Brandon Hughes non-tendered by Diamondbacks

After a disastrous 2024 season, the Diamondbacks have cut ties with left-hander Brandon Hughes.

The Diamondbacks announced they tendered a contract for all eight arbitration eligible players and non-tendered left-hander Brandon Hughes. The team’s 40-man roster now sits at 36 players.

Hughes, 28, signed a minor league deal with the D-backs ahead of Spring Training. Despite a solid showing in camp, he was re-assigned to minor league camp and spent the first month of the season with Triple-A Reno. Following injuries to the pitching staff, he was recalled on April 30 and made his first appearance as an opener. Hughes spent four separate stints in Arizona, pitching to a 8.15 ERA in 15 games. Most of his outings were low-leverage situations. Despite being a pre-arbitration player, the team decided to cut ties.

With Hughes non-tendered, the D-backs now have three left-handed relievers on their 40-man roster: A.J. Puk, Joe Mantiply, and Kyle Nelson. Puk and Mantiply figure to spend most of 2025 on the roster while Nelson is recovering from surgery to treat thoracic outlet syndrome. Kyle Backhus, considered depth in Triple-A, was left off the 40-man roster on Tuesday and is eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft.

It marks the second straight year that Hughes has been non-tendered, getting jettisoned by the Chicago Cubs a year ago. He emerged as a key bullpen arm in 2022 but struggled to stay healthy in 2023 and underwent surgery for his left shoulder. Health wasn’t an issue in 2024 but he struggled in his opportunities to stick in Arizona.

Now a free agent, Hughes will have the opportunity to sign with another club. It’s likely he’ll have to settle for a minor league deal like last offseason.

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Michael McDermott has been writing about the Arizona Diamondbacks, and their minor league system, for 9 seasons for AZ Snake Pit, Diamondbacks on SI, and Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X at x.com/michaelmcdmlb or at Bluesky.