Left-Handed Relievers for the Diamondbacks To Target

Now that the drama surrounding the Arizona Diamondbacks and whether they would trade Ketel Marte has ended (anticlimactically), the team and general manager Mike Hazen can turn their attention to their other pressing needs, namely the bullpen.

The D-backs need multiple relievers in their beleaguered bullpen, which could use a shot in the arm. They had one of the worst bullpens in baseball in 2025, and one could make an argument that had they had even close to a league-average bullpen, they would’ve made the playoffs.

Now, Arizona badly needs a closer, or at least a “bridge” closer, as has been mentioned on social media, to buy time until co-closers Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk return from their elbow surgeries. Beyond that, this team could use a proven left-handed reliever to avoid putting too much stress on young pitchers Andrew Saalfrank, Brandyn Garcia, and Philip Abner.

The D-backs could also use another late-inning right-handed arm, but that and a closer are subjects for another time. Below are some left-handed relievers that Hazen could sign or trade for.

Free Agent: Danny Coulombe

Danny Coulombe is a savvy veteran reliever entering his age-36 season who just continues to put up results. He doesn’t do it with velocity, as he averaged just 90.3 mph on his fastball in 2025. Instead, he does it via pitch mixing, limiting hard contact, and getting a lot of chase.

Over 43 innings in 2025, Coulombe had a strong season with the Twins and Rangers. He posted a 2.30 ERA with 18 walks, 43 strikeouts, and two saves. He consistently put up strong underlying metrics and outperformed them, too.

Coulombe should be fairly cheap on a one-year deal as well, due to his age.

Trade Candidate: JoJo Romero (STL)

As was mentioned in this article, the Diamondbacks could certainly use JoJo Romero in their bullpen, even if he’s just a one-year option.

Romero is a groundball specialist, utilizing his sinker and changeup to get groundballs 57.1% of the time in 2025. That was in the 95th percentile. Arizona’s good infield defense would work very well in tandem with Romero.

He limits hard contact, avoids the barrel, and has an excellent slider to pair with that sinker and changeup. He also has 12 saves with the Cardinals over his years in St. Louis, so he could step temporarily into that closer role for a couple of months, or share the job with another reliever.

While he will likely cost a top-15 prospect (and perhaps another top-30 prospect), if Hazen is serious about wanting to win this season, then that’s just the price he’ll have to pay to get a strong reliever to help lift up the bullpen towards average status. Adding Romero would go a long way toward helping the D-backs compete.

Free Agent: Jalen Beeks

Diamondbacks fans are well-versed with what Jalen Beeks can do. He had a strong season for most of 2025 until injuries took their toll on him, and he struggled a bit toward the end of the year. Beeks’ underlying metrics mostly lined right up with his actual stats, indicating that he performed as well as expected.

Beeks is a team-first pitcher who will take the ball every day if need be. He also knows how to get right-handed hitters out as a lefty. His changeup was an especially dangerous pitch in ’25 after batters hit just .067 and slugged just .080 against it.

If Beeks can improve his fastball just a tiny bit, he could really take off in his age-32 season.

Trade Candidate: Garrett Cleavinger (TBR)

It’s not clear that Garrett Cleavinger is available, but he would fit perfectly with Arizona. And Tampa Bay is typically open to all kinds of trades.

Cleavinger is an elite left-handed reliever who is now into his arbitration years. He recorded a fantastic 2.35 ERA last season with an xERA of 3.21. He struck out 82 and walked 18 in 61.1 innings while maintaining elite Statcast numbers.

It would be an expensive trade, but with eight saves the last two seasons, he could be that bridge closer and a long-term late-inning anchor for the D-backs bullpen. Cleavinger is capable of keeping a lead, with 36 holds over the last two years as well. Overall, he is probably the best left-handed reliever Arizona could acquire.

Trade Candidate: Andrew Nardi (MIA)

The Diamondbacks and Marlins are frequent trade partners, so seeing them line up one more time on another trade involving a Miami reliever would not be a surprise. Andrew Nardi fits what Arizona needs.

Nardi missed all of 2025 due to elbow and back injuries. Now, Arizona could take a low-risk, high-ceiling flyer on a reliever returning from injury.

Back in 2024, he had a promising season, despite his high ERA of 5.07. His xERA was 2.75, indicating he was extremely unlucky. Further advanced stats back that up as well; he posted a 33.3% strikeout rate and many other elite metrics.

Nardi has racked up three saves and 33 holds in his career, indicating he’s been able to hold leads when needed most of the time, though he does have seven blown saves. Overall, he would be a risk, but a risk that could have a major payoff for Arizona.

Free Agent: Joey Lucchesi

Joey Lucchesi isn’t known as a standout reliever, but he gets the job done.

He’s a groundball specialist with a good ability to avoid the barrel and hard contact. He limits walks, which offsets a below-average strikeout rate. Plus, his xERA was a strong 3.52 in 2025. He’s a cheap option that could help the team out in 2026.

Free Agent: Cionel Pérez

Cionel Pérez is a tantalizing left-hander with great velocity, but has dealt with injuries for years. However, when he’s healthy, he’s got a lot of potential if he can rein in the walks.

Pérez garners grounders better than almost anyone, with a 60.9% groundball rate in 2025. However, he is erratic, which limited his strikeouts and caused him to have a walk rate of 16.4% last year. He’s a very low-cost, low-floor, but high-ceiling option if Arizona is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle again, like with Shelby Miller.

If Pérez can limit his walks, he can be a dangerous weapon out of the bullpen.