Despite finishing the 2026 regular season with an 86-76 record, the Arizona Diamondbacks missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. Now, ownership is talking about cost-cutting measures. 

While the Diamondbacks have been able to win games, they have not done enough recently to meaningfully compete in the National League. Now, owner Ken Kendrick has a goal of bringing down payroll, which was reflected in comments he made on the Burnes & Gambo show on AZ Sports recently.

The question is, how much will Kendrick actually be able to cut with the Major League Baseball landscape on the precipice of changing dramatically?

MLB is preparing for a lockout as the current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Dec. 1.

The big-ticket issue going into the next CBA concerns widespread financial changes centered on a salary cap and a salary floor. 

Under an initial proposal, a hard limit of $245.3 million would be set for how much a team can spend on its player payroll. Meanwhile, the minimum requirement for each team to spend would be set at $171.2 million.

According to Spotrac, the Diamondbacks currently have the 11th-highest payroll at $198.2 million. If Kendrick wanted to shed salary, he does have some room, but he cannot take it too far.

Former Cy Young Award-winning right-hander Corbin Burnes currently eats up the most payroll at $35 million, which is a part of his six-year, $210 million contract. It is not likely that Burnes is going anywhere in the immediate future, so is it possible that the team finds a new home for All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte?

Marte is in the midst of a six-year, $116.5 million contract. He is on the books through at least the next four seasons, and in 2031 he has a player option.

Marte made $16.1 million in 2026, and in 2027 his payroll will drop to $13.7 million before shooting up to $20 million in the 2028 season. Marte will be on the books into his late 30s, and after previous talks about him being a trade candidate, it feels likely that moving on from him could be a part of Kendrick's cost-cutting measures.

Whatever Kendrick decides to do, he has to make sure that it is the right move. The organization already chose to give manager Torey Lovullo a two-year extension, even though Lovullo has made the playoffs only twice in his decade with the Diamondbacks.

Now, in a division with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have no qualms about spending, and the San Diego Padres, who are also above Arizona in payroll, will cutting costs make this team more effective?