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AZ Snake Pit

https://www.azsnakepit.com/ | 155 entries published

An unofficial Arizona Diamondbacks community and blog

Latest Entries

The Demise of the Everyday Starter

It’s no secret that the importance of starting pitching has been in decline for some time. There was a point where throwing two hundred innings in a season was a reasonable mark to aim for in a team’s rotation. But those pitchers are now a severely endangered species. Barely a decade ago, in 2014, thirty-four […]

MLB

about 7 hours ago | 0 reads

Mike Hazen discusses the signing of Michael Soroka

Today, the Arizona Diamondbacks made official the free-agent signing of pitcher Michael Soroka, who is expected to become part of the Opening Day rotation for the team. To make room for the player on the 40-man roster, Arizona designated pitcher Bryce Jarvis for assignment. GM Mike Hazen spoke to the media this afternoon, explaining what […]

about 11 hours ago | 0 reads

2025 Diamondbacks Player Reviews #28: Juan Morillo

Overview 2025 review I was a little surprised to realize Morillo appeared in as many as forty-two games for the D-backs this year. Only Jalen Beeks and Ryan Thompson pitched more often, and Juan took the mound more often than many more well-known names. It may be because he didn’t see very many high-leverage situations: […]

about 13 hours ago | 0 reads

2025 Diamondbacks Player Reviews: #29 Tim Tawa

Overview Rating: 4.98 2025 stats: 74 games, 225 PAs, 8 doubles, 7 home runs, no triples, 18 RBI and 8-2 in SB attempts. He slashed .201/.274/.347 with an OPS of .620 and OPS+ of 71. He had 64 Ks, to 20walks. Date of birth: April 7th, 1999 2025 salary: Pre-arb 2025 status: He is on the 40 man roster, […]

1 day ago | 0 reads

Snake Bytes 12/11

Team News Mexico City Series returns in ’26, to feature Padres and D-backs“We are extremely excited to showcase our brand internationally once again and thank Major League Baseball for selecting us,” said Diamondbacks President, CEO & General Partner Derrick Hall. “We have played more games in Mexico than any other team in the league and […]

1 day ago | 0 reads

2025 Diamondbacks Player Reviews #30: Kyle Backhus

Overview 2025 Review A successful bullpen needs a variety of not just velocity, but also arm angle, pitch selection, and pitch movement. That’s where pitchers like Kyle Backhus come into the picture. He’s a prototypical pitcher who likely would never have found success at the major league level in a pre-Moneyball era. There’s even a […]

2 days ago | 0 reads

Snake Bytes 12/10: Rule 5 Day

Diamondbacks News Jake Lamb Returns to Arizona as Player Development StafferFormer Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb is set to join the franchise’s player development staff, according to a report by MLB’s Steve Gilbert on Monday. Diamondbacks Land 15th Pick in MLB Draft LotteryTwo division rivals will select ahead of Arizona in July. Diamondbacks Receiving […]

3 days ago | 0 reads

2025 Diamondbacks Reviews: #31 John Curtiss

Overview Voting overview 2025 review John Curtiss has had a journeyman career in Major League Baseball. Drafted back in 2014 out of the University of Texas by the Minnesota Twins, he has pitched in the Majors in 8 seasons and has been a part of 9 different organizations. Coming off a 2024 season in which […]

3 days ago | 0 reads

Balks & Stolen Bases

What are Balks? Balks are called by an umpire.  Mostly, they are called because of actions that might deceive the batter and baserunners.  Also, balks can be called for specific actions that are against rules intended to support fair play and safety.  Although there are many rules regarding balks, umpire judgement is important. Baseball legend […]

MLB

4 days ago | 0 reads

SnakeBytes 12/9: The D-backs did something

Diamondbacks News Diamondbacks Sign Michael Soroka to Bolster 2026 Rotation by Michael McDermott [Dbacks Under Review] While it was pretty obvious upon signing, Arizona Sports insider John Gambadoro reported that Soroka will join the rotation. The signing simply improves the floor of their rotation, rather than their ceiling. He profiles more as a No. 4/5 starter […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

2025 Diamondbacks Player Reviews #32: Eduardo Rodriguez

Overview Optimism about the Eduardo Rodriguez acquisition. When he was acquired prior to the 2024 season, I listed four reasons to be optimistic in this AZ Snake Pit article.  After the disappointing 2024 season, hopes were high that Eduardo Rodriguez could bounce back to his career norms. “Given the three guaranteed years still on his […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

Arizona Diamondbacks sign SP Michael Soroka

The first significant move by the D-backs dropped this morning. Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers were first to report that the Arizona Diamondbacks have filled one of the holes in their rotation by signing Michael Soroka to a one-year deal. It’s worth $7.5 million, but there are incentives which could potentially add another $2 million […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

Snake Bytes, 12/8: Bill Killed

Team news [Arizona Sports] Report: Red Sox, Rays, Tigers have checked in with Diamondbacks on Ketel Marte – USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on Sunday three new teams have joined the group interested in trading for the three-time All Star: the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers. Nightengale reported that Marte could […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

2025 Diamondbacks Player Reviews #33: Brandyn Garcia

Overview 2025 Review Brandyn Garcia began the season in the Seattle Mariners system at the AA level where he dominated striking out 33 batters in 25 innings before earning a promotion to Tacoma the Mariners AAA affiliate. He continued to be effective there as well before earning a big league promotion on 7/21. Garcia quickly […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

Snake Bytes 12/7

Team News What’s on tap for D-backs at Winter Meetings?“I know the deals that get done at the Meetings are splashier, because there are more people around paying attention to it,” Hazen said. “I think, in reality, the majority of all the work that you’re going to get done for the offseason, a lot of […]

6 days ago | 0 reads

2025 Arizona Diamondbacks Player Reviews #34: Taylor Rashi

Overview 2025 Review What to say about Taylor Rashi? Well, for starters, Rashi was selected in the 23rd (!!!) round of the 2019 draft by the San Francisco Giants. He never made it beyond the Giants’ AA affiliate though. In 2023 Arizona grabbed him and then he spent two seasons working his way through AA […]

MLB

6 days ago | 0 reads

Arizona Diamondbacks Winter Meetings Preview

The Diamondbacks’ front office arrive at the winter meetings in Florida with a lot of work to do between now and Opening Day. So far, the only significant arrival on the roster has been the return of backup catcher James McCann. The team still needs to look at finding replacements for two starting pitchers; repair […]

6 days ago | 0 reads

Snake Bytes 12/6: The Winter Meetings are Here

Zac Gallen’s Growing Market Benefits DiamondbacksIt is looking increasingly likely that Zac Gallen will easily clear the $50 million total contract value. Should he do so, Arizona will get the maximum allowable compensation in next season’s draft. MLB Winter Meetings: Intel from Passan and OlneyWhat are some of the biggest names in coverage of the […]

7 days ago | 0 reads

2025 Diamondbacks Player Reviews: #35 Pavin Smith

Introduction 2025 Review Pavin Smith came into the season on the wings of a fairly good season. His playing time was limited, due to some very careful platooning from Hazen and Lovullo. The results were hard to argue with. He finished the season with 1.0 offensive bWAR (the less we speak about the defensive side […]

7 days ago | 6 reads

Are high-priced relievers worth the cost?

If you are a free-agent relief pitcher in the top tier, this might already have been a very good winter for you. We have already seen three players sign deals with an annual value of $14 million per year or more. Raisel Iglesias got things going, returning to the Braves on a one-year contract for […]

8 days ago | 0 reads

Snake Bytes 12/5

Team News D-backs’ Ballpark Pass returns ahead of holiday season“We always want to make sure there are options,” Hall said. “There are fans that want to just come on weekends, there are fans that just want to go to a certain number of games. What we end up seeing in these cases is that people […]

8 days ago | 0 reads

Arizona Diamondbacks in talks with Pete Fairbanks

According to Nick Piecoro, the Diamondbacks have been in discussions with free-agent relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks. GM Mike Hazen has made no secret of this desire to improve the D-backs bullpen, an area which has been one in desperate need of improvement for years. Last month, I looked at the situation, and found that this […]

8 days ago | 0 reads