After the Diamondbacks magical postseason run ended up dying in Game 5 of the World Series, GM Mike Hazen gave some insights on his goals this offseason.
For starters, Hazen acknowledged that the “goalposts have moved” for the Arizona Diamondbacks, as this unexpected October success has made it clear his bullclup is not too far away from winning a ring.
One of the main reasons why the D-backs hopes ultimately came short was their lack of starting pitching.
This became evident in Game 4 when Arizona had to go to the bullpen for an entire game since, after all, they did not even have a real 4th pitcher in their rotation.
In regard to not having enough starting depth, Hazen took the blame, stating, “But I know I didn’t get a starting pitcher. And that’s on me.”
Hazen even went as far as to say he did not do enough at the trade deadline: “You make the decisions you make. We added at the deadline. It wasn’t like we just sat there with our thumbs and didn’t do anything. But we didn’t do enough. That’s a tough one for me to swallow right now.”
At the deadline, the Diamondbacks acquired veteran utility player Tommy Pham, closer Paul Sewald, and Jace Peterson from the Oakland Athletics.
While it appeared that these moves did save their season, as at least two of three played a large role in the Diamondbacks postseason push, Hazen admitted that these acquisitions were simply not enough.
As for what exactly he is looking for, Hazen has his eyes focused on a veteran. “I think you looked across the aisle (at the Rangers) here in this series, and they had more veteran starting pitchers than we did.”
The good news for him is that there will be plenty of guys available this offseason that fit that exact description, including, Jordan Montgomery, Sonny Gray, and Aaron Nola.
Now, it is only a matter of whether or not Mike Hazen is ready to spend big and build off the momentum that the Diamondbacks gained in 2023.
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