Three questions facing Diamondbacks after losing World Series; can they bounce back and improve in 2024?

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ spectacular postseason run got here to an finish on Wednesday night time with a loss to the Texas Rangers in Game 5 of the World Series. The D-backs had conquer the percentages for many of October, dispatching two department winners in the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers and the reigning National League champion Philadelphia Phillies en path to the franchise’s 2nd pennant. In the top, the Rangers had been an excessive amount of to take care of.

The Diamondbacks will now start their offseason with an glaring objective in thoughts: to contend once more for the World Series trophy subsequent 12 months. Just what’s going to Arizona’s entrance place of job want to do that iciness to make it so? Below, CBS Sports has highlighted the 3 maximum urgent questions facing the D-backs.

1. How to fill out the rotation?

One of the primary storylines of the postseason used to be how the Diamondbacks navigated a protracted collection with necessarily a two-pitcher rotation in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. Youngster Brandon Pfaadt made supervisor Torey Lovullo’s process more uncomplicated through pitching a lot better all through the playoffs than he had all through the common season. It turns out downright cheap, barring an harm or suspension, to pencil every of the ones 3 into Arizona’s 2024 rotation.

Diamondbacks pitchers with 15 or extra begins in 2023

Of path, the opposite two spots are to be made up our minds. During the common season, the Diamondbacks began 14 other pitchers. Ryne Nelson, Zach Davies, and Tommy Henry every gained greater than 16 begins apiece. Yet in the playoffs, the Diamondbacks had been compelled into bullpen video games in each the NLCS and World Series. (Henry suffered an elbow harm in July and Davies used to be launched in September.) The D-backs have a slew of unproven younger starters who’re both large league-ready or with reference to it, together with former first-round alternatives Bryce Jarvis and Slade Cecconi, however it stands to explanation why they’ll glance so as to add a minimum of one starter from outdoor the group as a way of shoring up the rotation.

Pinpointing who that could be at this level is a idiot’s errand. For now, you can peruse our top-50 loose brokers ratings for your self and select a couple of attention-grabbing names. Who is aware of, chances are you’ll simply select appropriately.

2. What to do in the outfield?

Here’s the most secure of secure bets: Corbin Carroll will get started just about each recreation that he is wholesome for the Diamondbacks subsequent season. The different two spots in the outfield appear much less sure to us at this level in the method.

Alek Thomas, a former peak prospect, will stay 23 till subsequent April. He’s coming off what may just technically be described as a breakout postseason. He introduced 4 house runs and posted a .734 OPS in 17 video games — he homered 9 instances and had a .647 OPS in 125 common season contests. Thomas is a top quality defender, however the Diamondbacks will want to ask themselves how a lot they imagine in his bat — and if there are any upgrades to be had.

While we suspect Thomas will go back as Arizona’s beginning middle fielder, the opposite corner-outfield spot is extra of an open query. Tommy Pham is slated without spending a dime company, which means the D-backs must win the bidding if they need him to go back for a complete season. That would possibly finally end up being their most suitable choice — it is without a doubt arduous to peer the Diamondbacks status pat and rolling with some timeshare consisting of Pavin Smith, Kyle Lewis, Dominic Fletcher, or Jake McCarthy. 

We will be aware that the D-backs must have a variety of monetary freedom. Their Opening Day payroll this season used to be $116 million, a number of million under the figures they ran out in 2018 and 2019. Cot’s Contracts has them projected for a payroll round $83 million in 2024, even though the ones numbers will stay in flux. Regardless, there is no explanation why for the Diamondbacks to affordable out this iciness.

3. Who performs 3rd?

The Diamondbacks began veteran Evan Longoria on the sizzling nook in 16 in their 18 postseason contests, a Barry Sanders-like alternate in route after giving him simply 10 begins all of September. At this level, it is imaginable that Longoria could have already performed in his ultimate big-league recreation.

After all, Longoria is an forthcoming loose agent who celebrated his thirty eighth birthday in October. He brazenly mentioned the potential for retiring final iciness prior to he signed a one-year pact with the D-backs in January. Longoria did hedge his bets all through the playoff run through telling The Athletic that he would like to win a World Series before hanging up his cleats: “Can we win a ring and put a stamp on my career? That’s really all I think about.” 

Even if Longoria performs on, the Diamondbacks must imagine selection answers. Arizona gained the fifth-worst manufacturing from the new nook of any big-league crew this season. Longoria has had an implausible profession, however common sense dictates that he is now not going to go back to his previous All-Star shape once more.

Not that the free-agent marketplace gives many excellent possible choices. Our top-50 ratings come with simply 3 3rd basemen: Matt Chapman, Jeimer Candelario, and Gio Urshela. The D-backs may just glance to the business marketplace, which would possibly characteristic a number of younger Orioles infielders, in addition to veterans like Jonathan India and Gleyber Torres. Shy of that, there may be at all times a couple of notable interior applicants. 

Emmanuel Rivera and Jace Peterson did not get the process executed this season, even supposing they make sense as a platoon on paper. Perhaps the Diamondbacks like them sufficient to check out it once more out of the gate subsequent 12 months. The extra attention-grabbing possibility, in our estimation, is making use in their shortstop intensity. Geraldo Perdomo is coming off a breakout season, and peak prospect Jordan Lawlar is proficient sufficient to make other folks put out of your mind his tough advent in no time flat.

Whatever the Diamondbacks come to a decision, at 3rd base and another way, they’re sure to be in for a iciness of alternate. That’s a welcomed fact whilst you arrive a 12 months previous than expected.