Diamondbacks Opening Day Position Player Lineup Snapshot

If the season opened tomorrow, what would the Diamondbacks' lineup look like.

The sun sets as Diamondbacks players are introduced during Opening Day 2024 at Chase Field. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Six weeks into the MLB offseason and at the conclusion of the Winter Meetings, the Arizona Diamondbacks have only made one addition to their major league roster.

That would be reliever Seth Martinez, who was claimed off waivers from the Houston Astros back in early November. Because he is out of options he will either make the club out of spring training, or need to pass through waivers again.

The D-backs' 40-man roster currently sits at 36 after the departures of a number of players to free agency, including first baseman Christian Walker, DH Joc Pederson, outfielder Randal Grichuk and infielder Kevin Newman.

What follows is an examination of the lineup and roster under the hypothetical of the season starting tomorrow. Obviously this is not a lineup and roster prediction. Rather this exercise helps us to hone in on the actual roster needs of the team, and helps us to anticipate their likely moves, whenever they do come.

First things first, the D-backs will open the season with a four game series against the Chicago Cubs starting on March 27. Three of the top four starters currently on the Cubs roster are left-handed, including the top two, Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga. Thus the D-backs will almost certainly be facing a left-hander on opening day.

Barring a spring training injury, Ace Zac Gallen will be the opening day starter of course. Based on the current roster, this is how the position players shake out.

Diamondbacks Opening Day Lineup / Jack Sommers

The first thing you will notice is Tim Tawa's name penciled in as the opening day first baseman. It is not our prediction that Tawa will actually occupy that position. Rather it illustrates the clear need for the team to acquire a right-handed first baseman.

Pavin Smith could very well garner the lion's share of at-bats first base. Mike Hazen spoke to us on Tuesday about Smith's likely role on the club. But he's unlikely to get many starts against left-hand pitching. The only other right-hand batter on the roster besides Tawa who can play first base is Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and he'll be needed in the outfield.

Tawa showed excellent power last season, blasting 31 homers between Double-A and Triple-A. He was especially productive in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League where he hit .304/.376/.616, .996 OPS. He also hit left-hand pitching extremely well last year, batting .312 with a .914 OPS.

Tawa, who will turn 26 next season, has never played in the Major Leagues. The Diamondbacks will almost surely continue to pursue a right-hand or switch-hitter who is capable of playing first base. Whether that is for more of a full time role, or in a platoon with Smith remains to be seen.

Reiterating what Hazen said on Tuesday about Smith, if they acquire a left-hand bat, then that is clearly going to cut into Smith's playing time. On the other hand if they end up picking up two right-handed bats, Smith would see an expanded role.

The second piece of this lineup that should stand out to you is Blaze Alexander as the opening day DH. Just over 25% of his plate appearances in 2025 came at DH. That said, it's hard to imagine the team heading into the season with him as the planned opening day DH.

Furthermore, if Alexander makes the opening day roster again, he is going to be needed for middle infield depth. That is because the only other infielder capable of playing shortstop on the 40-man roster, besides starter Geraldo Perdomo, is Jordan Lawlar.

Earlier in the off-season, Hazen indicated Lawlar needs more development time due to all the games missed to injury. He wants Lawlar to play every day. So expect Lawlar to play every day in Reno, furthering his offensive development and waiting for his turn to play full time in the majors.

This dynamic then makes it clear that the D-backs need to add a shortstop-capable infielder to fill the role occupied by Kevin Newman last year. That is unless they are comfortable with Alexander as the only other player on the roster capable of playing short. This seems almost as unlikely as them going with Alexander as the opening day DH.

Analyzing it this way, it seems that the Diamondbacks are in great need of a two bats, and a middle infielder.

Finally, it should also be noted that in this roster scenario, Adrian Del Castillo will start the year in Triple-A. Hazen told us on Tuesday that Del Castillo needs to play every day so he can continue his development on defense. He is clearly behind Jose Herrera on the current depth chart.

Throughout the offseason we have published articles examining some of the players who might be considered good fits to fill some of these roles. Be sure to check those out at the links hub below.

Related Content: Diamondbacks 2024-25 Offseason Primer and Links Hub

Stay Tuned to Arizona Diamondbacks ON SI for further updates as the team begins to make moves and fill out the roster.