The question of the offseason for the Arizona Diamondbacks is this: Can they acquire enough pitching without trading Ketel Marte?

The roster is in a weird place, with Arizona’s ace, two back-end relievers and starting left fielder on the injured list for the foreseeable future.

Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will not be ready for Opening Day, but the Diamondbacks maintain that the goal is to be competitive after falling short of the postseason in the final weekend of the regular season in back-to-back years.

So, how can they do it?

That’s where trading Marte is an option, as he has been in the rumor mill with Arizona listening to calls about him.

But given Marte’s talent and importance to the offense, let’s try to build around him, Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo while staying somewhat within the parameters of the payroll. Only the Diamondbacks’ front office and leadership know the budget, but the payroll is expected to decrease after a team record $188 million was spent in 2025.

The payroll is currently projected at $145 million, so let’s try to build a contender with that in mind.

Mock offseason: Diamondbacks moves to build around Ketel Marte
Move 1: Sign RHP Merrill Kelly for 2 years, $30 million

This is a no-brainer, right?

Kelly has roots in Arizona. The club has a need for pitching. Kelly is a proven commodity as someone who has excelled at Chase Field. And there is already mutual interest in a reunion.

The Diamondbacks traded him at last year’s deadline for pitching prospects David Hagaman, Kohl Drake and Mitch Bratt, and bringing him back would be a value win.

Kelly is 37 but coming off a year where he put together a 3.52 ERA in 32 starts.

By backloading the contract some, the Diamondbacks could create a bit of flexibility this winter, although that could be a tough sell to a player given the uncertainty of next offseason’s CBA negotiations and potential lockout. There is also the possibility of deferring some money or adding an option to the end of the deal. Let’s say $12 million for Year 1 for the sake of this exercise.

Move 2: Sign 1B/3B Kazuma Okamoto to a 3-year, $39-million deal

Okamoto is a 29-year-old corner infielder who has been a premier power hitter in Japan over the past seven years. Adding him would be an unexpectedly aggressive move for Arizona’s offense.

The right-handed bopper has led Japan’s NPB in home runs since the 2018 season (248) with a .882 OPS in that span. He even homered against Team USA during the World Baseball Classic title game in 2023.

In 77 games this past season, he clubbed 15 home runs with a .992 OPS, nearly walking (34) as much as he struck out (36). There would be an adjustment to higher velocities in MLB than NPB.

Okamoto mostly played third base last year but logged 28 games at first as well. The Diamondbacks could use the help there with Pavin Smith and Tyler Locklear as the only first basemen on their 40-man roster, and Locklear is expected to miss the start of next season due to injuries. His experience at third base — and limited playing time in the outfield — could be helpful as well.

There is a catch, however, as a major league team would have to pay a posting fee to the Yomiuri Giants in NPB, which comes out to 20% of the first $25 million. That’s quite a commitment (but does not count against the payroll, technically).

Alternative: If the market for Okamoto is too steep, the Diamondbacks can bring back Paul Goldschmidt, whom they have interest in as a platoon first base/designated hitter option. He would not cost as much — perhaps a one-year deal worth around $7 million — and could fill a key role against left-handed pitching (that’s probably more likely).

It’s a 5-RBI game for Kazuma Okamoto! 🇯🇵#WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/bYVym0Ux9w

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 16, 2023

Move 3: Acquire LHP MacKenzie Gore from Washington Nationals for package including INF Jordan Lawlar, INF Demetrio Crisantes and RHP David Hagaman

Gore is a big swing, and it will not be cheap to add him.

The southpaw has two years of arbitration left and is coming off an All-Star season in which he made 30 appearances with a 4.17 ERA (3.74 FIP) in 159.2 innings. He struck out 185 batters to 64 walks, and he finished 15th in MLB in strikeout rate at 27.2%.

He held a 3.02 ERA entering the All-Star break and was thrown around in rumors as the Nationals tailed off. He dealt with a couple minor injuries down the stretch and did not finish as strong.

According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, at least half of the league has checked in on Gore, as reports have indicated it is very likely he gets moved. The Nationals are starting over with a new front office and coaching staff.

This specific returning package is not as important as the idea that it will take some of Arizona’s most well-regarded young players to get something like this done. General manager Mike Hazen has said on the record this offseason he is willing to pull from his top prospects.

With this hypothetical deal, the Nationals get a potential star in Lawlar whose stock has fallen some, although he is coming off an improved September at the plate. The speedster has done all he needs to dominate minor league pitching, and now he has to prove he can impact winning in MLB.

The Nationals also add a promising young infield prospect in Crisantes, Arizona’s No. 4 prospect on MLB Pipeline with his elite hitting tool, and a 22-year-old pitcher whose stock is rising.

That’s a lot to headline a return package, but pitching is really, really expensive. Dylan Cease just got $210 million over seven years from the Toronto Blue Jays after a 4.55 ERA season (with good peripherals, to be fair). The Pirates traded Johan Oviedo after 40 solid innings in 2025 for the Red Sox’s No. 3 prospect, Jhostynxon Garcia.

The Diamondbacks will likely end up with three top-35 picks in next year’s draft due to competitive balance and compensatory picks, giving them an opportunity to rebuff the farm system.

For two years of Gore, one of which could be impacted by a potential lockout, this is bold. But so was signing Burnes. And so was signing Jordan Montgomery and trading for Eugenio Suarez.

Move 4: Sign RHP Pete Fairbanks to a 3-year, $27-million deal

The Diamondbacks need a closer. They have not had one since Paul Sewald lost the job in 2024, and the idea to go for a closer duo with Puk and Martinez fell through due to injuries last year.

Relievers are volatile, but Fairbanks has been pretty consistent over the past three years, especially, with 75 saves and a 2.98 ERA. The 32-year-old has done well at keeping the ball in the yard, even with a strikeout rate that has decreased over the years. He’s induced ground balls at a high clip. Fairbanks also added a cutter late last season that worked very well and could help him find answers moving into his mid-30s.

The Diamondbacks have shown interest in him, and the fit is obvious to provide stability to the back end of the bullpen as Puk and Martinez rehab with hopes of returning at some point in 2026.

Adding a third year keeps the annual salary down, although a two-year deal with an option could be mutually beneficial.

Move 5: Acquire RHP Cole Sands from Minnesota Twins for OF Jake McCarthy

The Diamondbacks are reportedly likely going to separate McCarthy and Alek Thomas, considering their redundancy on the roster.

Thomas brings high-ceiling defensive value but has not found consistency with the bat. McCarthy has had better offensive seasons, steals a lot of bases and brings experience in all three outfield spots, although he is coming off a down year at the plate.

The Twins are reportedly looking to hold onto star players Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton after a trade deadline sell-off, staving off trade rumors while looking to retool.

Sands, 28, is coming off a season in which he delivered a 4.50 ERA but with better peripherals (3.58 FIP) in 72 innings. He saved three games but primarily worked in the seventh and eighth innings. He does not have overpowering stuff but uses a five-pitch mix and works a low walk rate.

Sands worked a 3.28 ERA in 2024.

The Diamondbacks could pull from an area of surplus and deepen the bullpen with this move, not only for this season but beyond, as Sands is under team control for another three years.

These five moves would add about $40 million in payroll, which goes up to $185 million — barring more deferred payments — which is probably still too high, but it’s lower than last year. With Goldschmidt instead of Okamoto, the payroll would dip back below $180 million.

Lineup vs. RHP

SS Geraldo Perdomo
2B Ketel Marte
RF Corbin Carroll
3B Kazuma Okamoto
C Gabriel Moreno
1B Pavin Smith
DH Adrian Del Castillo
LF Blaze Alexander
CF Alek Thomas

Lineup vs. LHP

2B Ketel Marte
RF Corbin Carroll
SS Geraldo Perdomo
1B Kazuma Okamoto
DH Gabriel Moreno
3B Blaze Alexander
C James McCann
CF Jorge Barrosa
LF Tim Tawa

Rotation

LHP MacKenzie Gore
RHP Merrill Kelly
RHP Ryne Nelson
RHP Brandon Pfaadt
LHP Eduardo Rodriguez

Bullpen

RHP Pete Fairbanks
RHP Ryan Thompson
RHP Kevin Ginkel
LHP Andrew Saalfrank
LHP Brandyn Garcia
RHP Juan Morillo
RHP Cole Sands
RHP Bryce Jarvis

Injured list

RHP Corbin Burnes
LHP A.J. Puk
RHP Justin Martinez
1B Tyler Locklear
LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

There are some questions with this roster.

First off, it assumes Alexander can bounce back and forth from the infield and outfield, becoming Arizona’s Chris Taylor-type player despite limited outfield experience.

This roster has positional flexibility that should help.

Replacing Okamoto with Goldschmidt would not change the lineup versus lefties much, but it would lead to some tweaks against righties, perhaps adding Barrosa to the outfield and moving Alexander back to third base.

The DH spot against lefties would be interesting here.

McCann catching could allow Moreno to DH at times. Perhaps Thomas could help defensively in the outfield, allowing Tawa to slide to second base and getting Marte off his feet defensively. It would be fluid.

Alexander would have to be the backup shortstop unless Tawa receives reps at the position he has not played since college.

Locklear returning from injury would give the Diamondbacks another option at first base/designated hitter.

Ideally, prospects Tommy Troy and Ryan Waldschmidt would earn a role with the big league club at some point, perhaps LuJames Groover, as well.

The rotation is solid on paper in waiting for Burnes to come back, especially if Pfaadt can find better consistency.

The bullpen will also involve Andrew Hoffmann, Drey Jameson, Gus Varland, Juan Burgos, Kyle Backhus or Philip Abner, among those on the 40-man roster.

There are ample ways to change the configuration of the roster by trading Marte, and the Diamondbacks have to listen to offers in case there is one team that blows them away. Keeping him maintains an exciting core but gives the front office a challenge in filling out the rest of the roster holes with less money and trade bait. If the payroll has to be within $175 million, that handicaps the front office even further.

This thought experiment created a more talented team than the D-backs finished with in 2025, and as the winter meetings get underway this week, we will learn more and more about what is possible for the Diamondbacks to keep up in the National League.