This article is part of a series chronicling the individual seasons of players who appeared for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024.

Reviews for players who still have rookie eligibility for 2025 will appear in our prospect season reviews. Players are presented in the reverse order of their aWAR, an average of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs WAR.

2024 Contract status: Arbitration, one year, $925,000.

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ bullpen had its moments of greatness, along with its inconsistency. But left-hander Joe Mantiply put forward one of the more consistent seasons from a D-backs reliever. He might not have put out the flashiest numbers – as he rarely does – but the former All-Star served his role admirably, and as a whole, pitched better than the box score might show.

As relief numbers can be volatile, Mantiply’s season began on a somewhat low note, giving up three hits and two runs against the Colorado Rockies. That set his ERA at a lofty 18.00 after just one appearance.

After that, he put out five scoreless showings, allowing just two hits in that span. He allowed a run in just three of his 14 April appearances, good for a 3.09 monthly ERA.

In May, he collected his first save of the season, and also made his first start of 2024, serving as a one-inning opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, doing so in scoreless, hitless fashion..

A poor outing against the Tigers in a blowout loss on May 18 saw his ERA spike again, when he gave up three runs without recording an out. But he allowed just three hits and one run in his other 10 May appearances.

He maintained an effective middle relief pace, tending to surrender runs in the middle of months, but pitching well for the most part. He never allowed more than five earned runs in a month’s worth of action, and finished with a 3.92 ERA.

But that number is bolstered by a stellar 2.51 FIP and 3.24 xERA, meaning he was often the victim of poor batted ball luck, and rarely gave up the long ball, with a sparkling 0.15 home runs per nine, with just one homer allowed in 59.2 innings.

Those 59.2 innings nearly matched his 2022 total (60.0), and the former All-Star pitched nearly as well as he did in his 2022 campaign, despite being the only effective left-hander in Arizona’s bullpen for the majority of the season until A.J. Puk was added at the Trade Deadline.

Mantiply had to face some of the game’s best hitters, and wasn’t limited to just left-handed batters. Of course, he found some success against MLB’s top superstar in Shohei Ohtani, limiting the Japanese sensation to just one hit and three strikeouts in nine plate appearances.

Mantiply’s ability to deliver against some of the best of the best, while pitching to an overall excellent season despite some occasionally poor results, made him a valuable asset to the D-backs’ relief corp, maintaining a consistent stability in the heart of close games.

2025 Contract status: Arbitration 2

Mantiply will be arbitration-eligible again in 2025. While he is 34 years old, he’s only pitched significant innings in the majors in his last four seasons. He made $925,000 in his first year of arbitration in 2024, and will be a likely return for the D-backs in 2025.

Spotrac estimates Mantiply’s second year of arbitration will land him a deal worth $1,580,000 in 2025, and he won’t be a free agent until 2027.

With the steady, consistent nature of his play, and the premium that effective left-hand relievers are considered to be, it will be a surprise if Mantiply is not pitching significant innings for Arizona again for the 2025 season, barring injury or severe underperformance.

James Sutherland contributed to this report.

David Laudati, a former swim coach in Arizona, has been ruled ineligible by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, effective September 17, 2024. He was previously temporarily suspended, but that status was updated for “criminal disposition” of the case, though Maricopa County court records show that he pleaded not guilty and the case is still going through pre-trial motions.

The “ineligible” status, without a “permanent” qualifier, means that the window for arbitration is still open. The status is updated after the window for arbitration closes.

Laudati, 41, was arrested by the Connecticut U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force and Newington Police Department in July and faces 19 felony charges in Maricopa County, Arizona, authorities reported.

Laudati was charged with 11 counts of voyeurism and eight counts of attempt to commit voyeurism stemming from allegations following a September 2023 investigation by the Buckeye Police Department in Arizona.

The investigation found that Laudati secretly recorded student-athletes in the changeroom.

He was apprehended by the Buckeye Police Department and U.S. Marshals on Monday at his home in Newington, Conn.

Laudati was employed as a swim coach at Millenium High School in Goodyear, Ariz., and the Arizona Dolphins swim team prior to the investigation. He was suspended by the Agua Fria High School District and barred from all school campuses in the district and directed not to have contact with any students once the investigation began.

On Sept. 9, 2023, a parent contacted the Buckeye Police Department informing them that their 14-year-old daughter was changing after swim practice and noticed a cell phone in the restroom at the Center on Main Pool in Verrado, Ariz., shortly after Laudati had finished coaching an Arizona Dolphins practice.

Police said the phone was found recording in a mesh pocket in Laudati’s backpack, which was left on top of a changing table.

The Buckeye Police Special Victims Unit obtained a search warrant for Laudati’s home on Sept. 11 and seized his phone. During forensic testing, detectives were able to locate several photos showing female minors partially undressed or nude in the Center on Main restroom and the Litchfield Park Recreation Center locker room. A total of three victims were identified between 14 and 17 years of age.

On July 16, 2024, Laudati was indicted by the Maricopa County Grand Jury after evidence was presented.

He will be extradited back to Maricopa County to face the charges against him.

Newington police said he was detained on a $500,000 bond and was set to face a judge in New Britain on Tuesday.

Laudati was also previously employed as a swim coach at the Mandell Jewish Community Center in West Hartford, Conn., as recently as 2019.

In 2022, he was the Arizona Republic’s High School boys’ swim coach of the year.

On August 5, 2024, Laudati was given a temporary suspension by USA Swimming and listed in the U.S. Center for SafeSport database under allegations of misconduct.

Game officials ruled that the retractable roof needed to be closed once rain — and some hail — began falling into State Farm Stadium.

The process takes roughly 10 minutes for the roof to close, and with four minutes left in the first half, it is now shut.

LIVE UPDATES: Cardinals host Bears

The National Weather Service reported isolated thunderstorms developing in the area, and expects gusty winds and occasional lightning to accompany showers.