The Arizona Diamondbacks have been one of Major League Baseball’s prime cautionary tales that you can never have too much pitching.

Injuries ravaged the staff over the past two seasons, and even Arizona’s World Series run in 2023 left general manager Mike Hazen regretful that he did not add another starter. From 2024-25, the Diamondbacks ranked 26th with a team ERA of 4.56. In that same span, the D-backs scored the most runs in MLB, and yet they missed the postseason twice.

The club is back in the market for both starting pitching and bullpen help this offseason.

Pitching comes at a premium, and the Diamondbacks have paid a hefty price for starters over the past half-decade, most of whom did not produce up to expectations.

The Diamondbacks have found some success trading for controllable starting pitching under Hazen, most notably acquiring Zac Gallen for Jazz Chisholm Jr. in 2019. The free agent class of starting pitchers is not chalk full of aces, but it has quality depth to it. The trade market, meanwhile, could get wild depending on whether mid-market teams decide to sell No. 1 arms.

The Diamondbacks are going to have to explore every avenue to improve the pitching staff, and with a payroll expected to be smaller than in 2025, trades could be the best option without pressing too hard on financial resources. Hazen told MLB.com this week that he would be open to dealing from the club’s pool of top prospects.

So, based on contracts, effectiveness and media speculation, here is a list of pitchers to watch on the trade market.

Keep in mind, the Diamondbacks are far from the only NL hopeful contender in need of starting pitching. The NL West-rival Padres and Giants come to mind, as do clubs like the Cubs and Mets. Adding these pitchers can change the outlook of teams looking to make a leap and challenge the Dodgers in 2026.

Pipe Dream

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Why on earth would arguably the best pitcher in the league get traded by a team that just reached the postseason?

Well, Skubal trade rumors are already garnering attention considering the caliber of pitcher and the reported separation in extension talks with Detroit. Skubal won the ERA title in the American League in back-to-back years and is favored to take home his second straight AL Cy Young award.

The left-hander raised in Kingman, Arizona, will be a free agent next offseason. MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that Skubal — a Scott Boras client — will seek a $400 million contract, while the Tigers offered an extension last winter shy of $170 million.

Detroit made the postseason in back-to-back years with Skubal leading the staff, and it is decision time on whether to cash in their ace as a trade chip, pony up the money or let it play out.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan told The Rich Eisen Show that the Tigers would like to keep Skubal and he would prefer to stay, but there is a case to separate if a long-term deal cannot be agreed upon.

Safe to say, it is going to take a massive haul to acquire Skubal, even for one season.

Expiring-deal ace

(AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

The Brewers have been pretty consistent when it comes to handling pitchers set to make a lot of money. Milwaukee traded Corbin Burnes a year before he hit free agency. They did the same with closer Devin Williams last winter. They previously traded closer Josh Hader in-season while still alive in a pennant chase.

Peralta was Milwaukee’s ace over the past two years since Burnes’ departure, and he is now a season away from hitting free agency as a 30-year-old. The Brewers picked up his $8 million team option for 2026, but recent trends suggest he is a prime trade candidate despite leading Milwaukee to the 2025 NLCS.

The right-hander had a terrific campaign, starting 33 games with a 2.70 ERA. He has thrown at least 165 innings in each of the past three years, reaching the 200-strikeout benchmark in all three. He made the All-Star team for the second time in his career this past season and should finish top five in the NL Cy Young voting.

The Brewers received a haul of young shortstop Joey Ortiz, pitcher DL Hall and the No. 34 pick for Burnes, who had a higher pedigree than Peralta at the time of his trade to Baltimore.

Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said at his end-of-season press conference that trading Peralta was “not at the front of my mind” and also “it’s something where you can never shut the door on anything in our situation.”

Controllable for multiple years

(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

MacKenzie Gore (Nationals)
Joe Ryan (Twins)
Edward Cabrera (Marlins)
Drew Rasmussen (Rays)
Bailey Ober (Twins)
Ryan Pepiot (Rays)
Reid Detmers (Angels)

Gore is 26-year-old left-hander who made the All-Star team in 2025 and has two years of club control remaining. He was phenomenal through the first half of 2025, throwing to a 3.02 ERA in 19 starts. He tailed off in the second half, largely due to a couple grisly eight-run performances, but he finished the year with solid strikeout numbers (27.2%) as he continued to show an ability to produce whiffs on his breaking stuff.

The Nationals lost 96 games in 2025 and have not fielded a winning team since their 2019 World Series. They have a new front office and manager, and Gore appears to be their most prized trade asset among players with free agency in sight.

Ryan was entrenched in trade rumors at the deadline given Minnesota’s aggressive sell-off, but he stayed put.

Like Gore, the 29-year-old made his first All-Star game in 2025 and will be a free agent following the 2027 season. Ryan threw a career-high 171 innings in 2025 with a 3.42 ERA. He’s worked a 3.50 ERA over the past two seasons as he has proven himself as a consistent top-of-the-rotation pitcher.

Simply put, he’s struck out a lot of batters (27.8%) without walking many (5%). He deployed a top-10 most valuable fastball, per Statcast’s run value metric. Opponents hit .204 against it.

Joe Ryan, K’ing the Side in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/95mZceRuAg

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 14, 2025

Cabrera has three more years under team control with Miami, and the 27-year-old is coming off his best overall season.

The right-hander threw a career-high 137.2 innings with a 3.53 ERA and 3.83 FIP. He dropped his walks to a career-best 8.3% while maintaining an above average strikeout clip. By Statcast’s run value, Cabrera sported the fourth-most valuable curveball in MLB, a pitch opponents hit .142 against with a 45% whiff rate.

Injuries have played a role in his limited innings output, as he had not reached 100 frames in the major leagues before 2025, but his stock is at a high point.

Edward Cabrera’s 9th, 10th and 11th Ks. 😲 pic.twitter.com/d8PEiLSYPK

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 9, 2025

Pricier veterans

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pablo Lopez (Twins)
Mitch Keller (PIrates)
Sonny Gray (Cardinals)
Luis Severino (A’s)
Jeffrey Springs (A’s)

Lopez has two more years under contract with Minnesota at $21.75 million per year. The 29-year-old missed most of the 2025 season but was effective when healthy with a 2.74 ERA in 14 starts. He made three starts at the end of the season and should have a normal offseason.

The veteran has not worked an ERA above 4.08 since 2019, as his ERA over the last six seasons is a solid 3.61.

Keller has three more years on his deal with Pittsburgh, and his salary climbs to $15.9 million in 2026, $18.4 million in 2027 and $20.4 million in 2028.

The right-hander has been in trade rumors for years, as the Pirates have pitching depth and a perennial need for offensive help. Keller is not an ace, but he has been consistent. His ERA has been between 3.91 and 4.25 in each of the past four seasons, including an All-Star campaign in 2023. He’s averaged 177 innings per season in that span.

Gray is 36 years old and very expensive, due $35 million in 2026 with a $30 million team option for 2027. But he has been one of the more reliable top-end arms in the big leagues for a long time.

His 4.28 ERA in 2025 was his highest since 2018, but he pitched 180 innings with better peripherals (3.39 FIP). Trading Gray to anyone but the top spenders in baseball may require the Cardinals to eat some of the money, perhaps in exchange for a better package.

Sonny Gray, K’ing the Side in the 3rd. 🌞 pic.twitter.com/P4Wx99rMWb

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 11, 2025

Severino turned a resurgent 2024 season with the Mets into a three-year, $67 million deal with the Athletics, which includes a $22 million player option for 2027. Severino turned in an okay 2025 season with 4.54 ERA in 29 starts, pitching in a hitter-friendly home ballpark.

What exactly can we expect here?

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Sandy Alcantara (Marlins)

Alcantara had a special 2022 season in which he threw 228.2 innings with a 2.28 ERA to win the NL Cy Young award. He took a step back in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing all of 2024. Alcantara came back in 2025 to miserable results: a 7.22 ERA at the All-Star break.

The Marlins held onto him at the trade deadline, and he — like Gallen in Arizona — was way better down the stretch. Alcantara delivered a 3.13 ERA over his final 12 starts. His command improved, he limited the walks while racking up a higher rate of strikeouts and ground outs.

Sandy Alcantara tonight: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

Alcantara’s last three starts: 20 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 4 BB

His 101st pitch of the night was 99 mph. 2022 Sandy has been on display as of late. pic.twitter.com/1NHOybzutR

— Isaac Azout (@IsaacAzout) August 27, 2025

At his best, Alcantara is an elite ground ball pitcher.

The 30-year-old makes $17.3 million next season with a $21 million club option for 2027. That’s reasonable for the caliber of pitcher Alcantara was over the final 10 weeks of the year, but are his first-half struggles behind him or a risk?