As the Arizona Diamondbacks get ready to wrap up spring training with two games against the Guardians at Chase Field, there’s a looming question at the forefront of everyone’s mind right now.
For weeks, the Snakes manager, Torey Lovullo, has been fielding questions about the D-Backs pitching rotation and who he plans on starting on opening day. The Diamondbacks boast one of the deepest pitching bullpens in the National League, led by former Cy Young award winner, Corbin Burnes.
The chatter of who Lovullo will give the opening day nod to continued after the Diamondbacks lost their most recent spring training game to the Angels, 11-5 with Merill Kelly on the mound for the D-Backs.
The Saint Patrick’s Day wash brought forth the question of who the opening day opportunity should be bestowed upon.
“There are a lot of people around me who have different parts in that conversation, so we’re trying to figure it out,” Lovullo said during media availability prior to their matchup versus the Angels. “We have to have depth. We have to have starters, six, seven and eight ready to step in and help us win baseball games.”
The Diamondbacks have seven active roster pitchers on their squad right now. The aforementioned former Cy Young winner, Corbin Burnes, and his teammates, Zac Gallen, Merill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, Jordan Montgomery and Ryne Nelson.
Now, while the question may be causing the Diamondbacks management some additional stress, this is a situation that any team would be happy to have.
Any team would be enthused to have a pitching bullpen so deep, that you’re spending ten to fifteen minutes every press conference answering questions specifically about how you plan to utilize such a deep arsenal of weapons.
If you’re having any questions about how deep this team is – Arizona Sports writer, Lance Hartzler called the potential rotation of Burnes, Gallen and Kelly a “three-headed monster.”
Lovullo has received help from both wanted and unwanted entities about his upcoming decision, and while acknowledging and weighing all his options, he understands that this decision may potentially bruise some egos.
“In two of the three cases, even though we’re talking about seven guys. A couple of pitchers have had that experience where they have had to go the bullpen,” Lovullo said.
“As for the opening day starter? It’s getting pretty close. I’ll probably take tomorrow to give it some really good thought. I have everything I need, I just need to process it.”
The Diamondbacks have seven spring training games left, including two games back at home base, Chase Field, versus the Guardians. With a little under a week to make the decision, Lovullo will likely continue receiving questions about the choice until it’s publicly announced.
But, I have a hunch that Lovullo is loving every second of these questions. The immense talent this roster holds in the bullpen is enough to make any manager burst at the seams.
On March 13th, 2025, MLB.com writer, Anthony Castrovince ranked the top 10 pitching staffs in the major leagues. Of course, we can all guess who number one was.
But, the Diamondbacks were given the fifth-best spot in the major leagues. His assessment of their bullpen? Well, it sounds like with the right amount of health and development, this team can get scary fast.
So yeah, Lovullo probably dreads walking up to the podium for every pre and post-game press conference knowing he’s about to face an absurd amount of questions about how he’s going to make such a deep rotation work.
But, when he steps down from the podium and finds solitude in his office to ponder the bullpen question – I’m willing to bet that a smile emerges on his face.
