Arizona Diamondbacks Roster
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The Arizona Diamondbacks signed veteran reliever and closer Jeurys Familia to a minor-league deal on Wednesday that includes an invite to major-league spring training. The 33-year-old right-hander was with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies last year and struggled to the tune of a 6.09 ERA (4.94 FIP), 1.80 WHIP, 41 strikeouts and 22 walks in 44 1/3 relief innings. He was much better for the New York Mets in 2021, although he has only one save since 2019. Should Familia make Arizona's Opening Day roster, he will bring some veteran relief depth after recording 125 saves in 11 major-leagues seasons, including a league-high 51 with the Mets back in 2016. Familia won't have any fantasy value in spring drafts.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and starting pitcher Zac Gallen avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $5.6 million deal. In his third full season with the Snakes, Gallen had a career-best season, going 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA (3.05 FIP), a league-best 0.91 WHIP, a league-best 5.9 hits per nine innings and a 26.9 percent strikeout rate in 31 starts over a career-high 184 innings to come in fifth in National League Cy Young voting. The 27-year-old right-hander came into last season with an ERA above 4.00 in just one of his three seasons, with the other resulting in sub-3.00 ERAs. While he did strike out a career-low 9.4 hitters in 2022, all of his other peripherals look strong as he heads into his fifth MLB season.
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed free-agent catcher P.J. Higgins to a minor-league deal on Thursday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Higgins comes to the desert after playing in 74 games for the Chicago Cubs in 2022, finishing with a .229/.310/.383 slash line with a .693 OPS, six home runs, 30 RBI and 23 runs scored in just his second major-league season. Arizona already has Carson Kelly, Gabriel Moreno and Jose Herrera on the active roster at the catcher position, so Higgins will have to play well in spring training to win an Opening Day roster spot with his new club. The 29-year-old is unlikely to have any real fantasy value in 2023, aside from maybe deep two-catcher leagues if he sees semi-regular playing time in the big leagues.
The Arizona Diamondbacks re-signed right-hander Zach Davies to a one-year deal worth $5 million on Wednesday. The deal also includes $3 million in incentives. Davies became a free agent this offseason after declining his $1.5 million mutual option for the 2023 season. The 29-year-old makes sense for an up-and-coming Arizona team at the back end of their rotation as an innings-eater. Davies went 2-5 for the Snakes last season with a 4.09 ERA (4.83 FIP), 1.29 WHIP, 17.9 percent strikeout rate and 9.1 percent walk rate in 134 1/3 innings over 27 starts in the desert. He'll have to pitch well to keep his spot in the rotation for a Diamondbacks team that has some nice young talent ready and waiting in the pipeline. Davies has little fantasy upside because of a weak 17.4 percent strikeout rate.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and free-agent third baseman Evan Longoria agreed to a one-year deal on Friday. The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro reported that the deal is for $4 million and includes $1 million in incentives. Longoria wanted to play for a contender, and while Arizona isn't necessarily viewed as one by most folks, they are a young team on the rise. He also lives in Scottsdale. Longo, now 37 years old, only managed to play in 89 games for the San Francisco Giants in 2022 and hit .244/.315/.451 with a .767 OPS, 14 home runs, 42 RBI and 31 runs scored in 298 plate appearances. At this point in his career, he may no longer be an everyday player -- he hasn't played in over 100 games since 2019 -- but he could be more productive for fantasy managers in spurts against left-handed pitching.
