The Diamondbacks are reportedly in settlement with outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on a brand new contract, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal, which is pending a bodily, is for 3 years and $42M in response to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel. The deal contains an opt-out after the second season and a membership choice for a fourth season, which MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand stories is price $14M. Gurriel performed in Arizona in 2023 after becoming a member of the membership alongside catcher Gabriel Moreno within the commerce that despatched Daulton Varsho to the Blue Jays.
Gurriel, 30, made his first profession All-Star look in 2023 thanks largely to a blistering month of Could throughout which Gurriel slashed .352/.416/.714. That manufacturing proved to be one thing of an outlier for the outfielder, nonetheless, as he fell again to earth within the surrounding months with a sub-.700 OPS in every of April, June, and July which left him with an total slash line of simply .246/.294/.445 in 388 journeys to the plate getting into the month of August. Gurriel managed to show issues again round down the stretch, nonetheless, with a .287/.335/.492 slash line in his ultimate 200 journeys to the plate in the course of the common season. He additionally carried out decently (93 wRC+) in 70 journeys to the plate throughout Arizona’s postseason run, together with a .333/.350/.500 slash line in opposition to the Rangers in the course of the World Sequence.
Regardless of Gurriel’s uneven efficiency in 2023, he’s been a steadily above-average bat all through his profession with an above-average wRC+ yearly since he debuted within the majors again in 2018. Since turning into an on a regular basis participant in the course of the shortened 2020 season, Gurriel has slashed .279/.326/.456 with a wRC+ of 112. He additionally receives robust marks for his protection in left discipline, together with a +14 Defensive Runs Saves with Arizona final season. Whereas Gurriel managed simply 5 homers in 121 video games with the Blue Jays in 2022, he rediscovered his energy stroke with the Diamondbacks final 12 months, clubbing 24 house runs to go together with 35 doubles, each of which have been career-best figures. If he can preserve that energy output whereas bouncing again from a career-worst .282 BABIP final season, it’s potential Gurriel can unlock one other degree of offensive potential as he enters his thirties.
Given the dearth of constant offensive choices out there on the free agent market this offseason, it’s not a shock that Gurriel was in a position to land a wholesome assure. The overall assure of $42M clocked in $12M under the four-year, $54M contract MLBTR projected Gurriel for when inserting him 14th on our annual Top 50 MLB free agents list, although it’s price noting that the typical annual worth of the deal is, against this, increased than we projected. Whereas Gurriel is essentially restricted to left discipline defensively and has not but posted actually impactful offensive numbers over a full season as an on a regular basis participant, his consistency and potential upside make him a worthwhile funding for an Arizona membership that was trying so as to add to its outfield combine this offseason.
Looking forward to 2024, Gurriel profiles because the membership’s on a regular basis left fielder the place he’ll seemingly patrol the outfield alongside Alek Thomas and Corbin Carroll, with the likes of Jake McCarthy and Dominic Fletcher as depth choices behind the beginning trio. It’s price noting that Gurriel is the one right-handed bat in that outfield combine and will assist the membership’s outfield produce in opposition to left-handers, who he slashed a formidable .301/.363/.452 in opposition to final season. Arizona struggled badly in opposition to left-handed pitching in 2023, with a collective wRC+ of simply 92 that ranked eighth-worst amongst all main league golf equipment. Retaining Gurriel ought to assist alleviate that flaw, notably given the membership’s addition of third baseman Eugenio Suarez.
It’s been a busy offseason for the Diamondbacks, who inked left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year deal earlier this month along with the aforementioned commerce for Suarez and now a reunion with Gurriel. Whereas RosterResource tasks the Gurriel contract to take the membership’s 2024 payroll into uncharted territory with a $140M determine, it seems that the membership doesn’t intend to decelerate from right here. Passan suggests the membership nonetheless plans on including a power-hitting DH to their lineup earlier than the offseason involves an in depth, whereas USA Today’s Bob Nightengale particularly denotes the membership’s curiosity in right-handed veterans J.D. Martinez and Justin Turner. Jorge Soler is one other identify the membership has been connected to in latest weeks that would fill that function.
