Free-agent outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has reached an agreement to rejoin the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s a three-year pact worth $42 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal includes a club option for a fourth season, as well as an opt-out clause that could let Gurriel re-enter the free-agent market after the second season.
The 30-year-old Gurriel made his first All-Star team last season for the NL champion Diamondbacks. In 145 games, he hit .261/.309/.463 (108 OPS+) with 35 doubles, two triples, 24 homers, 82 RBI, 65 runs, five steals and 3.0 WAR. He established new career highs in hits, doubles, home runs and WAR. In 17 playoff games, Gurriel hit .273 with three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI in his 66 at-bats.
In 613 career games at the MLB level, Gurriel has slashed .279/.324/.466, which is good for a 115 OPS+. Even when he’s been tasked with limited playing time in the past, he’s always hit pretty well. Gurriel was ranked by CBS Sports as the 16th best free agent available this offseason. Here’s what we wrote at the time:
Gurriel, who just celebrated his 30th birthday, is a line-drive-hitting corner outfielder who has been a fairly predictable quantity. He’s had his OPS+ finish between 105 and 115 in each of the last three seasons. Simultaneously, he’s launched 20-plus home runs in three of his last four full seasons. Gurriel, in turn, is a solid bet to produce at average or better levels in the near term.
Last season marked Gurriel’s first in Arizona after being traded with Gabriel Moreno from the Blue Jays in exchange for Daulton Varsho. That trade proved to be vital for the Diamondbacks, with Gurriel and Moreno both ranking among the seven most productive players on the roster, as judged by Baseball Reference’s Wins Above Replacement metric.
