D-backs To Sign Derek Law

The Diamondbacks and righty Derek Law are in agreement on a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training, as first reported by MLB Transactions Daily (on Instagram). Robert Murray of Fansided reports that the CAA client would earn $1.5MM if he makes the roster and has another $500K available to him via incentives. He can earn $50K for reaching each of 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 appearances. He’d then earn $100K bonuses at 50 and 55 games pitched.

Law posted strong results for the Reds and Nationals in 2023-24 but didn’t pitch in the majors this past season due to arm troubles. He opened the season on the injured list, and by mid-July the Nats had announced that he’d require season-ending flexor surgery. That procedure came with a projected recovery period of nine to ten months, which would put Law on track for a return in April or May.

During that ’23-’24 run between Cincinnati and D.C., Law piled up 145 innings of relief work and notched a tidy 2.98 earned run average. His 20% strikeout rate was below average, but Law also kept his walks down nicely (8.3%), induced grounders at a sound 45% clip and deftly avoided hard contact: 87.7 mph average exit velocity, 34.2% hard-hit rate, 4.2% barrel rate, 0.81 HR/9. He tallied three saves and 20 holds across those two seasons.

When healthy in recent years, Law has sat 95 mph with both his four-seamer and sinker, but both of those pitches have taken a backseat to his 91 mph cutter and a slider sitting at 87 mph. He’s posted particularly impressive swinging-strike rates on that slider, especially in 2024, when the pitch flummoxed opponents to the point that they hit just .157 with a .220 slugging percentage against it.

Unless Law is quietly ahead of schedule, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be in the mix for an Opening Day bullpen spot. He’ll acclimate to his new organization and coaching staff while rehabbing with the big league staff this spring, however, and (again, based on that original timetable) it seems possible he could join the ’pen at some point in the first few months of the year.

Bullpen depth remains an area of focus for the Diamondbacks, who’ll be without their two top relievers (A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez) for the first several months of the 2026 season after they underwent season-ending elbow procedures in 2025. Left-hander Andrew Saalfrank and righties Kevin Ginkel, Ryan Thompson, Taylor Clarke and Drey Jameson are all in the running for key relief roles. Longtime Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga signed on a non-roster deal as well and will look to win a spot this spring. Arizona remains in the market for more bullpen arms, with recent reports indicating that GM Mike Hazen and his staff have been more active on the trade market as of late.