The Arizona Diamondbacks entered the regular season with aspirations of being one of the best teams in the National League, led by a deep roster that featured the likes of Eugenio Suarez , Josh Naylor , and Merrill Kelly . Instead, all three players were dealt at the MLB trade deadline, and even more changes are coming.
Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the club would likely need to slash payroll from what it was coming into the season.
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"Do I think we need to have the payroll number where it was this year? Probably not. But I think we can have just as good a team as we constructed by reinvesting the money that we have (saved) and then some."
Arizona came into the season with its payroll at approximately $187 million. While the club lost first baseman Christian Walker (three years, $60 million) to the Houston Astros , it added perennial All-Star pitcher Corbin Burnes on a six-year, $210 million contract.
Unfortunately for Arizona, its historic splurge in MLB free agency backfired quickly. Burnes underwent Tommy John surgery in June, a procedure that is expected to sideline him for a majority of the 2026 MLB season. To make matters worse, for a team that fell out of contention during the summer, many of its top players (Naylor, Suarez, Kelly, and Zac Gallen ) were all on expiring contracts.
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In total, about $17 million was taken off the Diamondbacks' payroll at the MLB trade deadline this year. Hall noted that the money will be "reinvested" in the club, but it was also made clear that Arizona won't approach the $180-plus million payroll it had coming into the year.
According to Spotrac , the projected Diamondbacks payroll in 2026 is $112.508 million. However, that doesn't include raises in arbitration for players like Ryne Nelson , Gabriel Moreno , Alek Thomas , Jake McCarthy , Pavin Smith , and pre-arbitration raises for younger players.
So, while some of the money might be invested into next season's roster, it is unlikely that Gallen is re-signed or that either Suarez or Naylor returns to the club via free agency. With last winter's big free-agent addition also expected to miss most of next season, ownership will likely be even more cautious with spending on top free agents this winter.
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