Arizona Diamondbacks sign veteran reliever Taylor Clarke after Kansas City Royals decline arbitration

The Diamondbacks made it official on their X account, revealing that they've struck a deal with RHP Taylor Clarke for a 1-year contract. To clear space on the 40-man roster, RHP Gus Varland has been designated for assignment.

While the team hasn't shared the salary details yet, reports suggest a base value between $1.5 million and $1.55 million, plus incentives that could raise the total over $2 million.Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen commented on the addition, saying, “Obviously, we know the makeup and have a long history with him, so it was a good fit for us.” This reflects the team's familiarity with Clarke, who was originally drafted by Arizona.

Why the Arizona Diamondbacks non-tendered Taylor Clarke

Taylor Clarke, set to celebrate his 33rd birthday in May 2026, was picked by the Diamondbacks during the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft after playing at the College of Charleston. He made his major league debut in 2019, taking on a swing role, and played for Arizona over three seasons, participating in 78 games (with 20 of those being starts) from 2019 to 2021.During the shortened 2020 season, Clarke mostly moved to the bullpen, where he has been working for about five years now.

In 2024, he did make a few starts for Milwaukee's Triple-A squad but continued to be a reliever in the big leagues.

After the 2021 season, Arizona decided not to keep Clarke, who had a nearly 5.00 ERA (4.98 ERA in 43 games). He wasted no time and signed a major league contract with the Kansas City Royals in December 2021.Clarke hung out with the Royals, got traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, and went through waivers before making his way back to Kansas City on a minor league contract ahead of the 2025 season.

Kansas Royals' non-tender and Taylor Clarke's 2025 performance

On November 21, 2025, the Kansas City Royals revealed they wouldn't be offering contracts to Clarke and outfielder MJ Melendez, turning both into free agents. This move caught some people off guard since Clarke had his best season ever in 2025.In 51 games with Kansas City, Clarke had a record of 1-1 and posted a 3.25 ERA across 55⅓ innings. He held opponents to a .194 batting average, notched 44 strikeouts while allowing only nine walks, making him one of just two MLB pitchers with over 50 appearances and nine or fewer walks.

His stats showed excellent control (4.4% walk rate) and a low .208 BABIP, although some metrics, such as strikeout rate, were around the average.They chose to skip the arbitration tender, which was projected to be around $2 million, despite having a great year.

Taylor Clarke returns to the Arizona Diamondbacks

This signing represents a change from the 2021 offseason events: Clarke was non-tendered by Arizona, then signed with Kansas City, and now he's back with the Diamondbacks after Kansas City decided not to tender him.After more than five years in the league, Clarke can't be sent down to the minors without agreeing to it, which locks him in for the Opening Day roster. He'll be teaming up with Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel in the bullpen, adding some solid middle-innings support and depth.The Diamondbacks' bullpen is still a major point of interest, particularly with A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez both dealing with injuries from Tommy John surgery. Hazen has mentioned that more players might be brought in before spring training since the team doesn't have top-tier options for late innings and might have to depend on younger or less experienced pitchers at first.Clarke's veteran presence, control, and familiarity with the organization help raise the bullpen floor as Arizona aims to contend in 2026.Also Read: Alex Bregman thanks Boston Red Sox for ‘honor’ of playing there before choosing five-year Chicago Cubs’ $175 million dollar contract