Ranking D-backs GM Mike Hazen's 4 Best 2025 Moves

It felt as if a switch flipped once James McCann began to take over more of Arizona's catching duties.

Of course, partial credit for this signing must go to Burnes, who urged the D-backs' front office to take a flier on the veteran backstop.

The move came in late June, and out of necessity, as starting catcher Gabriel Moreno had gone down with an injury. But McCann was clearly an upgrade at an often-overlooked backup catcher position.

He hit a solid .260/.324/.431, but it was his impact on the pitching staff and younger players that stood out. A struggling rotation and bullpen looked to settle in once McCann took on a larger share of the starts.

Manager Torey Lovullo often praised McCann's ability to handle pitchers (and opposing batters) due to his lengthy career's worth of experience.

McCann is a must-re-sign.

2: Signing Diamondbacks LHP Jalen Beeks

It's not often an emergency signing turns into a reliable workhorse, but that's exactly what Jalen Beeks became for Arizona.

Both Jordan Montgomery and Kevin Ginkel had just gone down with injuries, so Hazen pulled the trigger on Beeks, who had just been released from the Houston Astros.

The left-hander immediately filled a premium need in a D-backs' bullpen. Fellow southpaw A.J. Puk would go down with his own injury not far into the season, and Joe Mantiply would struggle.

Arizona had little in the way of left-handed relief, so Beeks went on to make 61 appearances, despite dealing with his own bout of physical ailments.

Beeks pitched to a sturdy 3.77 ERA — inflated, as relievers often are, by some poor individual outings. Was he a mind-blowing leverage reliever? No, but it's hard to imagine any amalgamation of journeyman or rookie arms would have filled his 57.1 innings with much higher success.

Related Content: Should the Diamondbacks Bring Back this Veteran Reliever?

3: Diamondbacks Sign RHP Shelby Miller

Shelby Miller signed a one-year, $1 million minor-league deal in the offseason. By mid-June, he was Arizona's closer (out of necessity).

Still, Miller had an excellent first half of the 2025 season, continuing his resurgence in a relief role, with the club that traded for him as a starter a decade prior.

Miller pitched to a 1.98 ERA and 3.16 FIP. He picked up 10 saves (still Arizona's leader when 2025 was over) and nine holds, while striking out 40 in 36.1 innings.

Unfortunately, Miller's tenure ended prematurely. He suffered a forearm injury and was subsequently traded (while on the IL) to the Brewers. He had a short, unsuccessful stint in Milwaukee, before going down with an elbow injury that required Tommy John Surgery.

Related Content: Former D-backs Closer Has Elbow Surgery

Still, Miller was the best member of Arizona's banged-up bullpen, at least, for a short time.

4: Diamondbacks Sign RHP Nabil Crismatt

Another emergency signing, and another signing that would pay off much better than may have expected.

Nabil Crismatt had never been a major league starting pitcher, yet Hazen and the D-backs inked the right-hander to a deal to fill the final spot in the starting rotation, following Merrill Kelly's trade and Anthony DeSclafani's injury.

Crismatt made five starts and two long relief appearances, as well as one short appearance. Through his first seven outings, he sported a 2.70 ERA, and allowed less than three earned runs in all but one of his starts.

A poor outing against the Dodgers in his final appearance of the season ballooned his ERA to 3.71, but there's no denying Arizona's rotation would have likely been in a much worse spot without Crismatt's efforts down the stretch.

As far as emergency signings go, Crismatt was another hit for Hazen.

Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News