The Arizona Diamondbacks made their first major league signing with the bullpen, inking right-hander Taylor Clarke. Per The Arizona Republic‘s Nick Piecoro, it’s a one-year, $1.55 million deal. Incentives, which could be tied to appearances, innings, and/or games finished, could push the max value over $2 million.
It’s a deal that offers the Diamondbacks significant upside, with minimal risk. Clarke, 32, enjoyed his best season in the major leagues in 2025. He pitched to a 3.25 ERA in 55.1 innings for the Royals, showing that he can be an effective reliever.
With the Diamondbacks operating on a tight budget, unlike their division rivals in Los Angeles, general manager Mike Hazen has to find value somewhere. Since he can’t throw $69 million at his bullpen problems, he’s got to gamble on riskier high-quality arms. Between Clarke and Jonathan Loaisiga, Hazen is trying to build a stable bullpen on the cheap.
It has helped that quality back-of-the-bullpen arms have flown off the shelf this offseason. The Diamondbacks weren’t necessarily in that market due to budget constraints. But it also introduces more volatility than usual for the late innings.
Why the Taylor Clarke Contract Can Be a Bargain
At just $1.55 million, Clarke just has to be a somewhat reliable arm. He’s not a back-of-the-bullpen arm and should be nowhere near the ninth inning, but he could be asked to throw some important innings.
“We think he could fit into that longer role, multiple-inning, one-plus role,” Hazen told Piecoro. “We feel like there’s versatility there. Obviously, we know the makeup and have a long history with him. Good fit for us.”
Taking a deeper dive into the metrics, the one thing Clarke is exceptional at is controlling the zone. He posted a 4.4% walk rate in 2025, ranked in the 97th percentile among MLB pitchers by Statcast.
Clarke induces chases on 29.0% of pitches outside the strike zone. It doesn’t translate into swing-and-miss, as evidenced by a 21.4% strikeout rate and a 23.3% whiff rate on swings. But it allows him to mitigate contact. His 7.9% barrel rate sits in the 57th percentile.
Looking at the expected metrics, which take exit velocity and launch angle data into account, Clarke yields a .239 xBA and a 3.66 xERA. Again, that doesn’t paint a particularly dominant reliever. But the Diamondbacks aren’t paying him to be one.
Clarke projects to either be a multi-inning option or a seventh-inning setup man. That could very much depend on availability on a given night. If he even comes close to repeating his 2025 metrics, this deal should work out favorably for both Clarke and the Diamondbacks.
What’s Left to Do With the Bullpen?
The bullpen is in a state of flux, with Arizona’s top two relievers on the shelf for the foreseeable future. There’s a strong chance that A.J. Puk could return sooner than expected, while Justin Martinez is aiming for a second-half return. But in its current shape, it’s unclear if they’ll be better than the one who had the fourth-worst ERA (4.82) in 2025.
Hazen acknowledged there is more work to do with the bullpen. While he prefers landing a pitcher with a proven pedigree for the late innings, he acknowledged the lack of viable arms available. It will be interesting to see how Hazen puts the rest of the bullpen together.
Theoretically, a healthy Kevin Ginkel fits the proven late-inning pedigree based off 2023-24 results. However, he’s battled elbow (2024) and shoulder issues (2025), with two separate injured list stints on the shoulder. The Diamondbacks retained Ginkel this offseason and will pay him $2.725 million in his final year of control.
Other than Ginkel, the two most experienced late-inning options are Clarke, Loaisiga, and Andrew Saalfrank. Saalfrank is coming off a strong second half and was the Diamondbacks’ most dependable reliever in August and September. While his 1.24 ERA is unsustainable, he also produced a 13/3 shutdown-to-meltdown ratio and is postseason-tested.
It could very well be a situation where young arms have to step up. It’s a risky bet, but one with a huge payoff. Andrew Saalfrank, Yilber Diaz, Drey Jameson, and Brandyn Garcia come to mind as potential internal options for the late innings. Diaz and Garcia, in particular, could determine the ceiling of this bullpen.
Taylor Clarke’s Contract Could Be a Major Bargain for the Diamondbacks Bullpen