Derek Law Elects Free Agency

Veteran reliever Derek Law is a free agent, per his MiLB.com transaction tracker. The Diamondbacks designated the right-hander for assignment in mid-September. He passed through waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A. Law is now back on the open market.

Arizona added Law on a minor league deal in January. He was recovering from flexor tendon surgery at the time and wasn’t ready for the start of the regular season. A setback during his rehab assignment pushed Law’s Diamondbacks debut to late August. He allowed a run in his first outing with the club, then ripped off six scoreless appearances.

The 36-year-old Law doesn’t miss many bats, but he throws strikes and keeps the ball in the yard. The righty put together 90 innings of a 2.60 ERA with the Nationals in 2024. He was set to be a key member of the bullpen last season until arm injuries ruined his campaign.

While Law did a nice job keeping runs off the board with Arizona, his velocity was noticeably down. He sat at a career-low 93.2 mph with his fastball. The heater averaged 95.1 mph with Washington. Law’s cutter, typically his primary pitch, was also down about two ticks.

The Diamondbacks were hit hard by injuries in the bullpen. Closer Justin Martinez was sidelined until mid-August. Lefties A.J. Puk and Andrew Saalfrank missed the entire season. Fill-in closer Paul Sewald was DFAed after allowing a dozen homers in 39 innings.

Martinez should be back atop the depth chart in 2027. The club will have some spots to fill behind him. Kevin Ginkel, Taylor Clarke, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Ryan Thompson are free agents. That group ranked first, second, fourth, and sixth on the team in terms of appearances, respectively.