December 18, 2023

Gurriel Deal

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and the Arizona Diamondbacks avoided arbitration with a three year deal:

Gurriel hit .261/.309/.463, setting career highs in games (145), home runs (24) and WAR (3.0). The 30-year-old also had an excellent defensive season, ranking second to Steven Kwan among left fielders by saving 14 runs.

ESPN.com

It was his best season in terms of counting numbers. The pandemic shortened 2020 season was the only one in which he both reached base well and hit for power well. In the three seasons since he did one or the other well, but not both. With at least one of them good, however, he is a solid two WAR player.

So this contract is perfect. He is paid like a one and half WAR player. If he gets one year where his OBP and slugging are both on the high side, the Diamondbacks will get most of the value in that season. If he declines a bit as he hits his 30s, Arizona is not overpaying. There is also the benefit of sending the signal to the other players on the team that success will be rewarded. All in all, this is a very good deal for both sides.

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