The Arizona Diamondbacks were recently surpassed in their own division by the San Diego Padres — and bumped down a spot in the NL Wild Card standings, now tied with the Philadelphia Phillies (65-58) in pursuit of the sixth and final seed.
As expected, Arizona made modest tweaks at the trade deadline but did not liquidate their future or overhaul the roster in any meaningful way. A top-heavy Diamondbacks lineup continues to compensate for a hit-or-miss rotation. If anything, the recent surge from Brandon Pfaadt, plus the return of Michael Soroka from the IL, means Arizona is rectifying its primary weakness from within. Even so, if the Diamondbacks fall short in the end, these players won't return in 2027.
C James McCann
James McCann has put together back-to-back solid campaigns as Arizona's backup catcher. He's up to a .777 OPS with a career-high 112 wRC+ (save for the abbreviated COVID season in 2020). Given the thirst for decent offensive catchers around MLB, that could mean McCann is a coveted free agent — even going into his age-37 season.
It's important for the Diamondbacks to consider the inevitable arc of time, however. McCann's numbers under the hood are quite poor. All his expected metrics fall dramatically short of his actual production, and in this twilight stage of his career, the former All-Star can't really stop and pop like he used to behind the plate.
With Gabriel Moreno locked into the starting job and several catching prospects coming down the pipeline, McCann is a strong candidate to walk.
OF Max Kepler
Max Kepler put up a .691 OPS and 90 wRC+ in Philadelphia last season — then got suspended for PEDs. Arizona signed him still, banking on a return to form that has not panned out. Kepler's OPS (.620) has dipped below .700 for the third straight year, with a new career-worst 68 wRC+. He has elevated strikeout (21.7 percent) and chase (37.2 percent) rates, with a tendency to swing early in counts and not always at quality pitches.
The 33-year-old remains solid enough as a corner outfielder, but the bat simply does not justify a meaningful investment at this stage. The Diamondbacks were hoping Kepler was a diamond in the rough, but at the end of the day, he's just rough. With Lars Nootbaar under contract for another year and Ryan Waldschmidt on the ascent, there's no reason to keep Kepler around.
RHP Zac Gallen
Zac Gallen threw a successful bullpen session this week and Arizona is hopeful the former All-Star can return from the IL this season. It's unclear what the Diamondbacks can reasonably expect from Gallen in terms of impact, however. He was quite poor before elbow inflammation shut him down, posting a 6.34 ERA and 1.56 WHIP with 61 strikeouts in 98.1 innings.
Gallen struggled all through last season, but Arizona re-signed him with hopes that the 31-year-old — who finished third in NL Cy Young voting back in 2023 — could regain his footing. Gallen essentially took the equivalent of the quality offer at one year and $22.5 million, passing up similar offers from other teams. So Arizona was not the only club confident in Gallen's ability to rebound.
He won't get near that much money in free agency this go-around, and the Diamondbacks are probably ready to bid farewell. Especially if Gallen can't get back on the mound and positively influence their Wild Card bid.
RHP Merrill Kelly
The Diamondbacks moved Merrill Kelly at the 2025 trade deadline, only to re-sign him in free agency. It was a sensible move at the time, as Kelly gave Arizona seven excellent years before their decision to (temporarily) part ways. Unfortunately, it seems like Father Time has caught up to Kelly in his age-37 season. He has a 5.11 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 22 starts, with 82 strikeouts in 125.0 innings. His expected ERA (7.15) and average (.302), both in MLB's bottom percentile, mean Kelly has actually been extremely lucky with those results.
Kelly's signature changeup is still reasonably effective, but his four-seam and cut fastballs — long very dependable staples of his arsenal — are getting absolutely crushed this year. He has always been more of a finesse over power kind of pitcher, but Kelly's walks are up and he's much more of a flyball pitcher these days, which is tough when command falters and it's so easy to get the barrel to the ball.
INF Ildemaro Vargas
Ildemaro Vargas began his career in Arizona a decade ago and returned in 2025, but he's putting up career-best numbers in 2026. He has a .716 OPS and 95 wRC+, with seven home runs and 56 RBI. Vargas' numbers are inflated somewhat by a torrid stretch early in the season, which was followed by a predictably steep cooldown, but his .267 average still falls short of his expected .282 average, meaning his production is not a fluke. If anything, Vargas has actually found himself to be unlucky in a career year.
The Diamondbacks clearly love Vargas, who's useful all over the diamond defensively with a valuable switch-hitting profile. He does not strike out. He does not draw walks either, but Vargas has a great feel for the strike zone and knows how to spray hits to every field.
At 35, Vargas is no longer a spring chicken, but he has massively improved his value this season — and should command interest from a wide range of teams in free agency as a result. His versatility makes him an easy plug-and-play fit just about anywhere.
RHP Michael Soroka
Michael Soroka split last season between Washington and Chicago, and was demoted to the bullpen by the latter due to his struggles. The Diamondbacks inked him to a one-year contract in free agency in what felt, at the time, like a fairly uninspired and inconsequential move. Soroka has since done as much as anybody in MLB to improve his market value ahead of another round in free agency.
Soroka was on the IL for almost two months, but he threw 4.1 scoreless innings in his return this week. That gives him a 2.92 ERA and 1.10 WHIP through 16 starts, with 83 strikeouts in 86.1 innings. Soroka is commanding the strike zone better than ever, with a minute 5.7 percent walk rate. He still gets a ton of chases on his slurve, against which opponents are hapless (.194 AVG, .250 SLG), while limiting hard contact with his precision mix of speeds and locations.
The Diamondbacks may well want to re-sign Soroka, but given the ongoing need for quality pitching depth around the league, it wouldn't be the least bit surprising if the 29-year-old is lured away with a lucrative, multi-year offer.
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