The Diamondbacks' bullpen took its fair share of injuries in recent days. For the start of the season, the team is down Kevin Ginkel and Kendall Graveman in the back of the bullpen. To fill that void, Arizona has turned to a lefty who was in the division last year in Jalen Beeks.
Beeks, 31, is guaranteed $1.25 million per The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro. He signed a minor league deal with the Houston Astros and opted out when he didn't make their roster. He pitched four innings of one-run ball on three hits, no walks, and four strikeouts, which was enough to get him a major league deal elsewhere.
It was in Tampa where he had his best seasons, pitching to a 2.80 ERA in 61 innings. He served a variety of roles in the Rays' bullpen, as an opener, bulk reliever, and occasionally a late-inning arm. Beeks spent the 2024 season between the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching to a 4.50 ERA in 70 innings.
One thing to note about Beeks' arsenal is he is reliant on a four-seamer, changeup, and cutter combination. While he doesn't get a lot of swing-and-miss, with a 17.8% strikeout rate in 2024, he was one of the best relievers at avoiding barrels. Beeks' 33.0% hard-hit rate and 4.8% barrel rate allowed ranked in the 89th and 91st percentile amongst major league pitchers according to Baseball Savant. That's why his expected ERA of 3.78 outpaced his actual ERA last season.
Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen spoke about upgrading the front side of the bullpen. Beeks gives them a third lefty to use in the bullpen, especially now that Joe Mantiply will be tasked with a bigger role in Ginkel's absence. Arizona can use him as a 1-2 inning reliever in the middle innings, matching him up mostly against lefties. He had significant platoon splits favoring same-handed hitters, with a .202/.283/.287 slash against left-handed hitters while an ugly .319/.379/.440 split against righties.
While the Diamondbacks wait for their bullpen to get healthy, Beeks should provide them decent innings early in the season. They'll have to make some tough decisions later in April, when Ginkel and Graveman are expected to come off the injured list.