, and that’s more of a lateral move. … Even with regression, this should be a strong offensive team. It will come down to pitching for Arizona in 2025: Burnes, a healthy Merrill Kelly, a better Jordan Montgomery (if he’s not traded) and a more reliable bullpen.
Burnes and Naylor lead the way as Arizona’s biggest additions this year.
The starting pitcher is coming off a career best 15-9 mark across 32 starts with a 2.92 ERA and 1.096 WHIP in his lone year with the Baltimore Orioles.
For Burnes’ efforts, he was named to his fourth straight All-Star Game and finished fifth in Cy Young voting.
The 30-year-old now helps bolster a starting pitcher group that currently includes Zac Gallen, Kelly, Montgomery, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Ryne Nelson.
Naylor meanwhile came over as an offseason trade acquisition from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi and a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick.
The 27-year-old first baseman turned in his best season at the plate in 2024, setting career highs in home runs (31) and RBIs (108) on his way to his first All-Star Game nod.
Who graded out better than the Diamondbacks this offseason?
Arizona was near the top of the class in terms of offseason grades. It wasn’t, however, valedictorian.
Instead, that honor belonged to the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers and their A+ mark following the additions of starting pitchers Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, among others.
A closer look at how the top of the class shook out:
– Los Angeles Dodgers: A+
– New York Mets: A
– Boston Red Sox: A
– New York Yankees: A-
– Arizona Diamondbacks: A-
– Oakland Athletics: B+
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