Plenty of players are new to each team.
Trade-Acquired Diamondbacks to Watch.
Tyler Locklear, 1B. He made a change to his swing that helped his batting, which might be impressive with the Diamondbacks. Although he is 24.7 years old, he could be a late bloomer, similar to Christian Walker.
“Now, his hands start lower — below the letters on his jersey, sitting under the shoulders — which seems to be giving him more control and better rhythm as he moves into the zone.” — Tremayne Person, June of 2025.
Trade-Acquired Padres to Watch.
Ramon Laureani, Left Field. OPS+146 with Orioles.
Ryan O’Hearn, DH. OPS+ 135 with Orioles.
Mason Miller, Reliever. ERA+ 111 with As.
JP Sears, Rotation. ERA+ 84 with As.
Freddy Fermin, catcher.
Bryce Johnson, Outfield. Padres re-acquired him in an April trade. This season, his 118 OPS+ is by far his career best.
Promoted Padres to Watch.
Ryan Bergert, Rookie Starter. He was promoted on 26 April. His 152 ERA+ is amazing.
David Morgan, Rookie Reliever. He was promoted on 26 May. His 2.08 ERA in his first 26 innings is remarkable.
What to look for each day.
In addition to their new first baseman, Diamondbacks fans can watch new players with an eye towards their possible roles next season.
Monday, 6:40 PM MST.
Brandon Pfaadt. In June & July (prior to the All-Star break), his FIP improved from 4.93 to 4.52, while his ERA worsened from 5.05 to 5.16. Perhaps his improved FIP predicted his ERA improvement (4.76 ERA after All-Star break).
JP Sears. Former A’s pitcher, he will start for the Padres. This season, his 4.95 ERA is about the same as Brandon Pfaadt.
This matchup of starting pitchers is a toss up. My thoughts wandered to the song Eye of the Tiger, which was NOT sung by Sylvester Stallone.
Tuesday, 6:40 PM MST.
Ryne Nelson. In his 13 games as a starter, his ERA was 2.71. With a little luck, he will be credited with a win.
Yu Darvish. His season started in July. He pitched five games with a 6.46 ERA. However, he may have found how to get back on target. His latest start was the only one with an above average game score of 80.
This matchup of starting pitchers is advantage Diamondbacks. My thoughts wandered to the song Luck be a Lady as sung by Marlon Brando.
Wednesday, 6:40 PM MST.
Anthony DeSclafani. This season he has started two games with an 11.37 ERA. Even if he had only allowed one run in each of the two games, the Diamondbacks would have lost. Therefore, the impact of his extreme ERA was not extreme. Let’s hope he pitches well.
TBA, possibly Nick Pivetta. In 22 games this season, his 2.73 ERA was remarkable.
This matchup of starting pitchers is advantage Padres. My thoughts wandered to the song High Hopes sung by Frank Sinatra.