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The defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks have reached a deal to bring back a free-agent outfielder as their revamped 2024 roster takes shape.
“Free-agent outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in agreement with Diamondbacks, pending physical,” reported Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The deal will be for a reported $42 million over three years, with a club option in 2027.
Gurriel hit unrestricted free agency this offseason after a seven-year, $22 million contract he had signed with the Toronto Blue Jays ran out. On December 23, 2022, he was traded to the Diamondbacks along with catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Daulton Varsho and it now appears Arizona will continue to be his home.
Arizona Diamondbacks Sign Lourdes Gurriel Jr. After Career Season, Strong Postseason
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
The Diamondbacks are doubtlessly hoping to return to the World Series in 2024 and now look to be counting on Gurriel’s bat to help them wind up with the trophy this year.
Last season, Gurriel slashed a respectable .309/.463/.772 across 551 at-bats for the Diamondbacks — an uptick in power from what he displayed for the Blue Jays the season before.
He smashed a career-high 24 homers last season.
And in the postseason, Gurriel’s numbers shot up as he became a pivotal part of the team’s Cinderella run through the playoffs.
“Following a regular season in which he belted a career-high 24 homers to help the D-backs reach the postseason, the 30-year-old Gurriel helped fuel Arizona’s improbable run all the way to the World Series by hitting .273 with three doubles, three homers, 11 RBIs and two steals in 17 postseason games,” per MLB.com. “Defensively, 2023 was Gurriel’s finest season in the field, with 14 Defensive Runs Saved as a left fielder even though he also served as the D-backs’ designated hitter in 50 games. The ’23 campaign was also the first in which he was named an All-Star.”
Arizona Diamondbacks Continue Offseason Moves, Look to Return to World Series
GettyArizona Diamondbacks Corbin Carroll takes questions from the media.
After a surprising postseason run, the Arizona Diamondbacks have been active this winter in hopes of returning to the World Series.
The team snagged one of the most coveted starting pitchers on the market by signing Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year, $80 million deal. In November, they signed a trio of relief pitchers to minor league deals. And they bolstered their third-base spot by trading for veteran slugger Eugenio Suárez.
Meanwhile, young stars Corbin Carroll and Zac Gallen were both named to the All-MLB First Team. Reflecting on how to build on an improbable playoff run in the 2023 season, capped with winning the National League’s Rookie of the Year award, Carroll described an approach that emphasizes consistency and faith.
“It’s gonna be tough to do, but just got to take it a day at a time and keep working,” he told MLB Network’s Mark DeRosa. “That’s all I can do, all I can control. That’s what I love, I love the process. The results will come — not always gonna be there, but all I can do is control myself and my process and that’s all I try to do.”
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