The Arizona Diamondbacks remain in the early portion of their offseason while the 2026 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers continues.

Once a new World Series champion is crowned, offseason activity will begin accelerating. Free agency and the transactions surrounding it will arrive sooner rather than later.

Like most teams, the Diamondbacks have significant needs. However, Arizona is operating under the assumption that its payroll will be somewhat reduced for 2027.

That financial situation means general manager Mike Hazen and the front office must act intentionally, carefully allocating their available resources toward the most pressing areas of the roster.

Hazen recently discussed Arizona’s offseason priorities with Steve Gilbert from MLB.com. He identified adding more left-handed hitting as a clear objective after the Diamondbacks struggled against right-handed pitching during the season.

Hazen also pointed to designated hitter and first base as obvious areas requiring improvement, regardless of how Arizona approaches the rest of its offseason.

“The offseason priorities, from an addition standpoint, are certainly going to be being a little more left-handed,” Hazen said.

“We struggled versus right-handed pitching this year," Hazen continued. "So that’s a clear and obvious one. I think DH/first base is a clear area [of need]. ... I think that’s a clear area, no matter what, that we need to improve upon.”

The Diamondbacks certainly experienced substantial difficulty against right-handed pitchers. They made several attempts to address the problem during the season, turning to Max Kepler, Jesus Sanchez and Pavin Smith in search of dependable left-handed power.

None of them produced consistently enough to solve the issue.

Arizona also acquired Lars Nootbaar in a trade. Although his arrival helped, one addition was not sufficient to repair the broader weakness throughout the lineup.

First base created another considerable problem. The Diamondbacks received the least productive performance at the position in MLB, with their .636 OPS ranking last by nearly 30 points.

Ildemaro Vargas, Tim Tawa, Jose Fernández and Smith each provided some positive moments. However, none delivered consistent power or developed into a serious threat against right-handed pitching.

The available group of left-handed hitters in free agency is not particularly deep this offseason. If Hazen acquires the type of bat Arizona needs, a trade may represent the most reasonable path.

Such a move could resemble the deal that initially brought Josh Naylor to Arizona in exchange for Slade Cecconi. Whether a comparable opportunity will become available remains uncertain.

The Diamondbacks need more than someone who merely bats from the left side. They require a hitter capable of handling an everyday role, controlling the strike zone and punishing mistakes from right-handed pitchers.

Defensive flexibility would make an acquisition even more useful. A player who can cover first base while also serving as the designated hitter would give manager Torey Lovullo additional lineup options and help distribute at-bats according to matchups.

Arizona also needs dependability. The rotating collection of temporary solutions prevented the lineup from establishing continuity and forced the team to keep searching throughout the season.

Even with limited payroll flexibility and a thin free agent market, the Diamondbacks cannot enter 2027 without upgrading first base and adding legitimate left-handed power.