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This week saw sports books chipping in with expected win totals for the 2026 baseball season, and it does not currently make pleasant reading for the Diamondbacks. Here’s how BetOnline.ag sees the National League West as stacking up, at the time of writing.
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San Francisco Giants 82½
Arizona Diamondbacks 78½
Yep, it looks like another procession for LA. What a shocker. Hey, at least we’re not the Rockies, I guess? If the team is going to compete in 2026, it certainly feels like there is still work which needs to be done by Mike Hazen and the rest of the front-office, between now and Opening Day. However, the poison pill in that statement would be the “if” part of the equation. The team didn’t miss out on a playoff spot by much last year – just three games. However, I wouldn’t rely on 83 wins being enough for a wild-card place next year, considering in 2024, the D-backs got 89 victories and still found themselves sitting at home in October.
Realistically, I think the D-backs need to be six games better than last year, and I don’t see the moves the team has made doing that. The only new arrival is Mike Soroka, with the signings of Merrill Kelly and James McCann simply running the ball back from the previous season. There has certainly been a bit of a log-jam, with the Ketel Marte situation needing to be figured out. There have been increasing noises from Hazen about not wanting trade negotiations to drag on endlessly, but as yet, there has been no word that the D-backs have started hanging up the phone on prospective trade partners.
We looked at potential areas of improvement last Friday. These include the bullpen (obviously), but also the corner infield and the outfield. Which area is your biggest concern right now? And, for a bonus question – that’s what the comments section is for – on which do you think the Diamondbacks are going to spend any remaining budget?