Diamondbacks Offseason Moves that Already Look Smart

Michael Soroka was brought in to add depth to the starting rotation, and so far he's turned in the best performance of the season after just over one full turn.

The right-hander set the D-backs' franchise record for most strikeouts by a starter in his team debut (10) and threw the fourth immaculate inning in club history — and the first since 2012.

Soroka is beginning to make decisions look difficult for Arizona, who expects to get Merrill Kelly back from the IL in the coming week-plus.

Signing RHP Jonathan Loáisiga to minor league deal

The D-backs did not invest heavily in their bullpen this offseason, but they did make some smaller-impact signings with the potential for high ceilings.

Loaisiga fits that description. He came in on a minor league deal, but has looked strong for Arizona thus far, pitching 3.1 scoreless innings and picking up his first save on Wednesday. As long as he remains healthy, Loaisiga's upper-90s fastball is a good weapon to have in the back end of the bullpen.

Trading for Nolan Arenado's glove

The six-time platinum glove winner has looked every bit the defensive star he's always been, although his bat has been quiet. It's not the type of impact that shows up in the stat sheet, but Arenado is yet to make an error, and has made a couple of impressive plays at the hot corner.

Arizona needed an improved infield defense after getting away from their defensive identity heavily in 2025. So far, Arenado's glove has not disappointed in the slightest.

The bat is a concern, though. Arenado has gone 3-for-19 at the plate (all singles). Arizona does not necessarily need him to produce at a high level offensively, but some positive regression would be welcome.

Reuniting with Paul Sewald

Not to get too ahead of things, but Paul Sewald looks a lot more like his 2023 self than his 2024 and 2025 self.

The right-hander's fastball has ticked back up to 92-93 MPH, and he's locked down back-to-back saves in very familiar fashion — landing his sweeper for strikes and getting whiffs on his fastball up high.

For only $1.5 million, Sewald may not be the lockdown closer he was during Arizona's World Series run, but he may be able to bring some stability back to the ninth inning. This is, of course, how 2024 started for Sewald as well, before the downward spiral began.