As the Arizona Diamondbacks' young catcher puts up career numbers during a heated postseason race, the front office continues to discuss a possible extension.
As of Thursday, July 23, the Arizona Diamondbacks would officially be in the playoffs.
Their 53-49 record is good for the third National League Wild Card spot, a postseason birth that has been a long time coming for a team that was in the 2023 World Series.
Arizona knows how important Gabriel Moreno is, but the 26-year-old has yet to sign a long-term deal with the Diamondbacks.
Moreno is primarily a catcher, but he can also fill in as the team's designated hitter. His power speaks for itself, and he's an overall tremendous asset to a team that knows a playoff berth is within reach.
There's still a ton of baseball to be played in 2026, but behind the scenes, things are still in motion when it comes to a possible Moreno extension.
Moreno is arbitration eligible in 2027
Coming into this season, Moreno signed a one-year, $2.55 million deal. That's an absolute steal for what the D-backs are getting, but they know that amount is only going to continue to creep up. Overall, he's under team control for another two seasons. Once 2029 hits, Moreno will be an unrestricted free agent.
AZ Sports' Alex Weiner recently reported on the latest from Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall when it comes to these two sides working out a long-term deal: "We love Gabi, and we’ve had those conversations in the past with him and I’m sure we’ll continue to have conversations with him about his future because he has become a mainstay.”
Again, Moreno still has two more years of arbitration to come. If the Diamondbacks want to avoid the headache, they should make something happen sooner rather than later.
There's no doubt Moreno would make a lot more than $2.55 million in 2027, and who knows what that number may reach in 2028. If both sides can put pen to paper before his arbitration hearing hits next season, it'll benefit everyone in the long run.
Moreno's strong 2026
If the D-backs were holding out to try and get a steal on his contract, it's important for them to know that things aren't going to work out that way. Moreno is slashing .302/.391/.442 with a career-high .833 OPS. He's been in Arizona for four of his five years in the big leagues, and this is his most successful season since 2023.
Remember, Moreno had four homers and 12 RBIs on the team's incredible run back in '23. His 3.3 WAR is the highest it's been since the 4.3 it was three seasons ago, and he's on pace to surpass his career-high mark of 111 games played and 341 at-bats.
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