According to the team’s transaction log, the Arizona Diamondbacks have brought back one of their 2025 bullpen pieces, inking right-hander to a contract that likely includes an invitation to major league Spring Training.
Curtiss quietly proved to be a valuable contributor for the D-backs in 2025, delivering steady production during a season in which injuries and attrition took a toll on many of Arizona’s primary high-leverage relievers.
Curtiss, a 32-year-old veteran reliever, turned in a respectable 3.93 ERA and 4.01 FIP across 30 outings, totaling 36.2 innings of work. He posted a 3–2 record and picked up his first save in four seasons. While he was never viewed as a high-end bullpen option, Curtiss nonetheless supplied meaningful innings for Arizona.
The right-hander originally joined the Diamondbacks on a minor league contract in February of 2025, prior to the start of the season. He earned a call-up on June 28 and, as injuries continued to thin Arizona’s relief corps, remained on the major league roster for the rest of the year.
Curtiss’ capacity to handle multi-inning stints on a regular basis added significant value to a bullpen in need of dependable workload coverage. Bringing him back to vie for a similar middle-relief role should prove beneficial for the Diamondbacks.
“I’m just grateful to still be in the league,” Curtiss said to D-backs.TV’s Todd Walsh after recording an extra-inning win against the Minnesota Twins (a former club of his) on September 13.
“The likelihood of me still being here on September 13th of 2025 did not seem very high when I got designated for assignment in December or January of 2019 at this point, so I’m just happy to still be here and still be competing.”
Curtiss seems likely to find a role back on the MLB roster again, barring major external additions this offseason. Even so, there could be a spot for him in less high-leverage situations. Though he handled the back end assignment well in 2025, the D-backs would do well to land multiple leverage arms in the coming months.
Arizona’s bullpen was one of the many sore spots on the roster in 2025. The very fact that Arizona had to turn to so many journeyman arms like Curtiss is a testament to how brutal navigating the relief space was this past season.
But Curtiss stood out as more than just a cast-off. He truly pitched well for the D-backs under less-than-ideal circumstances, and seems likely to bring at least some value back in his return.
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