The Major League Baseball offseason is in full swing after the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays to claim their first World Series title. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks got to experience the triumph of hosting the Commissioner's Trophy in 2001, which was just the fourth year of the organization's existence. However, Arizona has not won a World Series since, and success has been few and far between. 

The Diamondbacks won 86 games in 2026, but it was not enough to propel them to the playoffs in the highly competitive National League landscape. It marked the third season since Arizona won the pennant in which it failed to make it to October. 

Now, the Diamondbacks have a lot of decisions to make in the coming months. Specifically, Arizona could use at least one more reliable starting pitcher in its rotation, and acquiring such a player could mean parting with two talented young ones.

Recently, MLB Trade Rumors reported that the Diamondbacks are seeking controllable starting pitching. Getting a starting-caliber one on the trade market may mean parting with outfielders Jordan Lawlar and Ryan Waldschmidt. 

Both are right-handed hitters, which could entice a team in need to part with a starting arm to acquire them. As MLB Trade Rumors points out, neither player would be enough on their own, so general manager Mike Hazen would likely have to offer them as a package deal.

Lawlar has demonstrated potential, but injuries have derailed him since he made his MLB debut in 2023. Lawlar appeared in just 44 games during the 2026 season, but he did register a .258 batting average, a .319 on-base percentage, a .460 slugging percentage and a .779 OPS with six home runs. 

Again, the potential is there, but his health is a concern, and the Diamondbacks' front office may not want to continue to sink time into him if parting ways with him means a good starting pitcher is the return.

On the flip side, Waldschmidt stayed healthy and demonstrated potential over 82 games after making his MLB debut on May 8, but he is still a raw and unpolished product. 

Over the 82 games Waldschmidt appeared in, he posted a .256 batting average, a .325 on-base percentage, a .368 slugging percentage and a .693 OPS. The biggest issue was that he struck out 85 times, which shows that he needs significantly more time to develop into a consistent major league hitter.

The Diamondbacks' offense did a lot of the heavy lifting in 2026 to earn wins, while the starting rotation dealt with injuries, inconsistencies, or both. The focus needs to be on getting another capable arm, and if that means parting ways with players such as Lawlar and Waldschmidt, it might need to be a decision that Hazen needs to make.