Diamondbacks To Sign Zack Littell

The Diamondbacks have agreed to a deal with right-hander Zack Littell, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The signing comes two days after Littell was released from his one-year, $7MM contract with the Nationals. That $7MM guarantee comes in the form of a $3MM base salary, and a $4MM buyout of a $12MM mutual option for the 2027 season. Washington remains responsible for almost all of Littell’s remaining owed salary, minus the prorated MLB minimum salary that will be covered by the D’Backs. The 30-year-old Littell has a 4.97 ERA, 7.3% walk rate, and 14.6% strikeout rate over 112 1/3 innings this season, working as both a starter and as a bulk pitcher behind an opener. Besides the solid walk rate, there’s not a lot to like about Littell’s bottom-line numbers or Statcast metrics, though his ERA was a little inflated by a trio of particularly rough starts in April. Littell brought a career 3.88 ERA into the 2026 season, and he showed good durability in tossing 186 2/3 innings for the Rays and Reds just a year ago. His lack of strikeouts and some increased propensity for allowing home runs has lowered his value around the league, however, turning Littell into more of a back-of-the-rotation type of innings-eater. More to come… View Comments (2)