The Diamondbacks signed a first baseman Luke Baker in the minors’ agreement, reports Just Baseball Media’s Aram Leighton. Baker qualified for minor league free agency at the end of the season, and chose to test the open market rather than stick with the Dodgers organization.
A second-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2018 draft, Baker spent most of his career in the St. Louis organization. Baker never saw any MLB playing time in Los Angeles, so his major league resume remains his 73 games played with the Cardinals in the 2023-25 seasons, with a .206/.317/.338 line and four home runs to show for 189 plate appearances.
This lack of production didn’t really merit him more playing time, however Baker was also held back to some extent from being there. Paul Goldschmidt, Wilson Contreras, Alec Burlesonand others in the beginning. Baker has been limited by his lack of versatility on defense, having only played first base and DH during his professional career. This has made him a useful piece even on a Cardinals team undergoing a rebuild, as Baker enters his age-29 season.
Baker earned his first call-up to the majors on the strength of a big season with Triple-A Memphis in 2023, when he hit .334/.439/.720 with 33 home runs over 380 PA. He followed that year with a 32-homer campaign and a minor (.231 / .345 / .535) slash line at Memphis in 2024, but his numbers continued to tail off, as Baker hit only .223 / .335 / .441 with 18 homers over 409 combined PA and Affiliates’ highs. of Do25. Baker’s numbers improved significantly after his move from Memphis to Oklahoma City, which may have less to do with the change in location and more to do with the move to the pitcher-friendly Pacific Coast League.
The Diamondbacks’ Triple-A Reno club is also in the PCL, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Baker posted some numbers in 2026 that look good on paper. There’s no risk for the Snakes in seeing what Baker can do with at least some depth, and if he can turn his raw power into any kind of consistent production at the big league level. Depending on the MLB system, the right-handed hitting Baker may fit into a platoon situation with a left-handed swing. Pavin Smith at first and DH, and the D’Backs may hope that Baker can follow Smith’s example as a freshman who didn’t break into the majors until his late 20s.
Signing Baker to a non-guaranteed deal shouldn’t prevent the D’Backs from exploring right-handed bats who excel in the role, such as former Arizona star Paul Goldschmidt. The Diamondbacks’ outfield status remains in flux, as rumors continue to circulate that Ketel Marte could be traded, and that the D’Backs could be a dark horse suitor Alex Bregman. Such a move would not affect the starting role, unless another starting candidate or right-handed bat could be brought on board as part of a trade package for Marte.
