One of the remaining offseason needs for the Arizona Diamondbacks is a closer who can stabilize the back end of their bullpen. The 2024 season was derailed, in part, because Paul Sewald struggled in the second half and was removed from the role. The domino effect from that led to the Diamondbacks missing the playoffs due to a tiebreaker with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.
The need to add a closer that can solidify the ninth inning is further underscored by the fact they splurged on Corbin Burnes in free agency. It's equally as important for the Diamondbacks' bullpen to support a stellar rotation.
The rotation should see an improved performance in 2025 with better health and a couple of young arms taking another step in their development. However, that could become a moot point if they can't hold a late lead.
Arizona Sports insider and co-host of Burns & Gambo John Gambadoro listed three potential closer targets for the Diamondbacks.
Faribanks, Yates, Heisley the three I have heard.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) December 28, 2024
The Diamondbacks considered a trade for Ryan Helsley but were reportedly rebuffed by the St. Louis Cardinals, who have not shown any interest in dealing their closer ahead of his final year of control. Helsley, 30, is coming off another strong season with a 2.04 ERA and 49 saves for a Cardinals team that won 83 games. While they might not be viewed as serious contenders, they may wait and see if they can catch some lightning in a bottle during the season before giving up their best trade chip.
With Helsley likely unavailable, these are the two remaining candidates and what they bring to the table.
Kirby Yates had a great 2024 but can he repeat his success in 2025?
If Arizona wants to go the free agent route, then Kirby Yates may be the best option that won't break the bank. He's coming off an All-Star season, with a 1.17 ERA and 33 saves for the Texas Rangers. His 1.8 fWAR is the highest total since the 2019 season when he was one of the most dominant closers in the league.
He was one of the best relievers at missing bats, with a 35.9% strikeout rate that ranked in the 100th percentile amongst qualified pitchers, according to Baseball Savant. Both the four-seamer, which averaged 93.2 MPH, and the splitter were big swing-and-miss offerings with both pitches recording a whiff rate of over 31%.
While Yates enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career, signing him is still a considerable risk due to his advanced age and his high walk rate. He'll turn 38 just before the start of the 2025 season. Due to his age, it's unlikely he will get more than one-year offers. That buys the Diamondbacks more time to get Justin Martinez more acclimated to the big leagues and grow into the closer role in the future.
Pete Fairbanks is younger and more affordable, but comes with significant injury concerns
Pete Fairbanks is a hard-throwing but oft-injured arm that has been strong in the back of Tampa Bay's bullpen. He comes with two years of control for a combined $13.3 million, making him one of the top closers on the trade market.
Fairbanks averaged 97.3 MPH on his four-seam fastball, which gets a lot of carry from his short-arm delivery. The slider is the best pitch in his arsenal, with a lot of downward tilt to it. Opponents just hit .158 against Fairbanks' slider in 2024. When he's healthy, he's a quality back-of-the-bullpen arm.
While Fairbanks better fits the Diamondbacks' budget for the closer role, the biggest concerns are declining peripherals in 2024 and a lengthy injury history. His career-high in appearances came in 2022, when he made 49 out of the Rays bullpen. In 2024, four relievers in Arizona's bullpen exceeded that total. The concern with Fairbanks is more about availability, as they cannot afford to have a closer miss much of the season with injuries.
Another red flag in Fairbanks' 2024 was a significant decline in his strikeout rate. Sitting at 35.3% between the 2021 and 2023 seasons, it dropped to 23.8% in 2024. With his average fastball velocity dropping from 98.9 to 97.3 MPH, along with a 100 RPM drop in spin rate, the pitch yielded fewer whiffs. As a result, the strikeout rate and all his advanced run prevention metrics suffered.
Either way, any of these options would probably be an upgrade over Sewald, which is what the D-backs need.