How Diamondbacks Have to Attack Each Roster Need

The Arizona Diamondbacks face a laundry list of roster holes this offseason. GM Mike Hazen will have his hands full trying to bring in the right players to fill those gaps with a limited budget.

Just how he chooses to attack each need remains to be seen, but there are some limiting factors. The D-backs cannot swing another Corbin Burnes contract, or likely anything similar to it.

This article will not deal entirely with specific names. That will come at a later time. For now, we'll simply look at the avenues of addition, and which issues can be fixed from what source.

There's more than three needs on Arizona's list, but these are by far the most glaring holes in the D-backs roster. Here's how Hazen will likely have to approach each one:

Diamondbacks Need: Starting Pitching

Most likely avenue: The trade market

The Diamondbacks desperately need starting pitching, and a Zac Gallen reunion is all but off the table. It also seems, at this stage, that Merrill Kelly will price Arizona out of his market, as well.

That lends the D-backs to needing a trade in order to fully solidify a very leaky rotation. What that type of trade may be is unknown, but the cost will be very high.

Hazen has expressed a willingness to deal from the top of his prospect pool and outfield depth, and is even "listening" on a Ketel Marte trade. If the D-backs truly want a top-end, controllable starting pitcher, they'll have to make that type of sacrifice to bring back the the player(s) they need.

Diamondbacks Need: Bullpen

Most likely avenue: Free agent market

The Diamondbacks, above all, need a closer. They'll have some amount of back-end bullpen reinforcements coming back from Tommy John Surgery, but those arms may not be back swiftly or effectively.

Arizona isn't going to be in play for the likes of Edwin Diaz, by any means, but taking a short-term deal on an arm like Kenley Jansen or Emilio Pagan (for admittedly a decent chunk of that available payroll) would likely be the easiest way to obtain a legitimate ninth-inning option.

They'll need more than one bullpen arm, but the second can fall closer to the bargain side of things if the ninth inning is solidified.

Diamondbacks Need: First Baseman

Most likely avenue: free agent market

Arizona isn't going to go after someone like Pete Alonso, and a Josh Naylor return is off the table after the former D-back inked a five-year deal with the Seattle Mariners this week.

What that means is likely some sort of platoon situation.

A low-cost, short-term deal with a player like Paul Goldschmidt alongside Pavin Smith while Tyler Locklear works to return from injury (and hopefully develops into a more positive producer) could be the best way for the D-backs to address that position.

It won't be a splash move, most likely, but it would allow Arizona to spread their estimated $27-37 million in available payroll to multiple areas.

Related Content: How Much do Diamondbacks Really Have to Spend this Offseason?

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