PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - Zac Gallen RETURNS to Salt River Fields, D-backs Make SURPRISING Opening Day Call

Episode Date: February 16, 2026

Zac Gallen is officially back at Spring Training with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and suddenly everything feels right again. We hear directly from Gallen on reuniting with the D-backs, why returning to Arizona made sense, and why he believed it would be either him or Merrill Kelly returning but not both. Speaking of the Mainstay, Kelly reacts to being named the Opening Day starter and what it means to have Gallen back alongside him in the rotation. Plus, comments from Derrick Hall have us wondering if another roster move could still be coming before Opening Day. And yes…we’re fully geeking out over the D-backs’ 2026 promotional schedule and giveaway items you won’t want to miss.LIMITED-TIME 60% off Diehard Offer: https://gophnx.com/intro-offer-youtubeJOIN THE SUPPORTERS CLUB ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/yc6km2r4An ALLCITY Network ProductionSUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtubeALL THINGS PHNX: http://linktr.ee/phnxsportsMERCH https://store.allcitynetwork.com/collections/phnx-lockerALLCITY Network, Inc. aka PHNX and PHNX Sports is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the City of PhoenixPHNX Events: Get your tickets to PHNX events and takeovers here: https://gophnx.com/events/Phoenix Raceway: Get your tickets now for March 5-8! https://www.phoenixraceway.com/march-cup-weekend/?CID=PIR_DI_TP_BA_PHNX26Spring_251120ALLCITY — including us here at PHNX — is teaming up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for an exciting three-year partnership. To learn more, visit https://www.bbbs.org/allcity/Branded Bills: Use code BBPHNX at https://www.brandedbills.com/ for 15% off your first order!Husband & Wife Law Team: If you’ve had a serious injury, Call The Husband & Wife Law Team first at 602-783-8841 or visithttps://husbandandwifelawteam.com/?utm_source=allcity-padcasts&utm_medium=digital-phx&utm_campaign=allcityShowNotesbet365: https://www.bet365.com/hub/en-us/app-hero-banner-1?utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=usapp&utm_medium=affiliate&affiliate=365_03485317 Use the code PHNX365 to sign up, deposit $10 and bet $5 to get $150 in bonus bets!Disclaimer: Must be 21+ and physically located in AZ.  If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-NEXT-STEP, text NEXTSTEP to 53342 or visit https://problemgambling.az.gov/Gametime: Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code PHNX for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.Shady Rays: Head to https://shadyrays.com and use code: PHNX for 35% off polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the shades rated 5 stars by over 300,000 people.Circle K: Join Inner Circle for free by downloading the Circle K app today! Head to https://www.circlek.com/store-locator to find Circle Ks near you!When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are bringing everybody back. Zach Gallen back at Salt River Fields. Merrill Kelly is your opening day starter and Paul Seawall, probably your closer. Deal with it. These are the run-it-backs. Get that wildcats crap off my show. Welcome in to another edition of the PHNXT Backs podcast. La from Studio K.

Presented by our friends at Circle K, happy Monday to you all. Except for Damon for trying to slip in promotions. advertising for his wildcat show. I know what you're trying to do. And I've almost got away with it too. It wasn't for you meddling kids. Welcome in guys. Thrill dad, you guys here.

Thrilled to be hanging out with my guy, Damon Farrell, aka a.k.a. Game and dog on the ones and twos. And thrilled to be talking Arizona Diamondbacks baseball. Or should I say the Arizona run it backs? Because that's what they are, folks. Welcome in to the Arizona run it backs for the 2026 season. Merrill Kelly is back, Paul Seawald is back,

Zach Gallen is in fact back. We did a quick emergency podcast on Friday evening, obviously discussing the return of the milk man. Did I say it right? Milk? I don't know how you folks say it, but I say milk and I say the milk man. But Zach Gallin is back.

And for those of you that might not have seen the news, he returns on essentially his qualified offer deal. Zach Gallen did test free agency. and he is back in 2026 on a deal work, $22.05 million, the exact amount of the qualified offer. And he did decline the qualifying offer to go out and test free agency. However, things did not necessarily go the way that Gallen had hoped. And he discussed that. Galen was out there already at Salt River Fields on Saturday, working out.

He was with the fellas. It was great to see, honestly. Like there is something that is pretty comforting about, you know, Gowan and Kelly being back in the Diamondback starting rotation. Ryan in the chat says, what year is it? And it's definitely not 2023, but let's hope that this team can somehow recapture some of that 2023 magic. There are a lot of pieces returning to this team from that 2023 team.

And while they may not all be pieces that people are excited about, seeing return to this team, that still doesn't mean that this group of guys might not be able to pull something off in 2026. That's not only a lot of fun to watch throughout the regular season, but perhaps could get them into the postseason. So I don't hate this. I know that the biggest thing with the Zach Gallen deal that we've talked about is instead of Zach receiving that qualifying offer as a yearly payout, roughly $14 million. will be paid out in installments from 2032 through 2034. And again, this is the Diamondbacks getting creative

and finding a way to bolster this starting rotation. I mean, again, never forget the faithful words of one Corbyn Burns who said, you never make it through a season with just five starting pitchers. And I don't know if anything could have been more prophetic or true to that happened. to a team other than other than that right so that's very true the diamond back's make room for gallon by moving corbin

burns to the 60 day injured list which goes retroactively back a j puck also was moved to the 60 day injured list because the diamondbacks made another move besides just bringing back Zach gallon they did bring in right-handed pitcher

grant holman he was with the athletics he's a 25 year old right-hander and Again, he, in 2025, in 19 games with the A's, he went four and two with a 5.09 ERA. Sounds like a Diamondbacks pitcher. Nine walks and 17 strikeouts. At least the Diamondbacks pitcher in 2025. So might as well get him on over here.

But in 20, in 2024, again, that was his first major league stint. So he's a young pitcher controllable and has shown a lot of promise. But again, still hasn't really had stats that really back up you being excited about his return. while Gallin, we talked about his stats excessively on this show. We've talked about his stats from 2025. We've talked about what his statistics look like from the trade deadline and beyond here. But again, this is one of those situations where Gallen described in his press conference kind of betting on himself, gambling on himself here a little bit. There were offers on the table. There were offers for Merrill Kelly on the table. We're going to talk about both of those.

But it seemed like for the most part, both of these guys are just thanking. thankful to be in Arizona as member of the Diamondbacks. Both of these guys, you could say, even though they didn't get too much into the details, took a lesser offer for them to continue to be part of the debacks. Family, a big reason why, right? And they both described how much it meant to their wives. Merrill Kelly talked about how much it meant to his children as well to stay here in Arizona. when you are a major league player sometimes the idea of uprooting your family and moving for

what is a minimal amount to you but a whole heck of a lot of money to the rest of us might not be the exact thing that you know that that you were trying to get accomplished and in some cases it's not worth all of that but we did have an opening statement here from zach gallon and Zach discussed finding Salt River Fields again here's what Zach had to say uh feels pretty good it was good at least uh I remember I remembered how to get here which was nice um so yeah it was good to see everybody I'd seen a lot of guys start the all season just different events weddings stuff like that so but it was good to see some people I hadn't seen in a while so um decided to be back Again, thrilled that he figured out where Salt River Fields again and thrilled that he is a part of this team.

But Gallen discussed the contract quite a bit. And obviously for a lot of players getting into camp, being with a team when pitchers and catchers report, especially as a pitcher, is important. We know how it hasn't impacted other players. We've heard Jordan Montgomery in the past say that, you know, him and Scott Boris delaying him getting into camp with a team, really set him back in that 20. 24 season. So Gowan here discussed not letting the money get in the way of him being in camp. Yeah, I think for me, it was just like knowing that holding out for, you know, an extra few

dollars might be cutting off my nose just by my face and might be smart. Just let's do something. Let's get creative. Let's just get in the camp and have this close to a true spring training is like I said I mean all I missed can't what was it Tuesday so I missed a handful of days so I think that's the most important thing I mean coming here to to you know be ready to go be at my best and help the team in the organization with games so I think holding out for a few extra dollars or whatever it's like in the grand scheme of it sometimes you got to just you know do it smart I think we get really used to players just going out there especially as free agents and getting the highest dollar amount now gallon

had the compensatory pick, the draft pick, that the team that would sign him would lose, attached to him as another hurdle for him to get a deal. But unfortunately, Zach just had himself a bad 2025. He had some of his worst performances at the worst time in his career, quite frankly. It's easy to say that, you know, Gallen's body of work earns him more money than or earned him more offers. perhaps and he got. However, teams cannot gamble themselves on a guy rebounding. And in Zach Gallant's case, it sounded like perhaps he was going to be expensive for some of these teams. Perhaps, you know, you know, he overall is, you know, not proven himself enough. I don't really know the case. Obviously,

coming back here had a big impact, being comfortable. He described being comfortable with the coaches, being comfortable with the training staff and wanting to have his, you know, best season kind of a prove it year coming up here in 2026. But he was asked if he's frustrated with free agency. And I think a lot of us can understand why he might be frustrated with this process, especially here in his free agency year. But Gallen described, I guess he took accountability for his performance last year and said he wasn't as frustrated as I believe most of us would think.

Yeah, it's also a little bit about him talking about Merrill Kelly and him or him returning to the Diamondbacks this off season. So it's kind of a combo. Oh, okay. Yeah. And there's that too. Oh, yeah, because it was it was basically down to either Merrill Kelly or Zach Gallen kind of returning. Like these guys had this conversation where apparently they, they didn't know if either one of them would return. But I think that they for the most part felt like if they did have one of the two of them return that that would close the door. on the other returning. Merrill Kelly got the news that he was coming back to the Diamondbacks while he was with Zach Gallen at Alec Thomas's wedding. This is what Zach had to say about them having that conversation and how this all played out for him. Yeah, we, I think going in the all season,

we both kind of knew most likely would only be one of us coming back, which is the way that we were kind of told how that payroll was going to be structured. He signed. actually were with him, him and his wife when they signed. So we were excited for them. And we were just kind of, you know, hoping obviously still be able to come back. But that was still pretty early in the all season. And, yeah, everything kind of picked up pretty quickly the last couple days.

He had talked to me. He was like he heard the first offer that was made. And we kind of just were playing golf that day. So we got a chance to talk about it. And then, yeah, everything just kind of happened pretty quickly. And here I am. Not really. I mean, I think like for me, I think I kind of just knew how it was going to play out in a sense of like it's pretty slow. Like free agency's gone pretty slow the last few years for whatever reason it is with guys.

So we were, it started to pick up yet there at the end. But for me, I think if it would have gone any longer, maybe it would have been like, all right, this is getting like, where are we going to live? But Spirch training had just started. So I was like, all right, it doesn't feel like that out of place just yet. So we were fortunate enough to get something in place and done to where I only missed a couple days of workouts. Jordan brings up a very good point in the chat, Damon. Jordan's so glad we get to see more of the milk ads from Gallin in Arizona. The best commercial in sports.

Yeah, I mean, there's nothing I love to do than drink some chocolate milk and then go hit the gym. And I plan on doing that quite a bit with a bench like 115 or something like that. I'm trying to shred, all right? I'm not trying to bulk up, okay? I'm talking about what Zach Gallen does in that video. I mean, it's just like if there's one guy on the team, I think I could maybe outlift, it might be Zach Allen based off of that video alone. He can't hurt himself filming an ad, Damon, okay?

This is the reality of the situation. But I think we're all thrilled at the end of the day to have Zach Gallen back. And I find it amazing that so many of the pieces from this team in their, in the recent years has returned to this team. The Diamondbacks have a ton of guys back. Merrill Kelly, Zach Gallin, Paul Seawald, Ildemarovar Vargas, James McCann, John Curtis and Taylor Rashi are both on minor league deals.

So a lot of names have returned to this team. I think it's kind of what I discussed, though, several times before the Diamondbacks had brought anybody back. As great as it is to have these guys return to this team, it's not enough new faces, enough new upgrades for a lot of fans to be excited about this team coming back, right? I understand that. I also think that, you know, Merrill Kelly was by far the best signing by the Diamondbacks of this offseason, considering what his numbers were, considering what his performances have looked like the last two seasons,

signing a guy with those kind of numbers for $20 million was a steal. In fact, closers that had a four and a half ERA were signing somewhere in the neighborhood of what Merrill Kelly signed for. Meanwhile, Gallen comes back and Gallen discussed several times during that press conference, how they had to get creative here. And again, he acknowledged baseball players make so much money. They are so fortunate enough to make so much money that even when you consider that they took some sort of hometown discount or some sort of lesser than they could have received kind of deal, which Gallen did admit that there were multi-year deals on the table,

just not enough to move you, not enough to satisfy you to leave a place that you very much enjoy being and you feel comfortable in. I think Gallen feels like this is his best place that he has a chance to rebound. I think this is the best team that he can be with where he can improve his numbers throughout the 2026 season and perhaps still earn himself that big contract that he's seeking after this season. But I'll tell you, there's nobody that is more excited to have Zach Gallen back than Merrill Kelly.

These two have been inseparable in the past. They have been best friends. And they've made it no secret that it was hard on them for Merrill to be traded at the deadline last year. And now we had Merrill Kelly out there. He was very excited to have Zach Gallen back. This is what Merrill had to say about the milkman returning to this team. The best, you know, that's my, that's my locker mate for the last seven years. That's the guy I golf with on the road.

And obviously what he brings to the team, what he brings to the rotation means a lot. It gives us a lot more depth in that area, gives us a lot more, you know, just in case situations. And I think everybody's happy to see him. They discussed, by the way, Zach's locker, Damon, not being, he gave up his locker to Nolan Aronado. He said he said he's kind of fine with giving it up to the guy. that has 150 platinum gloves. So that was kind of funny. But he did also say he gets his locker back at Chase Field

because him and Merrill Kelly were kind of tucked away back there in the corner and they can keep to themselves. And they very much do that. But Merrill Kelly, meanwhile, was named the Diamondbacks opening day starter. And this is thrilling for us media members. We never get this this early. In fact, we were all prepared to spend the next five weeks asking this question. every single day until Tori gave us an answer.

Instead, with Zach returning, Tori made the decision to make the call, right? And again, Tori, very excited to have Zach Galen back, by the way. That was my question to him, and that was one of the first things Tori discussed. But before we get to him discussing everything else, this is what Tori had to say about Galen coming back to this team. It's great.

It's great to see him. I exchanged text with him a couple days ago, a couple nights ago. And, you know, it's just good to get back into the mix with him and be able to say that he's ours and an Arizona downback. And, you know, I'm sure he shared a little bit with you guys. It was probably a very restless time for him. But now that he's here, we couldn't be more pleased. I know you guys want to know what it means.

I don't know what it means And I really don't want to even think about it I don't care to think about it With the excess starters I know what we've had here in the past And last year we were looking for starters At a certain point early in the season So

Just getting Zach back here Seeing him back in our uniform Was a very comforting feeling for me personally I'm sure the rest of the coaching stuff Now obviously with Zach Gallin coming back Tori knew there was going to be questions About who their opening day starter was immediately right so I think that's why he got out ahead of it and he announced that Merrill Kelly will be taking that honor on march 26th there against the Los Angeles Dodgers this will be Kelly's first opening day start in his career and again we know what Kelly is and I think a lot of us feel like Merrill Kelly is the right call here right I mean again Merrill Kelly felt a little bit more like he planned and it was a priority for him to come back to Arizona and he said that during his press conference but it also

feels like, you know, Merrill was actively trying to come back here. You could argue perhaps Gallen kind of lands back here based on circumstances. And if things had gone better for him, this free agency offseason, that Gallen would not be in a Diamondback's uniform. But again, Kelly's numbers from 2025, 12 and 9 record, 3.52 ERA, 167 strikeouts, 184 innings. He was the natural choice for this team, even if Zach Gallen had never left, even if Zach Allen had signed before Merrill Kelly. It definitely feels like Merrill Kelly and you know what he's

given this team earn this. Now Merrill was very honest about this. Merrill did say like if a guy named Corbin Burns was not injured I wouldn't even be considered for this and I completely understand that. And again, it's very cool of Merrill to at least understand that he got this based on circumstances but it was still meant a lot to him. Here's what Merrill Kelly had to say on being named the opening day starter. I'm excited. Obviously, I'm honored. I'm humbled. Having watched now seven opening days and just the excitement that builds around that day, being able to be the guy to take the ball and get us going and kick us off, it means a lot.

Obviously, coming back this year, forever grateful for the organization, you know, not only giving me the first chance to be a big leaguer, but obviously continuing to believe in me throughout the course of my career. and I think this just shows, again, that they believe in me to give me the ball and kind of, you know, be that guy. Well, we got Mark here in the chat trying to bring us all down about the Arizona Diamondbacks, but Mark, I implore you to at least give this team a chance, right? I think that's what it comes down to. It's hard to feel like this team improved, yet so many of these same pieces are here from that

World Series team. Both Gallin and Kelly brought it up. I know that Mike Hazen and Derek Hall brought it up earlier in the day on Sunday and probably even heard a little bit of it from Tori. But there's something special that they still feel about this group of guys, especially with so many of them being, you know, returning to this same team that they made it all the way to the World Series on. I understand fans and trepidation about guys like Paul Seawalt and others returning. I understand how fans can feel a little bit here like this team doesn't really have a chance. It's completely understandable. But I will say that things are very interesting now.

And I think that the Diamondbacks bringing back Zach Gallen, having Merrill Kelly named here ahead of everything as the opening day starter, and, you know, again, also getting this group of reinforcements where you can almost guarantee by the trade deadline that the Diamondbacks will have made some major moves to bring back potentially some of their best. pitching arms to this team. And you could argue that all they kind of need to do is stay around 500 until that point, right? They have a lot of guys that are coming back sooner than we think.

We think we could get AJ Puck back as soon as late May, early June. Corbyn's still slated for around the All-Star game, but he is chomping at the bit and he cannot wait to get back out there. And then J-Mart's been put off a little bit later. The staggered release of some of these injured players definitely helps. But where we were at when this off-season started, was a fractured team. This was a team that had so many holes and so many things still to fix. And now, I don't know if it feels that. Moving Michael Soroka to the bullpen, having the guys in the

bullpen that are there, like, I don't know. I can't wait to watch it. I can't wait to see how it all shakes up. I will say that, you know, this team is surprising with the way that they were able to maneuver and do all of this, you know, bringing a Nolan Aeronado in for next to nothing, you know, a Carlos Santana who obviously is in his later years in his career, but still very defensively sound, focusing and prioritizing on defense. I mean, there are things about all of this that feels very reminiscent of that 2023 team. And it would feel like that's what the Diamondbacks are trying to get back to.

Right. But I also think that the Diamondbacks and Tori, and you'll hear him talk about it, but I think that they value having guys that they are comfortable with and that they know. Yes. And those guys feel comfortable with this coaching staff and being here. So it's like a reciprocal level of comfort between the two parties. Yeah. And I do think that like vibes matter as much as like it sounds stupid and, you know, it feels trivial. Like there's something about over the course of a 162 game season, you want your team to like each other, enjoy each other and want to play hard for one another.

Right. And I think that that's an element that you can't really measure on just by looking at the team on paper. although I understand, as you said, people's trepidations about being super hyped up about a team that didn't make the playoffs the last two years. I also will say that like everything that possibly could have gone wrong the last two years went wrong. So what if it doesn't happen like that this year? What if it didn't all go wrong? What if a couple good things happen? What if?

Like we get another Geraldo Perdomo situation, not saying it'll quite be on that level. But like what if there's another player who steps up and is. makes himself almost a staple of this organization to the point where it's like, we're going to extend this guy and keep them around long term. That could be game changing for this team. So I think that you just have to hope that some positive regression happens. And then you're probably looking at a team that's similar record-wise as it was the last two seasons. But those last two seasons, you miss playoffs by very marginal amounts.

So, you know, hopefully you can find a way to sneak into the playoffs this time around. You're definitely on to something there. And I mean, I don't think that you're wrong. Robert Natchez says Saul Frank injury hurts. It's a 1.2 far, 2.4 ERA that's hard to replace. That's not wrong. However, Robert, if you look at Saul Frank's expected stats, perhaps he wasn't as good last year as we thought or as as, you know, actual stats indicate.

And perhaps maybe that's not as big of a loss. But, I mean, you're right. I can't argue with that. I think that there is something that, you know, there's something to be said about the vibes of this team and the way that Tori even said the phrase. He said the thing. He said a dangerous team is a, a connected team is a dangerous team, right? Meanwhile, the Padres are going to stick Nick Castiano in a locker between Mani Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. and expect fistfights not to break out after losses. Good luck with that. Meanwhile,

Merrill Kelly, he returns to this team because returning to Arizona was a priority for him, was a priority for his family. And speaking of those same Padres, he disgusts here how they did make him disgusts? Disgust. I think Merrill got sick. I mean, I got sick. When this offer came in from the Padres, Merrill, he projectile vomited ever. He was like, oh, the Padres. Could you imagine me in those colors? Nope. Can't. This is what he had to say about all of that. Um, I mean, here was definitely priority. I'll say that. Um, um, But I was, you know, being the age that I am and the part of my career that I am in, being, you know, a 36 going on 37-year-old free agent,

I definitely told myself to take everybody the same. You know, we were very vocal when we talked to Hayes and in the front office that the hometown discount wasn't necessarily on the table. I owed it to myself and I owed it to my family, I think, to explore every avenue the same and treat free agency for what it was. But I think everyone knew at the end of the day that our heart was here and this was this was team number one for sure. So you didn't have to leave any dollars or years on the table to come back here? I guess with the offers I did, I guess technically I did.

You could say it that way. San Diego had a pretty good offer on the table that was a three-year guarantee. But we just weighed all the options. I think as I've gotten older, obviously the family aspect comes into play, making that decision. I think if it were just me or even just me and my wife, those decisions and those variables that go into those decisions, I think, changed a little bit. But when you start adding the family aspect and the kids into it, changes the dynamic a little bit. And I think after we looked at all the options and all those variables, it made more sense to come back here.

Did you figure after you signed probably was going to close the door on top? Yeah, I think so. I think everybody did. Even just talking to the front office, I don't think any of us here, any of us anywhere expected to still be having those conversations with Zach leading up to the last week and having him back here. I think he even said it. We were in, we were in Mexico for Alec Thomas's wedding and when the news broke on mind, you know, we had conversations and, you know, somewhat joking and somewhat not that he, you know, expected not to be here. But I think everybody's thrilled that it worked out the other way. How about bringing post? I think we shall all be thrilled to have a guy that's a hometown hero,

hero like Merrill Kelly's still here. I think it's a testament to how much he truly wants to be in Arizona, and it's a testament to this franchise of how much he still wants to be a part of it. This is a man that suffered from cramps because of how goddamn hot it is here, and he still chose to come back here instead of the 70 to 80 degree temperatures you're going to get in San Diego in July, that man, he deserves a cape, because not all heroes wear capes, but Merrill deserves a cape for being Such a hero.

Oh, God bless you, Arizona, for being so beautiful and keeping some of our athletes here. Legend. Legend. Well, we're going to take a quick break on the other side of this break. We have more from Tori Lavallo on Sunday as well as Derek Hall's comments about this team not being done yet. So we're going to do that on the other side of this break. Don't you go anywhere?

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This is my favorite analogy right now is you gave Haysen 10 bucks to go buy groceries and somehow this man filled your refrigerator. It might not be all of the things you wanted. They might not all be nutritionally great, but we're going to eat and we're going to drink, thanks to Mike. And this team might not be done, in fact. Derek Hall made a statement yesterday that has kind of stuck with me a little bit here. Damon, I think we have a tweet from Alex Dagestino that shows the quote.

But Diamondbacks team president CEO, Derek Hall, said the team may still have moves to make saying, quote, I don't think we're done. And Ken Kendrick kind of reiterated similar things when he spoke. Did he not? I mean, he did. He basically said, like, we're going to go. over budget. We're going to, we're, we're kind of reversing course. And it's as you and I have discussed this entire off season, that idea to do so is simply a decision. It's simply a decision. And at the

end of the day, a decision can be changed if at the end, what you're trying to accomplish is put a competitive contender on the field, you were going to have to spend more money than you did in 2025. Simply put, I know it sucks. I know it's a harsh reality, but there was no way that they we're going to come under budget and also get all of this done. So maybe it's more like spending 11 out of the $10 that you were given to go to the grocery store. I don't know. But I just love the idea that every offseason, Ken Kendrick's like, this is how much we're

spending. And then every off season, he goes, all right, guys. So I thought about it. And I'm actually going to upgrade that purse a little bit. It's a good dad move. It's a good dad move. Yeah. Set expectations low.

Yeah. Like you set the expectations low. You're like, guys, you're not getting that video game system. for Christmas and then you go out and it's Christmas morning and wrapped underneath the trees, Corvin Burns. Feel free to use that one, Derek, in your own life. Because you're right, that is a absolutely fire move. I mean, it's a good dad move, right?

Like, you keep expectations low, but then you still get to be the good guys swooping in at the end and being like, all right, fine. You can get the, you can get the video. I do want, I do think it opens up a larger conversation, though, Derek, that I did want to discuss with you today and I am throwing this onaudible at you here. but is there something to be said about, like maybe the debacks need to open up that purse at the beginning of the off season instead of waiting until there's slim pickings on the market before Ken Kendrick decides that he's willing to spend because he thinks it's a good deal. And maybe the market of whoever they're going after has kind of cooled off or whatnot. But it feels like the Diamondbacks, the last three off seasons have now approached each one with like kind of a little bit more apprehension of, yeah, we kind of don't have that much to spend. we're going to try to get some of our bigger needs fixed and out of the way, but it's really not going to be a crazy off season.

And then you get to the end of the off season and the Diamondbacks are going, oh my God, what former All-Star is available right before spring training starts? Who can we bring into this team and change things right now? Like should Ken Kendrick open up that wallet a bit sooner? Not that I'm complaining because I do appreciate that he does this. And I do, I feel like the last couple of seasons on this show, Derek, I've been very much like credit to Ken Kendrick, man. You have to. Yeah, 100%. because we talk a lot of crap over the years when he hasn't spent.

And then now when he does spend, I think it warrants similar type of, you know, the opposite effect, obviously. But you got to discuss it. You got to talk about it. I'm happy that Ken Kendrick keeps opening up the checkbook. But I wonder if it is maybe not as helpful as it would be if we had money to play with at the beginning of the off season every year. Perhaps it's a negotiation tactic. Perhaps because they are limited and their budget is limited, they don't want to ever. give the idea to any free agent or anything that they're going to come in here and

Arizona's going to pay them. They're going to back up the Briggs truck. Even if they want to eventually do that, it feels like it's a good tactic. It's similar to Mike Hazen saying that it benefits him in no way as a GM to let people know about deals that he was attempting to make that he missed out on. At the end of the day, it just makes you look incompetent. It makes you look like you didn't get that deal done, right? Even though most of us don't think that, I think most fans of sports teams. We just want to be tantalized and excited about what our team is doing. So it's almost better for us to think you were in on a bunch of guys that you didn't land because it makes us feel like you tried to make this team better rather than us hearing from no news about the Diamondbacks

and then them not improving the team at all, right? I do feel like, you know, again, you're right about Ken Kendrick opening up the checkbook when the time is appropriate. And sometimes the fact is is that, you know, you are kind of committed to not spending more, but then something changes your mind. I think at the end of the day, it's a very difficult task to be Ken Kendrick, to have a team that doesn't exactly generate close to the amount of money that other teams of Major League Baseball do, but yet you're reinvesting such a significant portion of your revenue

back into the team as a promise, right? The team is still a business. And a lot of owners, a lot of front offices run those businesses like businesses, where the goal at the end of the day is to make money not to go out there and improve the team at every chance they get. And credit to Kendrick, credit to this front office, it feels like when they get a dollar in their piggy bank, they spend 99 cents of it on the roster. But they're only getting a few bucks versus the Dodgers piggy bank being stuffed with, millions and millions of dollars. So there's that. I mean, I've long said that you know how you

cultivate a fan base that makes it where this, you know, going into every offseason under budget is not as big of an issue because you have incredible fan support. You have people buying merch. You have people getting season tickets left and right. And that's, you feel the competitive baseball team. And I do think that despite the last two seasons being disappointing, we've seen an upgrade in terms of Diamondbacks fans out there at these. Oh, yeah. The attendance is better. The community is growing.

And it's a young franchise, one of the youngest franchises in baseball with the race that is still growing a fan base, right? Still like, you know, you have a lot of transplants in this city. And I think that Ken Kendrick spending and trying to win, even if it looks like Zach Gallen and Merrill Kelly, which I know isn't exactly the most inspiring because it's the run itbacks, as we talked about. I just, I think that, you know, this is how you cultivate a fan base.

This is how you get. in a place where your floor is high enough as a franchise where money's always coming and it's always flowing because your fan base cares about the team that you're putting out there. And so I do applaud Ken Kendrick for spending the extra money and caring about this team in ways that he hadn't shown in the first 10, 15 years of his ownership, but it's shown a lot recently. And I just wanted to kind of open it up to a bigger discussion. But I do think you're right. I think it's a negotiation tactic of like, let's hold on to our money. We know we're not going to go toe to toe to with the Dodgers for a top level free agent. Right.

So let's hold on to our money and then let's go after somebody that we think we could get to at a perceived discount later in the off season because their market's cold and we still have a little bit of cash to play with because we haven't overspent. So I think it makes sense from the Diamondbacks perspective. I just wanted to have a broader discussion about the strategy. And again, going back to me talking about. the window depot making improvements on our on our homes damon there are so many improvements that need to be made with this team and you only have so much money right and chase field and chase field and they did that right we went to the window depot they're already the the new video board looks amazing they had the most valuable party on

Saturday we're going to talk about the promotional items here if we have time because we have so much still to talk about but let's first hear from some of those things that the diamond back still need to fix from Tori here's what he had to say about his closer options for 2026. Yeah, I mean, it's probably simple, simple arithmetic for you guys to figure out. I'm just going to go kind of blind here, but, you know, Seawald, Ginkle, Thompson, all those, all those guys that have had that experience in big moments,

whether it be the ninth, I know Ginkle and C-Wald have done it. RT has gotten some massive outs against the most important part of a lineup where they stack righties. So they're all wanting to do it. And what I've told every single one of them is, There's eight spots open, and you've got to go out there and earn it. I want you to have that earning mentality. Nothing's going to be handed to.

How it sits and where it goes, I don't know what that answer is. But yes, I do want to have that closer at the back end that I'm very well aware of that can come in and be unrattled and pound the zone with pitches. If you get beat, you get beat. But I don't want balls thrown in places where it results in base on balls. That drives me crazy. Put the ball on the plate. Don't be afraid of contact and let your defense do the work for you. believe in your stuff.

So when I see a young pitcher do that, it's time I might migrate him to a position of making the team A and B, maybe get some bigger outs on the back end. But I know I didn't really answer your question. But yes, I do like the guys that we have. I don't know what that means, though, right now. I always laugh when he says that because he totally answered the question. He was basically like, he was asked, like,

did he have a group of guys specifically that he was looking at? And yeah, you know the guys, right? Like there's no, it's not some big secret. It's going to be Paul Seawald. He will be evaluated for the closer. I know you hate to hear that, but that's the truth. Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkle. That's probably it right now.

Michael Soroka and how he factors into the bullpen is going to be an interesting development to see as the season progresses. And then you do have the young, the youngsters that all got their opportunity last season, right? The Diamondbacks don't have nearly enough lefties in the bullpen as some of you have been discussing in the chat. And again, this is all one of those, you know, a lot is up in the air. I mean, again, this is coming down to guys competing in camp and competition can bring out the best in this team. However, we've talked about kind of letting the pitching staff take the fall for how bad the defense was, at least at the beginning of the season last year. Diamondbacks made big changes, including removing Sean Larkin from being their third base coach. However, he's still working with the infield defense and there's a lot of coaching still going on.

with the additions of Aeronado and Santana, you can tell that that is a priority for this team. And Tori discussed that fixing the defense is definitely a priority for them. This is what Tori had to say about that. It's a good question. We are, first of all, creating an awareness and a standard that we have upheld here and we fell below that standard. Now, it spiked the second half of the year,

and it made our defensive, specifically, our defensive numbers look a little bit better. our pitching got a little bit better. I don't want to have a bad week. I don't want to have a bad month. I want to make sure that we're going out there and firing on all cylinders and doing the little things that we did

at the end of last season, even better at the start of spring training. So what does that mean? I think there's an awareness, there's intent, there's a lot of high intensity work that's going on, and we'll stop a drill to instruct.

We will stop a drill to highlight what it looked like if it's right or wrong, especially if it's wrong. We're going to teach it right there on the spot. We are creating some urgency by staying on top of every little thing that they're doing. The question was actually kind of aggressive because he was saying that he was asked, like your defense has been a priority, but what are you doing differently now during spring training to get those guys ready, right?

And that's it. It's something that's a factor. I mean, obviously they're putting a priority on that, the coaching, the, I guess the philosophies that are being conveyed to the players. Like all of that is being stressed and you are seeing as you do every camp guys working on the fundamentals and everybody kind of all buying in. So it's not like it's much different. I just think that there is something to be said about how athletically gifted certain guys are and how easy it is to allow yourself to not do everything right and then cause it to, you know, cause your defense to be sloppy, right? hearing Tori discussed

Perdomo playing with a glove that wasn't broken in for a game last year is like one of those things it's like oh yeah no that's I get it it's not a big deal but if you know baseball gloves you know that that's probably not something you should be doing but Tori talked about his number one

concern right now and it did involve the defense here is Tori's number one concern for the Arizona Diamondbacks yeah it's the number one piece of this puzzle that I'm most concerned with right now I want these guys to start having conversations. I want there to be a trust between them, an unbreakable bond that is so strong that nobody or nothing can't come between them. It's a series of opportunities for the opposition to rip you down, for the public to rip you down and tear you apart.

So that is a very, very strong part of what I ask of these guys. And successful teams remain together. I've said it, a connected team is a dangerous team. So that was one of the things that I talked to these guys about today. And it's a little bit challenging because we're going to be missing some guys. But three of those four guys are going to be on one team representing their country. Nolan Aeronado is already having those conversations with the rest of the guys. So I worry less about it, knowing that they've all had experience or they're going to the same place.

But it's still a big piece of our puzzle. When Tori says a connected team is a dangerous team, me, right there. There it is. There it is. He said the thing. But he's right. And I mean, this team, I think that goes back to the run-it-backs idea. This team is family. This team is connected. And I think that they wanted to bet or double down on pieces that they were familiar with that they feel I can come back here and work hard to make this team a winner. And I mean, again, Tori talked about going to Alec Thomas's wedding, Damon, here. I mean, this just kind of shows a little bit the personality and everything here. but this is what Tori had to say about attending Alec Thomas's wedding and, you know, him not being their manager for that weekend.

It was great. It was great. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I'll say that. I'm going back to what I say to them when I see him off campus that I'm not their manager for the weekend, so don't judge me. So there's a lot of good tequila. I'll tell you that.

But it was a lot of fun. It was great. It's great to see the players in a different arena. You get a chance to spend time with their wives and other family members potentially. And you just have different conversations. It's not all baseball, all pitch selection, all at batts. It's just about life. And you get a chance to connect with them a little bit differently.

And I enjoy that time. I love when he took that pause for a second, Damon, where you could see he was having an active flashback of whatever, whatever moment at the wedding, Tori with a tie around his head, Rambo style. When he realized he was too drunk, when it freeze famed and he said,

he said to himself, you're probably wondering how I ended up in his place right now. Yeah, yeah. I am not your manager for this weekend. But he did discuss how he's changed as a manager. And I mean, obviously we've had a chance to see him here

in Arizona for a very long time. This is what Tori had to say about how he's adapted over the years. Yeah, we've dealt with a lot here, right? And we're proud of what we've done, but we've come up short of the mark. So I continue to uphold my own personal standard, which is to do everything I can every single day for the good of the baseball players. And I only care about what happens inside of that clubhouse. I give less concerns about the things that I cannot control.

I probably am like less sensitive to things than I've ever been. I used to care about different things and relationships. And, you know, I do care about how a player feels, but I will risk hurting their feelings in order to get the most out of them. So challenging these players, being committed to these players, giving it to them straight, and making them get better under our guidelines and our standards. Is that hard? A little bit, yeah.

I think I'm a pretty nice guy, right? Sometimes it's hard for me to turn into an A-hole. But I've learned how to turn into an A-hole instantly. Yeah, that's probably the biggest difference Can confirm Not only is he a very nice guy But as Damon and I will attest to If you don't bring that bottle of wine to Sunday dinner

He can't turn into an A-hole real fast Like he's just like, do your part Do your part We're over here making marinara sauce for 12 straight hours You guys can't stop by and pick up a bottle of wine On your way here But again, Tori has a tall task ahead of him And he also has his own potential end

To his time with this team coming up at the end of 2026. So this is an all in season for so many guys on this team. And I'm excited to see how they come together and what they can do together as a team. But before we move on, Tori did give us an update. And I believe our friend Justin in the chat was asking for this on some injury updates,

including Tyler Locklear and Adrian Del Castillo, who's dealing with a calf injury. This is what Tori had to say. No, yes and no. I probably have a couple of updates. I know somebody asked me about Locklear a couple days ago. Locklear is probably a mid-May June return, that type of thing. He's doing minimal baseball activity.

Del Castillo is still not fully functioning inside of drills. I've seen him at certain drills on his knees or doing different things that are taking the weight off of his lower half, but still not up for full baseball activity. It was a left calf. left calf left calf yeah left cap so those are just some quick updates but nothing

has jumped up at us like the south frank news was fresh news to us but nothing like that well I'll tell you hearing that Tyler Locklear isn't going to be back to baseball activity until late May or June really means that the addition of Carlos Santana was welcomed

and a great addition for this team. I don't know what their depth would have looked like if they literally just had Paven Smith as their first baseman over there this season. Meanwhile, Paul Goldschmidt apparently returned to the Bronx on a $4 million deal.

And I want to turn this table over and light it on fire. I'm not going to. I just want to. We were going to talk here a little bit about, or not a little bit, a lot about the D-BACs promotional calendar and all of the free giveaway items, but we are going to do that on tomorrow's show because we've gone too long and we

have some of the wonderful mailbag Monday questions to get to. So we're going to do that on the other side of this break. Don't you go anywhere. Of course you're watching the PHNX Diamondback show. Everybody needs a checking account. You know that. I know that. We all know that. But Mountain America Credit Union wants to give you a checking account that gives back to you. So that's why you got to check out their My Style checking account for your lifestyle over there at Mountain America Credit Union. The My Style checking account gives back to you, gives you access to restaurant deals, mobile phone protection, as Damon just slammed his phone on the floor here a little while ago, that's important for all of us. We can't have those phones breaking. Plus, you have telehealth access,

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head on over to brandedbills.com and use code BBPHNX, BBPHNX for 15% off your first order. Well, of course, we've had ourselves quite the week already. I'm exhausted, Damon. I got myself a new bed on Valentine's Day, so I actually slept last night for the first time in a very long time. Full night's sleep. I've been telling Damon about it all day long. He's been watching me run around this office. I'm actually like, I love the new Derek.

It's exciting. You guys don't get to see the like general data. today Derek around here. And there are times where, you know, he'll just lay face first on the ground and be like, I don't want to. This is a new Derek. Four days out of the week. This is a new Derek that we have, that we have cultivated here. I'm excited. I'm excited to be well rested. I'm also excited for today to be that day. And you know what day it is. And you know what year, what, whatever year is on this podcast. Every year is the year of the snake on this podcast. Every year is our year. Every single month on this show is Black History Month. Every single month on this show.

is Women's History Month. Every single month on the show, of course, is Black Women's History Month. Every single week is Shark Week. Every single day is Earth Day because Damon and I recycle. But on Mondays, we go to the mailbag. Damon, let's go to the mailbag. All right, Damon, what do we got in the mailbag? Our first question is, of course, from Travis Moore.

who says, first off, okay, obviously barring injury, what is Soroka's role now with the team and also Cap underscore Caveman? Is that a dirty head sticker I spot on your computer? Sales to the wind here too, brother. And I, listen, every single day of my life, I am on vacation because I love my occupation. So, yes, I'm a huge dirty heads fan.

In fact, I have traveled entirely too many times to see the dirty heads. And they are going to be here for the Reggae Rise Up festival here in April. So make sure you get your tickets for that. No free ads. except when I want to give away free ads. Meanwhile, the first part of his question is a very interesting question. Nothing is guaranteed, right?

So, again, this sucks for Michael Soroka, who signed with this team thinking he was going to get a starting pitching opportunity. And he might still get that starting pitching opportunity. Because as we saw when the Diamondbacks transformed throughout the 2025 season due to all of these injuries, it definitely felt like performance was going to gain you an opportunity. And I don't know how Soroka can win a starting rotation spot, but there are two guys that had five ERAs at the back end of that rotation

that you could easily say either one of them might not be able to win a spot. I hate the idea of that being Brandon fought. And with what he's being paid, I almost hate that idea even more being Eduardo Rodriguez. So perhaps Michael Soroka ends up being a very valuable piece of this bullpen, or perhaps he's even better than that, and he ends up winning a starting rotation. spot. What we should be excited about is that the Diamondbacks have starting pitching depth.

They have starting pitching depth returning in the minor league system, and they have starting pitching depth here as a part of the Major League roster. But again, the thing I've heard from Tori, time and time again over this last week and few days, has been the fact that nothing is guaranteed to anybody on this team. You got a guy named Kattel, a guy named Jerry P. over there, a 14-time platinum glove winner in Nolan Aeronado, whatever the hell he is. You got a lot of guys that are probably going to be there. You could probably pencil them in. However, nothing, nothing can be said about, or there's nothing to say that a young

player can't make a huge impression and not only be added to the major league roster, but win that spot. Same thing with guys that are kind of being brought in here in the same capacity as Michael Soroka. You have a bunch of guys in the bullpen on minor league deals that could win a spot. and then you also have Soroka who easily could outpitch one of the other guys in the starting rotation and earn that spot. I wouldn't know what that would hold for that individual if it were Brandon Fought.

If it were E-Rod, I don't know. But I will say that, you know, again, performance is going to dictate what the Diamondbacks do here. This is kind of a desperation situation. So this won't be them allowing guys to develop and become whatever they think they could be or reach their potential. you're not performing, there's a good chance you could lose your job. At least they have enough arms for that to be a reality versus it being like, well, you suck, but you're just going to be in there because we literally don't have a better option.

What else we got there, Damon? Our next question is from Emily, who is here in the chat today. And Emily wants to know, I'm just wondering how you feel about this year's roster lineup for 2026. And do you think we can beat the Dodgers and get into the playoffs this year, Derek? Baseball's a ridiculous sport. It really is. So if there was any sport that I feel like you could beat a team like the Dodgers on any given day, on opening day, or throughout the season, it's baseball. I know it's hard to think that with the roster the Dodgers have.

So it's not like it's likely. Definitely not likely. But could they do it? Yes, they could do it because baseball is one of those games where a guy is considered substantially better than his peers because he hits the ball. ball 1% of the time more, 3% of the time more, a very, very, you know, a guy that hits the ball 30% of the time, again, is an MVP, Hall of Famer, All-Star, and the guy that hits the ball 25% of the time is washed. That's baseball.

So, yes, I do believe on any given season, on any given day, that a baseball team could prove to be better than the expectations. I do think that the Diamondbacks are giving enough guys that aren't necessarily desperate, but have motivation to be their best in 2026. They have a lot of those guys. Those guys all being on one team and being together could make this a special thing to watch. So who knows. But, and he killed.

All right, Damon. Damon, I'm not even acknowledging him, but I, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, already sick of Killarex. And there I acknowledged him. Can we do I toss him? Killer X is yet. He's just in here saying whatever assinine opposite thing. Yes.

I was just about to say. If I was saying the Diamondbacks could beat the Dodgers without a chance, he'd be calling me an idiot. Oh, you think that's possible? He has come in here and he has simply found a way to disagree with every single thing that has been said on the podcast. Done with losers like Killer Rex that have to do that.

All right. Done with him saying Michael Soroka. as better as that's that gellon that's an insane comment but again here i am you got you got your wish uh you you argued your way onto the show so congratulations damon kick him out of here what else we i i just got to say killer x we we got to we got to mix it up a little bit sometimes throw in an agreement every once in a while every once in a while just to throw us a bone a little bit just to just to throw us a bone and be like you know what he's really not that bad yeah because when you do stuff like this derrick and i get off the show and we go i know god that son of a yeah lando

Landau said don't fall for his rage bait. We should listen. We should listen to him. And see, he wants him to kick the dinosaur out. So I see, he's in favor of me tossing him. Listen, we're not going to win the division. I think the diamondbacks are uniquely built to give the Dodgers trouble. And I think the Dodgers know that.

And I think the Dodgers don't want to play the diamondbacks in the first round of a playoff series, if that's what it ends up being because this is a team that the debacks are extremely familiar with. And I'm not saying that that means that Dbacks would win a playoff series. but I do think that you, if you get Corbyn Burns back, if you get A.J. Puck back, maybe J. Marr. Like, you go down the stretch, that's a pretty scary roster that you don't want to face a one, two, three of Corbyn, Merrill Kelly, Zach Gowan in a playoff series.

Pretty darn good, Derek. He also factor in Ryan Nelson into there because, again, if he finds a way to take a step forward in 2026, he could easily be the best pitcher on this team, even better than a returning Corbyn Burns because Ryan Nelson is that damn good. Ryan Nelson's fastball was considered one of the best pitches in all of Major League Baseball last year. And no, Killer X, it's too late for compliments. We're not doing that.

Get it off the screen, Damon. I'm done. I also, I will say I disagreed as well, Killer X. I don't think you were there on the show, but I missed an episode because I took the day off. And then I came back and Derek was saying, and I don't want Casillas. And I was like, I kind of want Cassiano. And now the Phillies are paying him $20 million to get. kick rocks and he's on the Padres there because somehow, some way, every player that's

relevant finds a way to be on the Padres, Giants, or Dodgers. There's not, there is zero other things that can happen. Castellanos is a Padre. I would have totally taken that dude as our DH in a heartbeat, dude, especially if the Phillies were paying that much of the salary. But it is what it is, he's a Padre. And thank God he's not a Diamondback. What else we got?

Just so Killer X isn't happy. Yeah, I don't want him ever to be happy. Yeah, we're on our third question here from Michael Rokickey. And he says, which of these three would you most want to see this season? A sub three five ERA for Brandon Fought, 200 hits for Geraldo Pardomo or an 850 OPS for Gabriel Moreno. Oh, see, that's tantalizing, right? Yeah. But I feel like this team can be successful without those two bottom things happening.

Whereas if you give me a sub three and a half ERA Brandon Fought, I'm. I am taking that 10 days out of the week. Every five days we're going to get Brandon fought pitching like that. Then yes, I take that. And there's no question about it. Because this team is good offensively. This team is still a top 10 offense in baseball. And I would not be surprised to see that in 2026.

What we need is middle of the league pitching. My favorite thing that happened is I was having a conversation with my good friend Jack Summers. And Jack said to me, I said all the Diamondbacks need, as Damon and I have said before, is middle of the league. Like middle of the pack, right? Average like 15th, 16th in baseball for the starting rotation, 15, 16th for the, you know, bullpen. Jack says to me, he's like, he's like, well, they need to take a pretty big leap forward for this team to be contenders. And I said, Jack, that would be them passing 11 teams to be the middle of the pack when they were

ranked in the bottom five in baseball. That would be them surpassing 10 teams. It would be a huge leap for this team, for them to simply be middle of the league, average for their pitching staff. And if they got that, then this team's a winner. This team's a winner. And I agree with Lando. I want big game Brandon.

I want big game Brandon. Ernesto, meanwhile, wants a sub 425 ERA Brandon. I will take that as well. Expectations just a little bit higher. Just a little different. It's a little different. I will say, I think out of that group, it's easily, it's easily Brandon Fogg. It's easily Brandon Fawt.

Because that's the biggest difference in what you expect their level to be, honestly. Gabriel Moreno could have an 800 OPS and not an 850 OPS and still be a really, really valuable player for this team. Correct. Geraldo Pardomo could have 175 hits and not 200 hits and still be a top five shortstop in baseball. Brandon Fott can't have a 5 plus ERA and can still consider to be. like a staple of this of this rotation for years to come, even though he has been extended. It feels like this is a big year for Brandon Fott and a sub 3-5 ERA would go so, so long for this team. I mean, that would be an insane game changer.

And it would all of a sudden, if Ryan Nelson sustains it, Derek, I say that three-man rotation of Corbyn's Merrill Kelly, Zach Gallen, if Brandon Fotz's a sub-35 and Brian Nelson keeps it up, we might have a five-man rotation in the playoffs. And this team is 100% making the playoffs if Brandon has a sub 3-5 ERA. So, yeah, I mean, I'm going with that. I don't even think it's close. But I love Ernesto's comment. It made me laugh.

Feeds families. Feeds families. I'd like to see a sub 425 please first. Speaking, by the way, of feeding families, you should go take your family out to watch the sun's watch party with our P.HNX Suns crew. Feed your family out there at Wild Horse Pass at Heather River Resorts and Casinos. You can watch our Devin Book. Devin Booker and the Sons

kill it against the San Antonio Spurs and bring that Wemby guy to his knees. Meanwhile, you're going to get the PHNX Suns live and postgame shows right in front of you. You'll get food and drink specials, PHNX giveaways, and the vibes, as always, will be immaculate.

So, RSVP for free to be entered into the raffle, and you can do that over at go phnx.com. Damon, I think we have a couple more questions in the mailbag before we get out. of here. What else do we got? Yeah. We got another question here from Morgan Wilson, who wants to know. Thoughts on Merrill Kelly being announced as the opening day starter already, Derek. I love it.

I think that it's like you could say that throughout camp that, you know, guys should have a chance to win a win that spot. But when you're talking about Zach Gallen, Merrill Kelly, you're talking about the rest of this rotation. Like it's it's kind of a leadership thing, I feel like. I do think it's also an honor. I think Merrill Kelly, more than anybody else that has come back to this team, really wanted to come back here because he loves Arizona and loves being a diamondback. So I think it's a great honor. I think he's right. I think if Corbin Burns was healthy, Corbin Burns would get the nod, and none of us would have a problem with that at all. I just think with Zach coming back to this team that there could have been a lot of unnecessary questions and chatter from us media members asking who the starter is, almost everything.

every single day to the point where, you know, it does become noise to Zach Gallen and Merrill Kelly, who are both trying to prepare for the season and get themselves on track. Ultimately, it really doesn't matter because once you get past those first five games of the season, the starting rotation is what it is. You're not even matching up with the aces on the other teams anymore. I will say, though, that getting the start on the hill in Los Angeles for the Diamondbacks probably means more to Merrill than it means to anybody else on the roster. So I'm glad that he's been given that honor.

And I think he's going to do a great job out there. I think that Tori personally, Derek, I think that that was a reaction to last year's debacle. Yeah. I think I think the whole Corbyn Bernd was that gallon thing. And we're going to wait until the very last second and like until a week before the season starts. And then, you know, I'm not saying it actually contributed, but I know a lot of people are like. And if Corbyn Burns started opening day, his whole, you know, his. It would have been, it would have reset his entire schedule that ended up getting him hurt on the season.

And I think that that's stuff that we truly have zero idea what would happen in the other scenario and the alternate reality. But we don't live in that reality. No, we don't. And I just, I just think that, you know, you hear Merrill talk about it. I saw this take from a few people online. So it's not an original one. But like, you hear Merrill talk about it and say like, you know, we're really, I really appreciate Tori for the opportunity and letting us know early. Like he threw in there giving an early decision on this matter as being a thing that was important to him

because I think last year's team was was a little bit discouraged by how late in the process Tori waited to a name an opening day starter. And now it's a guy that in Merrill Kelly who's never gotten the opportunity before. I think it's cool. I think, you know, Merrill deserves it over Zach based off of last season's performance alone. and yeah, I mean, I do think that we saw a shift from something that bothered the guys last year from Tori that he tried to change this year to do something a little bit better. He just got done saying when we showed the videos that his number one concern is like communication, right? And communication is important.

And what you realize is that baseball players are simple, and a lot of times they just want to know what their job is. It's the reason why Paul Seawall was credited by so many of his fellow bullpen arms, as to how he let them all, by him coming into this team when they traded for him and becoming closer, everybody knew what their job was. When you know what day you're starting on as a starter, you're just know, and it's satisfying to know,

and it's one less thing for you to worry about. You know exactly when you're going to pitch your first game of the season. You know who it's going to be against. You can start, like, kind of thinking about the lineup, and you can just give yourself more time to prepare for that first big game of the year, rather than wondering if you're going to start on the, on the mound on day one or day three or day five, right?

So, but I kind of agree with Robert, too. I don't think competition is the worst thing. And I think it's the reason why we should see some guys emerge as options for the bullpen. I just don't really think there was competition between, I don't think Merrill can go out and be bad in spring training enough where they're like, yeah, no, you know what? Maybe he shouldn't be the opening day starter or like Zach Allen's going to blow him away. These guys aren't going to get enough time in games anyway for them to really show. off anything that they can do, they're going to be working on stuff that they want to work on in order to prepare for the season.

They're not going to give a damn about the results. They could be giving up home runs. They can be given up eight runs and two innings. They're not going to care because that's not the purpose of spring training. The purpose of spring training is to get yourself tuned up and ready to go. And in some cases, that involves you kind of throwing the results away and just trying to work on a pitch or something that you're trying to do. right that allows gallon and kelly to both focus on that rather than focusing on trying to impress you know tory and the coaches so that they name them one of them you know opening day starter

i don't think it's on their mind a lot i don't think it's something they're actively trying to do but i can't imagine it's not human nature to want to outperform somebody else so that you get the honor of being the opening day starter versus your teammate yeah it is funny too for maryl and Zach, two guys who are like best friends. Yeah, to be competing against each other for any other. But also you want both of them to be successful. And I'm sure they want each other to be extremely successful as well. So it's good.

It's good competition. But I think Merrill being named the starter is the right decision. And I think that if it was clearly something that was bothering the team last year, I'm glad Tori made a change to that and tried to come up with a better plan of attack. Yes. Maybe makes people a little bit happier and feel more stable. and what their role is. Yes, absolutely.

And I, that's, that's also like, I know that we got Killer X in here and like, you know, the Tory haters just, they, they just can't see anything, any good qualities he has. But I think Tori is such a like, like almost a humble person that he is so willing to change things that he's done in the past for the betterment of the team in the franchise. And that's, that's not typical. I don't think of, of a lot of baseball managers where you get kind of the kermudgeony old guy, coach Buck Shoalter's like, it's my way or the highway type of vibe. And Tori's like, listen, if we, if you have a better thing that you think is a method that we

could do that would change things for this team, come to me, let's talk about it, let's discuss it, and let's see if it's a better option for us. In fact, I would argue that he maybe like goes to committees too much. In fact, he takes the advice of other people into consideration. It's probably a good and a bad thing. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. What else we got?

Our next question here and our last question, I believe, Derek, or actually, sorry, we got two more left. This is Cesar here who says, I heard Ken Kendrick say they actually expanded the team's budget this offseason and spent more than anticipated. Are we actually a better team because of it? Damon, one thing we didn't want them to do this entire offseason was spend a bunch of money on one guy. Right? We didn't want that because we knew they had too many problems to fix. and then we also knew that Ken Kendrick made the comment that he made at the end of the last season that they were going to reduce payroll. So you were like, okay, well, your payroll was this.

You're going to reduce it. You have like $35 million to work with. And good luck getting two starting pitchers, a bullpen, a first baseman, a right-handed bat, a DH, and an outfielder for that much money. In fact, some teams spent that much money on one single player. So for the Diamondbacks to go out there, expand their budget a little bit. it. However, still be frugal with their budget, still go out and try to add multiple pieces and do those, you know, like everything they did kind of had, yes, a downside, but a lot of upside as well. Nolan Aronado being paid $5 million to be the Diamondback's third baseman. You got to argue

that's pretty good. Carlos Santana's very low deal. I know he struggled and I know his offensive numbers have slid, but they're bringing him more in for his gold glove caliber defense and that's what he still is as well. Merrill Kelly and Zach Gallin returning to this team for less than $50 million combined. In fact, gallons, what's Gallons hit for next year like $7 million? So you could say bringing those two guys back for less than $30 million in 2026 is an incredibly thrifty move. Like just right up there with going to Goodwill and finding yourself, you know, name brand clothing items. Like congrats to Mike Hazen on getting that done. But you know, overall you have a lot of changes and a lot of the additions and moves aren't those big name free agents.

I think they improved this team. And I think that they had a very difficult task ahead of them in doing so with a limited budget. So the fact that Ken Kendrick was able to kind of go back on what he said and allow Mike Hazen to have the financial flexibility to add the pieces he felt that made this team better is, is. It is a move that made this team better. However, they're all wild cards, and they all have a lot of downside to them as well. So it's pretty much hoping that everybody comes in here, gets on page, gets on the same page, and works hard for one common goal. And as much as Killer Rex is going to hate me saying it, I think Tori Lobolo is the man for that job, for sure,

especially considering that this team has such an underdog vibe to it. So we'll see. what else we got? We got one more. And I think it's like a three-parter. We do have one more, but I also have to say, Derek, we have to talk about this. What? Killer X says if they win it all, if Derek will allow it, I will join the post game show when they win it all, do a face reveal and apologize to Tori on camera.

I think we need to take Killer Rex up on this offer. Okay. I think it's that. I think it, that is the vibes that we need going into this season. If Dinembacks win the World Series, we're doing a trophy presentation, an hour, 30 minutes to an hour into the show, Killer Rex, face reveal. live on air wearing his eye heart. I personally find it insane that Killer Rex thinks we care that much about what he looks like. I genuinely do. I'm not going to mince my words here, Derek.

I don't mean to give him a level of self-importance that you don't want to give him, but I genuinely do care that much. If this is not a dictatorship with the mayor making all the decisions, I would like to throw my vote in the ring for, yes, this is something that happens. Because I think that's fantastic content. I don't know. We'll figure it out. We've gone on way too long. We've kept these people.

I've told you their time is valuable, Damon. We're using up too much of it. But let's get out one more before we get out of here. Yeah, absolutely. We got one last question. It's here from Geraldo Perdomo's biggest fan. Says I have three questions. What's the most surprising thing you've learned while covering this team that fans would be surprised by Derek?

We can take this one by one. Okay. The most surprising thing that I've learned while covering this team that fans would be surprised by. I, look, I think it's honestly how little they care about results when it comes to certain players and the stuff that they're actually looking at. And I mean, that does involve peripherals. That involves all sorts of stuff.

But I am constantly surprised. And I think that we just think it's them like giving us lip service or maybe trying to like let that player have some confidence by hearing what their, you know, manager or GM said about them in, you know, in a press conference. or whatever, but I genuinely see it and I see the look in their eyes when they say it. And like the way that fans just disregard a player for performing poorly versus the way an organization feels about them is two, not only different, like, games, it's two different planets, it's two different universes, right? So again, some of the stuff that they look at that, I mean, sometimes it's prospects, sometimes it's guys that are starting in their major league lineup every day.

it's a constant battle because analytics and other things tell them that these guys are doing well, but they'll go 0 for four in three straight games. And you have people calling for not only that player to be DFAed, but for the manager to lose their job for starting them every day, right? So I do think that. And again, probably the managing by committee thing is probably far more surprising to a lot of people than they truly understand that goes into all of this. And at the end of the day, Tori Lobolo just kind of takes either the credit

or the blame for the way things work out, though I will say a lot of stuff is not the case. Robert Berman says, isn't Virginia where Payman went to school? I think Palm Beach. No, it was Virginia. It was Virginia. Oh, where he went to school.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, went to school. What else we got? We got... Wait, let me put that question back up. Yeah. Because the other most surprising thing that you've learned while covering this team that would be, that fans would be surprised of,

Baxter's true identity. And I'm going to leave it at that. Baxter may in fact be one of the Diamondbacks front office members. All right. Two, what player has a personality that's nothing like their on-field persona? Alec Thomas? Though Alec Thomas let some of his personality kind of be shown when he like planted the flag in Philadelphia. That was pretty cool.

I think Alec Thomas is incredibly funny. And honestly, he, he's like one of those guys that when I see him interact with his teammates and I see him out there at spring. He's just a great guy to be around, a lot of fun. And yet he is pretty reserved when it comes to speaking to media and just a lot of the other times that we get to speak to him. So I do feel like Alec Thomas is almost a completely different person. It's hard for me to think of anybody else, Damon.

Like that's a, that their personality is different. Corbyn's personality almost is identical to what you see on the field. Like the man is a little. literally a machine. His one goal in life is baseball. That's it. Just baseball. Baseball and baseball only. So there's that. But yeah, I would say Alec Thomas has a completely different personality. But also Ryan Thompson, because I love Ryan Thompson. And we talk about pro wrestling and the fact that I wouldn't expect that out of looking at him. He comes in and tries to give me an RKO almost every single day. And I think we got one more on there. Damon, what else we got? Yeah, the last one was asking, what's the coolest backstory for a jersey number you've ever heard, Derek?

Oh, man. That's kind of a, that's probably a far more complicated one. I know a lot of times Diamondbacks players just kind of get assigned jerseys like Paul Seawald was number 38. And now he's 22, last worn by Josh Naylor last year. I don't really think that I hear a lot of cool number stories to be fair. I still think in my opinion, Alex Bregman wearing number two because the Diamondbacks didn't draft him and he got drafted after Danesby Swanson is still probably kind of the most like diabolical jersey number story I've ever heard. Like just reminding yourself every day like a scarlet letter that you wear on your chest that you were the second pick instead of the first pick. That's that's something that's kind of next level crazy to me for sure.

I'll try to get you guys another cooler story than that here shortly because, again, I don't, I don't hear too many. It mostly sounds just like random assignment. But anyway, we're going to get out of here because like I said, we've kept you guys too long. But thank you so much for being here. We appreciate you stopping by. We will be back tomorrow at 5 p.m. We'll get that out there on social. But we're going to be at 5 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week.

And then we will be back to our normal 12 p.m. schedule for spring training. So join us on Friday at 12pm, but for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week, we'll be here at 5. So that way I can get out to Salt River Fields and hear from Tori, who did a terrible job at taking over our 12 p.m. time slot, by the way. Moved it from 12 to 1230 to 1245. And now I'm 123 p.m. And I don't think he's even started his press conference today. So we'll see how late things can get. But regardless, we thank you guys so much for joining us.

You can follow us on Twitter and social media. I'm at cap underscore caveman with K. Damon is at Damon Dog with a DAWG at the end, and we're all Damon's dogs. Bark, bark. I said bark, bark. Okay. Our show is at PHNX underscore D-Backs, but as always all roads lead to at PHNX underscore Sports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Thank you guys for your time.

Appreciate you so much. We'll see you back here tomorrow. Until then, have a wonderful evening and remember kids. Baseball is fun, but it's so much more fun when you know who your opening day starter is.