3 Arizona Diamondbacks who definitely won’t be back next year

The Arizona Diamondbacks saw their season come crumbling down in the worst possible way.

Their season sat in the hands of the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves, who had to play a doubleheader on the final day of the regular season. If the Mets swept, the Diamondbacks would make the postseason. If the Braves swept, the Diamondbacks would make the postseason. Arizona just couldn't have a split, but that's exactly what happened.

Arizona watched their season end, after an incredible second half, due to a pair of games that were completely out of their power. Not only that, but they finished with the exact same record as both the Mets and the Braves, meaning they missed the postseason because of a tiebreaker.

There are a few Diamondbacks that won't be back next year after this unfortunate end of the season.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

3. 1B Josh Bell will likely land with another team this offseason

The Diamondbacks made a move to acquire Josh Bell from the Miami Marlins this season and it proved to be quite the positive move for Arizona. Across 41 games with the team, Bell slashed .279/.361/.436 with five home runs, five doubles and 22 RBIs. While with Arizona, he posted a 121 OPS+, good for the fourth-best OPS+ he's posted during a stint with a team.

While he was a net-plus for the Diamondbacks, he's now set to enter unrestricted free agency. Bell is a Scott Boras client and Boras is notorious for chasing nothing but money for his clients, so there won't be any kind of discount for the Diamondbacks to re-sign him.

The Diamondbacks will also need to be very selective with where they spend their money. They are going to need to re-sign players like Christian Walker and Joc Pederson this offseason, which is going to be expensive already. They won't have enough money to be giving Josh Bell the money that he will be chasing this offseason.

Bell is likely to land with another team this offseason, which would mark the sixth team he's played for since 2022.

2. OF Joc Pederson will decline his option and enter free agency

Joc Pederson has a mutual option worth $14 million in 2025. The Diamondbacks would absolutely accept this option, but I can't see a world where Pederson accepts it. Pederson is absolutely worth a ton more than $14 million to $17 million that he would be receiving in 2025.

If he declines this option, he could do so with the idea of re-signing with the Diamondbacks for a longer deal. But, the most realistic option is that Pederson would explore unrestricted free agency, looking for a three- or four-year deal worth well over $20 million AAV.

Pederson, 32, slashed .275/.393/.515 with 23 home runs and 17 doubles in 132 games this year. He was a serious game-changer at the plate, especially against right-handed pitching. Against righties, he posted a .923 OPS and a slugging percentage well above .500. Pederson was one of the best left-handed hitters in the entire league.

The Diamondbacks will likely pursue the idea of re-signing him, but they have more holes to fill and more players to re-sign and extend, so they will likely run out of money before they can get a longer deal signed with Pederson. The most likely option is that Pederson plays in 2025 with a new team.

1. LHP Jordan Montgomery is likely to find his way off the roster one way or another

If there was one player that would absolutely not be on the Diamondbacks roster next year, it would be the left-handed pitcher, Jordan Montgomery, who experienced a horrible year this season. He posted a 6.23 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP after signing a multi year deal with Arizona this offseason.

Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick recently took the full blame for the horrible Jordan Montgomery signing.

“Horrible decision to have invested that money in a guy that performed as poorly as he did. It’s our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint," Kendrick said.

These are some wild comments to be making about a player already, but Mongomery has a $20 million player option with the Diamondbacks for 2025. After such a poor year, Montgomery will likely cash in on this option, making his $20 million rather than taking his chances in negotiating a new contract.

Based on Kendrick's remarks, it seems pretty clear that the Diamondbacks will find a way to get Montgomery off their roster for next year. Whether they just cut him after he accepts his option or they find a trade partner for him, there's no coming back after the owner makes comments like these about a player. The two parties will find a way to part ways before next year gets here.