Diamondbacks Veteran Slugger Elects Free Agency

Baker was one of the D-backs' minor league depth signings this offseason. The former St. Louis Cardinals slugger spent nine games with the Reno Aces, hitting .242/.395/.424 over the course of his limited Triple-A action.

Baker was called up, in somewhat of a surprise move, to replace injured first baseman Carlos Santana. He played in three games for the D-backs in that short major league stint, and recorded his first MLB base knock since May of 2025 with the Cardinals.

The hard-hitting first baseman has torn up Triple-A pitching in his career, with 20-plus homers in four straight seasons between 2021 and 2024, and 30-plus in both his 2023 and 2024 minor league seasons.

He hit just one homer as a member of the Aces, but managed to work nine walks in nine games. It was that discipline that stood out to manager Torey Lovullo around the time of Baker's call-up.

But Baker was only able to get five major league at-bats before he was ultimately designated for assignment as part of a roster crunch; he is out of minor league options.

Whether or not he elects to come back to the D-backs' organization remains to be seen. Arizona's first base situation does not have a permanent solution, with both Santana and lefty first base counterpart Pavin Smith down on the injured list with respective physical ailments.

As it stands, first base duties have been mostly taken over by Ildemaro Vargas — who is riding a franchise-record season-opening hit streak — and rookie Jose Fernandez, who has burst onto the scene with some exceptional raw talent.

There was little room for a pure first baseman like Baker, who is not the most athletic or defense-first infielder to begin with. It makes sense for Arizona to go with the hot hands of Vargas and Fernandez at first base for the time being, but Baker could remain a viable depth option should he choose to re-sign.