From Calais Campbell returning to the Cardinals, DeWanna Bonner’s comeback with the Mercury and Steve Nash rejoining the Suns in an advisory role, Valley sports reunions have been a recent trend.

And there is enough noise surrounding possible Diamondbacks returnees to explore whether or not they make sense.

Paul Goldschmidt is interested in playing another season, and the Diamondbacks have been brought up in the media as a fit. Merrill Kelly could fill a rotation spot after the D-backs traded him for prospects.

What about Mariners postseason heroes Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez?

Major League Baseball free agency begins after the World Series, and there is a group of players Arizona has a history with on the market.

Let’s shuffle through them after we already cover impending free agents Zac Gallen, Jalen Beeks and James McCann:

Paul Goldschmidt

(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro has said he expects the Diamondbacks to kick the tires on a Goldschmidt reunion this winter.

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden listed the Diamondbacks as the sole fit for Goldschmidt in free agency this winter.

Age and decline have caught up with him but he should have another year or two left, especially if he accepts a job as a platoon player, which is his best role at this point in his career.

Goldschmidt is the most valuable position player in franchise history via bWAR at 39.9 across eight seasons. His No. 44 should one day hang above Chase Field alongside Randy Johnson’s No. 51 and Luis Gonzalez’s No. 20.

The Diamondbacks traded Goldschmidt entering the final year of his contract after the 2018 season. The D-backs missed the postseason and opted to retool with younger players coming back. Arizona acquired catcher Carson Kelly, pitcher Luke Weaver and infielder Andrew Young from the St. Louis Cardinals for the face of their franchise.

The deal looked somewhat promising in that first season, but it quickly became lopsided as Goldschmidt won the 2022 NL MVP while Weaver and Kelly struggled with injuries before they were unceremoniously moved on from.

Goldschmidt is 38 years old now and a diminished player. He hit .274 with the New York Yankees in 2025, earning a .731 OPS in 145 games. He only hit 10 home runs, his fewest in any season during which he played more than 60 games. The Yankees used him in a platoon role down the stretch, as he finished with a .619 OPS against righties and .981 OPS versus southpaws.

Goldschmidt admitted after New York’s postseason run that he was interested in continuing his career.

Bowden projected he land a one-year deal for $10 million, while Spotrac was a bit more frugal in its estimation of a one-year deal worth $7.2 million.

Arizona could use first base help this winter. Pavin Smith remains on the roster, while Tyler Locklear is expected to miss the start of next season due to elbow and shoulder injuries.

Goldschmidt has been about a league average hitter over the past two years after dominating from 2020-22. But in a short-side platoon role, he would fill a void while bringing back a respected voice in the clubhouse.

Merrill Kelly

Bowden and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand listed the Diamondbacks as a best fit for Kelly, and this partnership is very logical if the price is right.

From Bowden:

Kelly grew up in Arizona and played his junior college and college ball in the state. Don’t be surprised if he re-signs with the Diamondbacks to finish his career with them.

Kelly threw 184 innings with a 3.52 ERA this past season.

The Diamondbacks need starting pitching with Gallen entering free agency and Corbin Burnes recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Kelly has been reliable for years. He pitched for Arizona from 2019-25, with a two-month hiatus after being traded to the Texas Rangers in July. It’d be like he never left in some ways.

Kelly has been open about being open to returning to Arizona and reaching 10 years of major league service time. For Arizona, adding three pitching prospects just to pick Kelly back up a few months later would be a home run.

Bowden predicted Kelly would land a two-year, $30 million deal. Spotrac had him at one-year, $15.8 million. That’s not a crazy number given his productivity and a free agent market with more expensive options. Kelly will be 37 years old next season, after all, although this is his opportunity to cash in what he can.

Josh Naylor

The Mariners are reportedly going to make bringing back Naylor a priority after trading for him at the deadline. He was great in Seattle with an .831 OPS and 19 stolen bases in 54 games, along with a .417 batting average in a seven-game ALCS loss to Toronto.

The D-backs acquired two pitching prospects for him.

Naylor is 28 and on the next rung below Pete Alonso and Cody Bellinger in the first base free agent market.

The Diamondbacks could use a first base upgrade, but pitching is the top priority, which paired with a payroll expected to decrease makes this reunion a long shot.

Eugenio Suarez

(AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Suarez’s market is such a fascinating free agency plot.

On one hand, Suarez is coming off an All-Star season in which he crushed 49 home runs, 36 of which came with Arizona before the trade deadline. The last third baseman to hit 49 home runs in a season was … Suarez for the Reds in 2019. Before that? Alex Rodriguez for the 2007 Yankees, according to Stathead.

Suarez is a great vibes clubhouse presence and just hit arguably the biggest home run in Mariners history, a game-sealing grand slam in Game 5 of the ALCS.

On the other hand, Suarez is 34 years old and hit just .189 with Seattle after the deadline. He clubbed 13 home runs but struck out 36% of the time, which is astronomical considering league average is 22%.

His defense also took a step back this season.

The Diamondbacks rolled with Blaze Alexander at third base after the deadline, which worked out pretty well. Whether he is the answer at that spot moving forward is uncertain, as is the positional future of Jordan Lawlar.

So, the D-backs have options at third base already on the team, and while Suarez was electrifying and a fan favorite in the Valley, there are bigger holes elsewhere on the roster.

Max Scherzer

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Wouldn’t this be wild?

Scherzer was drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2006, made his debut in 2008 and pitched in 46 games for the club before being traded after his age 24 season in 2009.

It was a complex trade that sent Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson to Arizona, Curtis Granderson from Detroit to the Yankees and Scherzer (among others) to Detroit. Scherzer went on to build a Hall of Fame resume with three Cy Young awards and eight All-Star Games.

Scherzer is 41 years old and pitching in the World Series for Toronto. Injuries held him to 17 games in 2025 after he threw in nine games last year.

Like Goldschmidt, Scherzer is getting toward the end of the road, but there are some numbers that show he has something left even if that something is a back-end starter. He maintained above average walk and strikeout numbers with a solid exit velocity. His fastball remains at 93.6 mph, right around where it had been in 2022-23.

Still, his availability is a real question, so a reunion with Kelly looks like the more secure option. Spotrac estimated Scherzer’s next deal around $9 million for one season.

Luke Weaver

(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Weaver has had a roller coaster career in MLB from an optimistic start in Arizona to injury issues, a move to the bullpen and eventually a trade to Kansas City for Emmanuel Rivera in 2022.

From 2020-23, Weaver delivered a 5.95 ERA. But then came 2024, and he broke out for the Yankees as a reliever who tossed 84 innings with a 2.89 ERA. He overtook the closer role late and saved four postseason games.

Weaver picked up where he left off with a solid first half of 2025 (2.91 ERA) before struggling in the second half (4.40 ERA).

He still throws a mid-90s fastball while deploying a changeup that draws whiffs. Both Bowden and Spotrac have him making around $10 million for next year.

Feinsand listed the Diamondbacks as a fit for Weaver.

Some late-season pitch-tipping concerns might have been a part of Weaver’s second-half struggles, which extended into a rough postseason, but his overall performance the past two seasons should have clubs interested. Weaver, who was a starter for much of the first eight seasons of his career, has said he’s open to a return to that role in the right situation.

The Diamondbacks need bullpen help while A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez rehab from elbow surgeries.

There are various veteran options on the market from Kenley Jansen to Raisel Iglesias to Devin Williams, but Weaver over the past two years has improved his reputation as a potential back-end option.

Brad Keller

Keller never pitched for the Diamondbacks in a major league game, but he was with the organization from 2013-17 before getting poached in the Rule 5 Draft by the Royals. Since then, he’s built out a pretty solid career, first as a starter in Kansas City and more recently as a reliever for the Cubs.

In 69.2 innings this past season, Keller delivered a 2.07 ERA with three saves and a 2.94 FIP. He kept his WHIP down to a career-best 0.96 with the best strikeout rate of his career at 27%.

A key difference: Keller’s fastball jumped from 93.6 mph in 2024 to 97.2 mph in 2025.

Anyone else?

1B Wilmer Flores (2018) – Flores would essentially fill the role we talked about with Goldschmidt earlier, although he is coming off a worse season offensively.

OF Tommy Pham (2023) – A standout from the World Series team, Pham has played for four teams in two seasons since then. He’s put up mediocre offensive numbers (.686 OPS) with better peripherals, but he is 37 years old at this point.

OF Starling Marte (2020) – Marte hit pretty well in 2025 with a .745 OPS in a part-time role, although the 37-year-old hardly played any defense.

OF Randal Grichuk (2024-25) – Grichuk was great for the D-backs in 2024, closer to average in 2025 and struggled mightily after getting traded to Kansas City (.566 OPS).

LHP Patrick Corbin (2012-18) – Corbin bounced back with a 4.40 ERA in Texas this past season. He will be 36 in 2026.

LHP Andrew Chafin (2014-20, 2023) – Chafin’s last stint with the D-backs did not wield great results, but he was effective in 2025 with a 2.41 ERA in 29 games.

RHP Paul Sewald (2023-24) – Arizona’s closer from 2023 pitched in 22 games this past season with a 4.58 ERA and career-low 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings (excluding 2020).