The Arizona Diamondbacks have an obvious need for pitching this offseason, specifically in the bullpen.
After a season that saw relievers Justin Martinez and AJ Puk undergo Tommy John surgery and bullpen inconsistency throughout, the Diamondbacks clearly need an upgrade at the position.
The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro reports that the Diamondbacks, among other teams, are looking into signing a free agent reliever.
“Among the relievers still available is right-hander Pete Fairbanks, with whom the Diamondbacks have been engaged in discussions, according to a source,” Piecoro wrote.
Fairbanks has spent the last seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, who declined his 2026 club option for $11 million, and instead opted for a $1 million buyout.
What does Fairbanks bring to the table?
Fairbanks, who will be entering his age-32 season, has been one of the best relievers in baseball over the last six years, posting a 2.66 ERA from 2020 to 2023. Although injuries have at times gotten the best of Fairbanks, he still brings a strong resume.
After an uncharacteristic 2024, where he had a 3.57 ERA, Fairbanks pitched to a 2.83 ERA in 61 games in 2025. As the Rays’ primary closer, he had 27 saves in 32 opportunities.
However, Fairbanks still had his option declined and is currently one of the best relievers on the market, after Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, Raisel Iglesias and Emilio Pagan are already off the board.
Fairbanks is clearly still capable of putting up good numbers. However, his age and other unknown factors have led to uncertainty in his market.
Still, The Athletic reports that he could fetch a pretty good contract on the open market.
“He could get a deal in the same price range as the two-year, $28 million contract Helsley landed with the Orioles,” Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo wrote.
That deal would place him in the top-5 for average annual value among relief pitchers.
Impact on the Diamondbacks
Arizona is still trying to contend in a tough NL West division, and certainly has the pieces to do so. But they must upgrade their bullpen to do so.
In 2025, the Diamondbacks bullpen had a 4.82 ERA. The Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, and Los Angeles Angels were the only teams with worse bullpen ERAs.
Fairbanks would bring great experience as a closer for a team that had trouble in 2025 closing out games. At the very least, the Diamondbacks would get a high-leverage reliever to fill out the bullpen.
But with Fairbanks’ previous success, it’s hard to imagine him not keeping the closer job if he signs with Arizona due to their current lack of experience in the ninth inning.
For a team that will not have key high-leverage relievers like Martinez and Puk to start the 2026 season, it is paramount that the team sign or trade for a couple of impact arms this offseason.
Arizona, despite missing the playoffs in 2025, is still a contending team with the likes of Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and others, but needs that missing piece to truly elevate them to the next stratosphere.
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