D-backs Still Looking to Add Right-Handed Bat to Lineup

Mike Hazen will be scouring the free agent market to address the next offseason priority, three potential targets come up.

The Diamondbacks so far have addressed their top two needs of the offseason. Two weeks ago, they traded for Eugenio Suárez from the Seattle Mariners to address the hole at third base. Last night they've reportedly signed free agent left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year deal, which has yet to be made official at the time of this writing. The next priority on their list will be to acquire an impact right-handed bat to lengthen out their lineup and replace most of the production they got from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Tommy Pham.

At the Winter Meetings, D-backs general manager Mike Hazen indicated that their bat is more likely to come via free agency than a trade and they would be willing to take on a full-time designated hitter to make it happen. The top three free agents linked to the team include J.D. Martinez, Justin Turner, and now Rhys Hoskins has been added to the list of potential names they're considering.

Continue to hear JD Martinez and Justin Turner are among the names the Dbacks are considering as a RH bat but also former Phillie Rhys Hoskins, who could DH and play some 1B. Both Martinez and Hoskins are Scott Boras clients.

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) December 7, 2023

All three players would serve primarily in a designated hitter role, although Hoskins and Turner could spell Christian Walker at first base for a handful of games. That could mean waiting until Shohei Ohtani picks a team to sign with, as that will likely impact Martinez's situation and then possibly more players in the DH market will begin to sign. 

So far this offseason, Hazen has been very aggressive at addressing his team's needs. It'll be interesting to see if he is able to remain that aggressive in landing his right-handed bat before the market starts to get crazy.