*Photo from MLB Trade Rumors*
A new outfielder is going to the desert. The Arizona Diamondbacks and OF Randal Grichuk have agreed to a one year, $2 million deal, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The team has confirmed the signing.
The deal has a $1.5 million salary and a $6 million mutual option for 2025 with a $500,000 buyout to guarantee him $2 million. Grichuk also has another $3.5 million available in bonuses based on plate appearances. Grichuk is recovering from offseason ankle surgery but the D-Backs expect him to be healthy by opening day.
Arizona GM Mike Hazen said of Grichuk that "We're looking every way possible to continue to shore up our roster. We like him as a baseball player first and foremost overall and his ability to go out there in the outfield and his ability to hit lefties."
Grichuk played for the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels last season thanks to being moved at the trade deadline. Combined for both teams, he slashed .267/.321/.459 with a 103 OPS+, hitting 16 home runs and 31 doubles with 44 RBI's in 118 games.
With the D-Backs, Grichuk brings the ability to play all 3 outfield positions and a platoon advantage against lefty pitching. While he had a .244 average and .694 OPS against right handed pitchers in 2023, he had a .328 average and .995 OPS against southpaws, bringing his lifetime OPS to .822 against left handers.
D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo said "Mike and company have done a good job of filling the needs that this team has. I've always been a big fan sitting across the field from Grichuk. And I know that he can come up and have a quality at-bat at the most critical time of the game. We gotta get him in here and just see where he's at. So how he slots in, I'm not exactly sure right now, but we'll figure that out."
Grichuk has played for the Rockies, Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, and St. Louis Cardinals in 10 seasons. He has a .249/.296/.465 slash line with a 101 OPS+, hitting 230 doubles and 191 home runs to go with 556 RBI's in 1,141 games. He has 3 home runs and 4 RBI's in 52 plate appearances over 15 playoff games.
The D-Backs have had a busy offseason, signing Joc Pederson and Eduardo Rodriguez while trading for Eugenio Suarez and re-signing Lourdes Gurriel Jr as they look to build off the momentum gained from making the World Series in 2023.
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