Speaking at the team’s charity golf event on Friday, CEO Derrick Hall seemed to give the latest indication that the Diamondbacks aren’t expecting to bring back slugging free-agent outfielder J.D. Martinez.

Hall said the Diamondbacks’ payroll will be “close to where we’ve been the last couple of years.” The club ended last season somewhere above $105 million and next year’s roster projects north of $115 million. That would appear to leave little room for another big-ticket item like Martinez, whose agent, Scott Boras, seems to be positioning his client for a major payday.

The Diamondbacks could always get creative by making cost-cutting moves – or they could unexpected stretch the payroll like they did two offseasons ago to sign right-hander Zack Greinke, but Hall didn’t suggest as much.

“(We had) some good conversations (before free agency began) and since then he’s sought new representation, so things have changed from those initial conversations,” Hall said. “But J.D. is such a great guy and we’re just glad to know that he enjoyed his time here because we enjoyed him being here, too.”

Hall said the club’s target 2018 payroll could rise as the offseason progresses depending on whether the club’s anticipated revenues increase, but he said that wouldn’t be a significant jump.

“You’re not talking about $10 million,” he said.

To that end, Hall said the team has seen strong numbers in its season-ticket renewals for next year. He said the team normally hopes for an 80-85 percent renewal rate; it is already over 90 percent for next year.

“With the season we had, we expected the results to be strong and they have been,” Hall said. “I’m thrilled with where we’re at and we’ve had a lot of new sales in addition to the renewals.”

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Waiting game

Right-hander Archie Bradley said he’s still waiting to hear on what role the club anticipates he’ll fill next year, reiterating that while he’d prefer to start, he’ll do whatever the club thinks is best to win.

“At the end of the day, I want to win and I want the ball in my hand,” Bradley said. “If that’s as a closer, a middle reliever, as a starter – and that’s obviously what I would prefer to do; I think I could be a really good guy every fifth day – but, whatever it is, I just want to win. I want to be successful.”

Bradley is coming off a dominant season in relief, in which he posted a 1.73 ERA in 73 innings. He had been a starter throughout his career in the minors and majors before being shifted to relief because of a crowded rotation in April.

Relief option?

The Diamondbacks enter the offseason with a mostly wide-open bullpen, but one pitcher the club seems to be considering as a relief possibility is right-hander Braden Shipley.

Like Bradley, Shipley had been groomed as a starter throughout his professional career but made seven relief appearances at the big-league level this year. Six of those were shorter appearances, and in them he gave up just two runs in seven innings, walking two and striking out eight.

“At the end of the year, I kind of really figured out how the bullpen works,” Shipley said. “I figured out my routine, and I felt pretty good. Right now, I just feel like whatever I need to do to help the team. If I can be successful out of the bullpen and help the team eat up innings or pitch important innings, I’d be more than happy to do that.”

Shipley’s fastball sat in the 93-94 mph range in those short relief appearances.

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Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.