Which High-Leverage Reliever Should the Diamondbacks Target?

Which potentially available arm would help solidify the D-backs' bullpen?

Alex D'Agostino | Nov 23, 2024

May 25, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jordan Romano (68) pitches during the eighth inning of the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images / Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images

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The Arizona Diamondbacks have spent the last pair of seasons adding pieces to their bullpen, bringing in the likes of Paul Sewald, Ryan Thompson and A.J. Puk, with budding star flamethrower Justin Martinez taking on a larger high-leverage role in 2024.

Unfortunately for Arizona, despite some of the talent and positive results out of their relievers, the bullpen struggled as a whole in 2024, pitching to a 4.41 cumulative ERA, fifth-worst in MLB.

That was a major component to their year-end result, missing the playoffs by just one game. As a unit, they blew 26 saves, good for just a 59% conversion rate, sixth-worst in MLB.

General manager Mike Hazen will likely look to add to the bullpen again. With severe regression by former closer Paul Sewald, and plenty of development still left for Martinez, they could look for another ninth-inning solution, or, at the very least, extra high-leverage depth as they look to solidify roles once more.

So with the 2025 season ahead of them, and a plethora of options to explore via trade and free agency, here are some of the high-leverage relief options for the D-backs to examine:

Trades

RHP Devin Williams, Milwaukee Brewers

Perhaps the most sought-after name in the relief department this offseason, Williams has been one of the best closers in the game, with a sub-2.00 ERA each of the last four years and a K/9 rate north of 13 every year since 2019.

He only pitched 21.2 innings in 2024, as he suffered a stress fracture in his back prior to Opening Day. Despite the late start, he looked just as good as ever, converting 14 of his 15 save opportunities, and pitching to a 1.25 ERA and 2.06 FIP.

Since he took on the full-time closer role in 2021, Williams has converted 65 of 72 save opportunities. That's good for a 90.3% conversion rate. He strikes out batters at a high clip, and is in his final year of Arbitration, making $8.4 million in 2024.

The righty could be an excellent investment, and his consistently excellent results are backed up by the peripherals, but the cost could be astronomical, and this isn't the type of trade Hazen generally makes, since it would be difficult to extend him beyond 2025.

Diamondbacks On SI's Jack Sommers strongly encouraged Hazen to consider the move in his offseason plan, however.

RHP Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are reportedly open to trading right-hander Ryan Helsley. He's not one of the flashier names, but he has delivered consistent results in his last three seasons, pitching to a sub-3.00 ERA in each.

The big righty pitched a career-high in innings in 2024 (66.1) and converted an incredible 49 saves out of 53 opportunities, leading all of MLB in saves. He features a high-octane arsenal, nearing 100 MPH on his fastball and hitting 90 MPH on his slider, his primary pitch.

Helsley was excellent across the board, and didn't allow an earned run from August 7 until the season's end, allowing only one unearned run over 17 straight appearances.

The righty is also in his final year of arbitration, making $8.1 million in 2025. He'd likely cost slightly less than Williams, but still a hefty amount.

Free Agency

RHP Jordan Romano, Free Agent (Toronto Blue Jays)

The Blue Jays made a somewhat head-scratching decision to non-tender All-Star closer Jordan Romano on Friday.

Romano is 31 years old, and pitched to an unsightly 6.59 ERA in 2024. That said, he only pitched 13.2 innings, and spent most of the year on the Injured List with elbow inflammation on two separate occasions.

He made his season debut on April 16, and his first handful of appearances went solidly, with a 3.18 April ERA. But he deteriorated to a 9.00 mark in May, and landed back on the IL, this time the 60-day.

As of now, there's reason to believe his poor results came because of his injury or arm strain, rather than a loss of pitching ability. Romano was elite from 2021 to 2023, making an All-Star appearance in 2022 and 2023, while pitching to a sub-3.00 ERA each of the four seasons prior to 2024.

He's been a reliable closer, but, aside from the injury concern, his main red flag is in his peripherals. Despite his excellent ERA numbers from 2021-2023, his FIP, xERA and xFIP have been higher each year.

In 2023, his 2.90 ERA was undercut by a 3.46 FIP and 4.05 xFIP. In 2022, the 2.11 ERA translated to a 2.82 FIP and 3.44 xFIP. He throws just two pitches, an upper mid-90s fastball and 86 MPH slider.

Romano would be a risk, but potentially a high-reward one. He made just over $7 million in 2024, but would likely command a bit of a larger deal despite his 2024 numbers.

Still, if Hazen could land him as a value signing, perhaps for a seventh or eighth inning role rather than as their closer, he would be worth a one- or two-year deal.

RHP Kyle Finnegan, Free Agent (Washington Nationals)

Right-handed closer Kyle Finnegan was similarly non-tendered by the Washington Nationals on Friday.

Finnegan has been a workhorse reliever for the Nats, pitching well over 60 innings four out of his five career seasons - and four straight since 2020. He's pitched to much more pedestrian ERAs than the other arms on this list, but did convert 38 of 43 saves in 2024.

For much of last season he was brilliant. He was named an All-Star, and pitched to a 2.47 ERA as late as July 26.

But on July 29, he was a victim of a furious comeback by, ironically, the Diamondbacks, as Corbin Carroll's pinch-hit walk-off home run concluded a five-run comeback, while Finnegan recorded just one out.

Following that disaster, his ERA ballooned to 3.48, and he stumbled through the final two months. As a whole, he had a better season than his ERA suggested, but never truly recovered from facing Arizona.

Still, he's pitched into the 3.50s and above for most of his career, and his 2024 xERA (4.31) and FIP (4.25) fell in line with a pattern of similar perihperal numbers throughout his career. He throws a high-90s fastball, a splitter and occasional slider, but isn't a strikeout-heavy arm.

He's likely not a serious closer solution for the D-backs, but if he's willing to sign a slightly team-friendly deal, he could be a solid relief option with the ability to withstand high leverage when needed.