{"id":42350,"date":"2026-02-09T19:55:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T00:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/09\/of-the-pitchers-mike-hazen-inked-to-minor-league-deals-which-ones-could-make-an-impact-in-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T19:55:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T00:55:36","slug":"of-the-pitchers-mike-hazen-inked-to-minor-league-deals-which-ones-could-make-an-impact-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/09\/of-the-pitchers-mike-hazen-inked-to-minor-league-deals-which-ones-could-make-an-impact-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Of the pitchers Mike Hazen inked to minor league deals, which ones could make an impact in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/09\/of-the-pitchers-mike-hazen-inked-to-minor-league-deals-which-ones-could-make-an-impact-in-2026\/#The_Five_Most_Promising_Minor_League_Pitchers\" >The Five Most Promising Minor League Pitchers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/09\/of-the-pitchers-mike-hazen-inked-to-minor-league-deals-which-ones-could-make-an-impact-in-2026\/#Other_Prospects_and_Rule_5_Draft_Picks\" >Other Prospects and Rule 5 Draft Picks<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>If you\u2019ve been focusing only on Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen\u2019s major league signings this offseason, you might be underwhelmed by the limited free-agent pitching acquisitions beyond Merrill Kelly and Taylor Clarke. However, Hazen has been quite active at the minor league level, signing several pitchers who could potentially make an impact on an MLB roster by 2026. This article highlights those key additions and evaluates their chances of breaking through.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Five_Most_Promising_Minor_League_Pitchers\"><\/span>The Five Most Promising Minor League Pitchers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Hazen has signed five minor league pitchers who stand the best chance of contributing at the major league level in 2026 \u2014 assuming they maintain good health.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jonathan Loaisiga (RHP):<\/strong><br \/>\nA detailed article by Makakilo provides great insights on Loaisiga, who arguably has the highest ceiling of this group to add value in the majors in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Derek Law (RHP):<\/strong><br \/>\nLaw proved to be an effective reliever between 2019 and 2024, posting solid ERAs, including a 3.60 with the Reds in 2023 and 2.60 with the Nationals in 2024. However, he will miss the entire 2025 season due to a forearm injury and has not pitched since 2024, raising concerns about his future health and effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thomas Hatch (RHP):<\/strong><br \/>\nIn 2023, Hatch showed moderate success as a reliever in MLB before heading to Japan\u2019s Hiroshima Carp, where his stats were less favorable despite underlying metrics suggesting he wasn\u2019t as ineffective as they seemed. After returning to the U.S., he spent most of 2024 in Triple-A with the Royals and had mixed results in limited MLB innings. He was later claimed by the Twins and appeared in 11 games but posted elevated ERA and advanced metric numbers, indicating struggles.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sean Dubin (RHP):<\/strong><br \/>\nDubin\u2019s best season came in 2024, pitching 45.1 innings for Houston with a 4.17 ERA and solid peripherals. His 2025 performance declined slightly, leading to a waiver claim by Baltimore, where he pitched in seven games, showing some promise. This signing might be one of Hazen\u2019s underrated offseason moves if Dubin returns to form in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Isaiah Campbell (RHP):<\/strong><br \/>\nCampbell had a strong debut with Seattle, posting a 2.83 ERA in 2023, though some advanced stats suggested room for improvement. Injuries limited his 2024 season, resulting in poor MLB numbers, but he showed increased velocity in 2025 during a mostly Triple-A season. If he builds on that progress, Campbell could become a valuable MLB arm.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_Prospects_and_Rule_5_Draft_Picks\"><\/span>Other Prospects and Rule 5 Draft Picks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Several other pitchers have yet to debut in MLB, with varying levels of minor league experience. Pitchers such as Gerardo Carrillo, Indigo Diaz, and Junior Fernandez remain unproven at higher levels, making their major league contributions in the near future unlikely.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding Rule 5 Draft acquisitions, the Diamondbacks did not select players in the MLB phase but added three in the Triple-A phase, including two pitchers:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sean Hurney (RHP):<\/strong><br \/>\nHurney, who played only at Double-A last year with a 4.24 ERA, has had multiple organizational moves and faces a daunting challenge adjusting to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His odds of succeeding enough to reach the majors seem slim.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Antonio Menendez (RHP):<\/strong><br \/>\nMenendez put up strong numbers in Double-A during 2024 and 2025 despite some indications of luck influencing his results. His initial Triple-A stint was tough, but he could rebound in 2026, enhancing his chance of an MLB debut.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Fan Take:<\/strong><br \/>\nThese minor league signings reveal a strategic long-term approach by GM Mike Hazen, emphasizing depth and development rather than immediate marquee additions. For baseball fans, this focus on nurturing young arms could lead to sustainable success and exciting talent breakthroughs in the coming years, highlighting the importance of farm system strength in today\u2019s game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve been focusing only on Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen\u2019s major league signings this offseason, you might be underwhelmed by the limited free-agent pitching acquisitions beyond Merrill Kelly and Taylor Clarke. However, Hazen has been quite active at the minor league level, signing several pitchers who could potentially make an impact on an MLB [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[16],"class_list":{"0":"post-42350","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baseball","8":"tag-baseball"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}