The Diamondbacks entered the offseason on the heels of a narrow postseason mi s that saw their bid for a playoff spot last until the final day of regular-season play. Its a bitter pill for any club to swallow, and general manager Mike Hazen didnt shy away from acknowledging as much today in an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7s Wolf and Luke Show ( ). Arizonas GM sidestepped questions when asked about specific players who are currently free agents (e.g. ) but did suggest hell be in the market for some upgrades to his late-inning relief corps this winter. Ill beat you to the punch on this question, Hazen joked with hosts Ron Wolfley and Luke Lapinski. Where we get to the closer situation Dennis Schroder Jersey , in the end, I dont know. I still feel like a back-end bullpen guy to help out with [ ] and with [ ] and those guys, I still see that. I thought when [ ] was closing, we had the best version of who we were, frankly. But, we know [Martinez and Puk] can close, too, so well see. Sewald, as referenced by Hazen, was a key piece in Arizonas bullpen after coming over from Seattle at the 2023 trade deadline. He opened the 2024 season on the injured list due to an oblique strain but was virtually unhittable upon activation, rattling off 16 2/3 innings of one-run ball while only yielding five hits and three walks with 15 punchouts. He hit a rough patch over the next seven weeks, however, yielding 18 runs in 23 innings before landing on the injured list to close out the season. When healthy, Sewald has been terrific over the past four years, logging 229 innings with a 3.18 ERA and 81 saves between the Mariners and Diamondbacks. A reunion with Sewald could make sense on paper, though the D-backs will have various other options to consider both in free agency and on the trade market. Sewald will turn 35 next May and posted his lowest average fastball velocity since 2019, so while his track record makes him a clear rebound candidate, the Snakes and other clubs will hold at least some degree of concern about his ability to bounce back from this seasons injuries. He should still command a nice one-year deal at the very least, given how well hes pitched since 2021, but hell also surely draw interest from other teams as well. Alternatives on the free-agent market are plentiful, though many will be costly. , , and are among the top relievers in this years cla s, each with a chance to command at least a three-year contract. The D-backs have never committed three years to a free agent reliever at any point in the past 14 years and havent committed more than the $14MM they gave during Hazens time as GM. This winters market has several high-end arms who could be available for one year and an eight-figure salary ( , , and among them), which could serve as a means of adding an impact arm without bucking that preference to avoid multi-year spending on premium relievers. The trade market is likely to include names like , , and , among others. As with all clubs, the extent to which the D-backs can pursue upgrades is tied directly to ownerships appetite for spending. Arizona currently projects for a $149MM payroll, , which is about $14MM from where they opened the 2024 campaign. Hazen doesnt expect a significant dip in payroll but also cautioned that theres no guarantee that what was already a club-record payroll will climb even higher. I would expect were somewhere in the same area, plus or minus, said Hazen when asked about his budget for the 2025 roster. I dont know exactly where thatll all end up. We work through a lot of these decisions with [owner Ken Kendrick] and [president/CEO Derrick Hall] as players become available or as situations get presented to us via trade or via free agency. So, that number kind of fluctuates for us a little bit as we move through the offseason, but were going to have plenty of resources to have a winning team next year. The D-backs arent going to idle with regard to their lineup, but Hazen spoke more favorably of the position-player group, noting high expectations for , , , , , and , in particular. On the rotation side of things, Hazen downplayed rumors of a potential trade from his starting staff, noting that teams call all the time and its his job to listen but that doesnt mean a move is particularly likely. Jerry West Jersey