2:03PM: The Diamondbacks have officially announced Grichuk’s signing, and created 40-man roster space by moving right-hander Drey Jameson to the 60-day injured list. Jameson underwent Tommy John surgery in September and is expected to miss the entire 2024 season.
10:45AM: The Diamondbacks have signed outfielder Randal Grichuk to a one-year deal worth $2MM in guaranteed money, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (X link). Grichuk will earn $1.5MM in base salary in 2024, and there is a $500K buyout on a mutual option for the 2025 season. If the mutual option is exercised by both sides, Grichuk will earn $6MM in 2025. Grichuk is represented by Excel Sports Management.
Grichuk hit .267/.321/.459 with 16 homers over 471 plate appearance for the Rockies and Angels last season, translating to a perfectly average 100 wRC+ for the 32-year-old. This matches the 100 wRC+ Grichuk has posted over his entire 10-year career in the Show, with a .249/.296/.465 slash line and 191 home runs over 4261 plate appearances. Within those overall numbers sits a decidedly superior set of numbers against left-handed pitching, as the right-handed hitting Grichuk has an .822 career OPS against southpaws as compared to a .735 OPS against righties.
Since the start of the 2020 season, Grichuk’s splits have grown wider, as he has All-Star level numbers against lefties and sub-replacement level production against righties. With the door quite possibly closing on Grichuk’s viability as an everyday player, this perhaps makes him an ideal fit for a Diamondbacks team looking for some right-handed balance within a lefty-heavy outfield mix.
Reports surfaced last week that Grichuk was one of the players the Snakes were eyeing as a veteran complement to outfielders Corbin Carroll and Alek Thomas, as well as the newly-signed Joc Pederson. All three of those players are left-handed bats and only Carroll is a lock for everyday duty, so Grichuk should be able to find plenty of at-bats filling in for Pederson or Thomas when a lefty is on the mound. Grichuk can play all three outfield positions and is at least passable defensively in center, adding to his value as a part-timer.
Coming off a surprise NL pennant, the Diamondbacks have been aggressive in bolstering their roster this offseason. Eduardo Rodriguez was signed to a four-year, $80MM contract, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was brought back for a three-year, $42MM commitment, and Pederson will earn $12.5MM in guaranteed money for his one-year deal (with a mutual option for 2025). Between these signings, Grichuk, and the trade that brought Eugenio Suarez from the Mariners, Arizona has both upgraded the rotation and added a lot of balance, power, and veteran experience to the position player mix.
The D’Backs are projected to have a payroll slightly lower than $143MM next season, as per Roster Resource. While still a pretty modest payroll by league-wide standards, it stands as the larger payroll in Arizona’s franchise history, and a sizeable bump over the club’s $116.1MM Opening Day payroll from 2023. Between these expenditures and new extensions for both GM Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo, the Diamondbacks clearly feel 2023 was just the beginning of a new contention window, and have used their extra playoff revenue to reinvest in the roster.
Nice backup at a low salary
Exactly @manny good move by the Dbacks.
Seeing all these minor league or cheap deals and the Padres passing on all of them has me concerned.
The Pads have four roster spots available and aren’t doing a darn thing.
They will fill them, good chance a prospect or two fills a couple of them.
As quiet as they have been I have to figure preller thinks he is close on a deal.
The D-Backs are the most improved team in the division. As a Giants fan Iâm not too happy but Arizona fans should be ecstatic. Iâd pick them over the Pads for second in the division.
The most improved team in the division? LA brought in Ohtani and Hernandez for the lineup (and brought back Heyward), and Yamamoto, Glasnow, and Paxton (and brought back Kershaw AND added Buehler from injury) to upgrade the one real weakness the team had, but you think the Dbacks are the most improved team in the West?
There is no objective fact to support that inane opinion.
Iâll take the Dodgers as most improved in that division.
@hunteralan
Buehler, Glasnow, Kershaw, and Paxton all have checkered injury histories and/or durability concerns, and while Yamamoto looks like he has legitimate ACE stuff, he’s still unproven at the MLB level (and Dodgers are getting 0 IP from Ohtani this season).
It’s not quite the rotation upgrade that you think it is going from May/Gonsolin to Glasnow/Paxton towards the back of the rotation (or reinstalling Buehler/Kershaw, for that matter); Rodriguez/Pfaadt over Bumgarner/Davies is a larger improvement (that’s not saying it’s a better staff; it’s saying that there’s a larger shift in projections).
Hernandez is adequate (at best) defensively and continues to have suspect plate discipline that he attempts to mitigate the downsides of by swinging early and often; that’s a profile that works until it doesn’t (ask Javy Baez how that’s working for him nowadays). Cracks were already starting to show last season, and the OFs of the NL West are among some of the hardest to play.
This isn’t prime Heyward you’re talking about; you’re talking about a mid-30s platoon bat, that showed the first signs of life in his bat since the Pandemic. That’s far more comparable to Pederson than you’d likely care to admit, and the DBacks won’t be counting on Pederson to play the field (and Joc had the much superior batted ball data and plate discipline).
Ohtani is absolutely an improvement over Martinez at the DH spot, but the difference between Ohtani and Martinez is unlikely to be a greater improvement than Pederson/Grichuk batting almost strictly with platoon advantages when compared to the well below average production the DBacks got out of the DH spot last season.
Plus, the DBacks bringing in Suarez is a big improvement over the production that they received out of their 3B last season (at least as large as the upgrade that the Dodgers received going to Hernandez over Peralta); this is all without considering the young players coming up and/or settling in from both teams, but I can point out that the DBacks have much more space on the roster for those young guys to settle in as impact players.
Dodgers are absolutely the STRONGER team, nobody is denying that; the most improved, though? There’s plenty of objective evidence that the DBacks are the most improved team in the NL West (if not all of MLB).
To be fair there are a lot of question marks surrounding most of the Dodgers additions. Much of the rotation sufferes from glaring injury histories and Yamamoto is still an unproven commodity at the MLB level.
@hunter In the NL West we donât focus on the Dodgers, we focus on the other teams. Dodgers will run away with the division and if not theyâll be the laughing stock of the entire division.
@Highheat, there is also question marks in regards to ERod, Grichuk, Pederson, and Suarez. So to only question the players Dodgers are adding and what they will truly offer is in no way being objective.
@Tigers3232
If we’re being technical every pitcher will always be a question mark, but are you comparing the time that Rodriguez missed with a finger injury and having his season called early on account of spasms (yet still pitched 150+ IP) to:
-Buehler: 2nd TJ in his career, and still working his way back
-Glasnow: pitched a career high 120 IP last season at 30 y/o (and dealt with back and oblique issues last season)
-Kershaw: coming off of shoulder surgery at 36 y/o (with a history of recurring back issues)
-Paxton: last season was his comeback after his 2nd TJ, and he’ll be 35 y/o this season
Now, please tell me that the questions surrounding E-Rod are of the same magnitude as those 4, so I can point out your lack of objectivity.
And what are the questions surrounding Pederson: his defense or poor production against LHP? He has a career 125 wRC+ against RHP, and was signed explicitly to DH against RHP.
How about Grichuk: is it his poor production against RHP or mediocre OF defense? He has a career 115 wRC+ against LHP and was signed mostly to platoon at DH with Pederson (while maybe moonlighting a time or two in RF)
And what are the questions about Suarez? He just came off of his best defensive season, in his largest sample size, and handled both RHP/LHP more than adequately. If it’s workload concerns? The DBacks aren’t going to run him out there all 162 games. If it’s age? He’s 33 and his offensive profile is built around “old man skills”. You take the swing-and-miss on pitches in the zone as long as he’s impacting the ball and not expanding excessively (which is who he’s been historically, including last season)
My “short” (it wasn’t at all) response earlier wasn’t a lack of objectivity; it was not wanting to write a novel about the differences in questions surrounding the nature of individual injuries. Yet here we are….
Your turn to explain the Dodgers situation objectively đ Reminder that “best” and “most improved” are not the same thing.
what you mean tow? they signed their starting left fielder this week.
@Roll gotta tip my cap. That was a good one hahaha
Out of all the days the Hot-Stove is active, this is the day?
Is it active?
3 signings already. That’s a record.
None are major unless you count this one. Also it’s the usual camp is starting flurry of minor signings, invites, etc.
The hot stove will be hot when the big names out there start signing. Maybe in July.
Why did I think he already signed
A properly valued contract for Grichuk. The five-year extension the Blue Jays gave him was bad.
And unnecessary at the time.
Braves should have signed him.
I could see that. Would’ve been nice last year. But he would have no guaranteed at bats. If you have such a potent offense there is really no reason to platoon a young player like Kelenic. They want to develop him into a solid everyday player. They have that luxury an it’s what’s best for them long term (even if it doesn’t work out). I’ve been high on Kelenic for years and I really like his chances in that lineup and I think working with Chipper Jones could help.
I also think with this deal we see the difference when you are a lefty masher as opposed to having the platoon advantage more often as a lefty hitter. Rosario is a similar hitter but he will likely get more than twice this much largely because he’s left handed. I also get the sense people don’t know what to make of Grichuk’s COL production. Would’ve helped if he was good after the trade. I’m thinking Rosario gets 5mil or so
Meh..
Jeesh good thing Jeff Passan was all over this!
I think Randall Grichuk and Steven Piscotty may have the world’s best player agents. Both of them are league average players who’ve managed to bank around 60M+ in their careers. Getting top players 300M+ deals is relatively easy compared to getting average players around 60M+.
Well-timed extensions by their agents.
Great add for AZ. They have the makings of a really good squad. The Joc\Grichuk DH platoon is better than what a lot of teams have at their disposal.
Randy is a good corner guy and can olay CF in a pinch
I like the addition of Grichuk. I also like additions of Suarez and ERod. I’m just not a fan of adding Pederson. I think that $ and roster spot could ve been better utilized.
Drafted 1 pick ahead of Mike Trout.
#themoreyouknow
By the same team. The Angels had back-to-back picks. The Angels knew they had both players so the order drafted didnât matter. If they had a single pick, it would have been Trout, at least thatâs what they said. I believe they purposely waited as a jab against the Yankees, who were the other team all over Trout. They picked after the Angels. One of the Angels two picks came as compensation from the Yankees for signing Mark Teixeira from the Angels. And, no, the Yankees still wouldnât have gotten Trout if they hadnât signed Teixeira. Too bad for Trout.
Nice context
What I have read about the draft order is that the Angels had an informal agreement with Trout and his father regarding the signing bonus, but just before the draft Trout hired an agent who started to make noise about wanting a larger bonus. The Angels then took Trout with the second of the two picks to put him in a lower bonus slot as a shot against the agent. Supposedly after the draft Trout’s father called the Angels GM and told him that Trout would sign for the originally agreed-upon bonus.
as a diehard dbacks fan this is genius. he will kill lefties and bat 260 with 15 to 20 hrs. At 2mil!!
And walk twice.
I like this signing, but I don’t see him getting enough ABs to hit 20 HRs.
Good signing DBacks
I knkw the jays traded him not too long ago and maybe he never wanted to go back anyway BUT this is exactly the type of RHH LHP smashing 4th/ platoon OF the jays needed. Toronto could have doubled the money or even went as far as 4 or 6 and it would have been worth it
KK is the rare re-sign by the Jays. Although many players seem to appreciate the fan base, I have a feeling that once many players get an up close taste of the front office they run awayâŚ.
Kevin Kiermaier
The Jays FO traded him to the Rockies for TapiaâŚ
Randal as a RH bat might be a good signing for that squad. Played hard with the Jays.
Yea if he took walkes he would be an above average bat and above average defender in RF/LF and a passable CF to play when a regular needs 20 off days a year. Because he usually had a 250-260 BA and a 300 obp at best he is only average over a full season but a great Platoon guy and hits 20-25 HRs a year
Bad contract too. Could not believe it at the time.
I wanted Braves to get him as a 4th OF
Great signing for the Dbacks.
This makes the Phillies signing of Whitfield a little weirder. 2mil vs 7mil (I know 8 mil, but that other mil counts as a buyout)
Guess the Phils couldn’t guarantee the pa’s he’ll get with Ariz?
I’ll just back for a 3rd cup of coffee and ponder it some more….
i was thinking exact same poet
NOW, the Dbacks are finished with their Off-Season agenda. A right handed bat that hits lefties to compliment Joc Peterson at DH and fill in for the left-handed OF, with a little bit of thump at a reasonable cost
@scottaz
Only questions left to be answered in camp are:
1.) Who drops off of the 40-man to fit Grichuk? (A: likely Jameson getting moved to the 60-day IL)
2.) Who wins the BU IF spot? (Peterson has the leg up, but I can’t imagine the team is too comfortable having him cover SS)
3.) Who wins the BU C spot? (Barnhart has the track record and experience, but Hernandez has the better projections in spite of that)
4.) Who wins the last bench spot? (McCarthy has the most versatility/upside, but Rivera is out of options)
5.) Who wins the 5th SP spot? (Henry or Nelson have to be the frontrunners, but there is still an outside shot for Cecconi, Jarvis, Walston, or one of the NRIs to make the cut; I highly doubt Mena will be in the running out of the gate, and also doubt that Martin will be used as a SP with his injury history)
6.) How does the front-end of the bullpen shake out? (There are too many moving parts here to throw out all of the names, but at least the back-end is already solidified)
Great spot to be in, with the front of the roster locked in and numerous battles to see who makes it in on the back half. This’ll be a fun season.
highheat
Just got back from Dbacks Spring Training.
Dbacks have quality depth for all of those Spring Training position battles you mentioned. Unfortunately, some of that depth doesnât have options, so Dbacks are going to lose some of that depth. I donât think the Dbacks will choose an inferior sub just because they are out of options. I think the Hazen and Lovullo will put the best 26 players out there on opening day. As they said in their presser this week, they only made the playoffs by 1 game last year and that one game might have been Opening Day.
@scottaz
There is much lower risk of losing depth than you’d think; aside from guys that have signed MLB deals or extensions (or signed MiLB deals with opt-out clauses for not making the 40-man), the only guys on the 40-man that are out of options are: Frias and Rivera.
I think they’ll put the best guys for the job out there as well (except for Lawlar, who needs to be playing every day but has no position to run with at the MLB level currently).
If Rivera has a strong Spring and another team’s depth takes a hit, I can definitely see him (or Peterson) possibly dealt for lottery tickets. I’d rather see Blaze in the BU IF role than any candidate that we could install; hopefully he has a strong ST.
highheat
On 3). B/U catcher. I believe Barnhart was Rodriquezâs personal catcher in Detroit and made Rodriquez a much better pitcher when they were paired together. If that is true, I think Barnhart wins the B/U C battle.
On 2). B/U IF. Iâm not impressed at all by Peterson and he was certainly a lost cause in the Postseason. Iâd rather see a RH bat as the B/U IF, so I âm leaning towards Newman or Blaze Alexander.
And on 4). Iâm leaning hard toward McCarthy. Especially with Suarez now at 3b, there is no longer a revolving carousel at 3b, so Rivera is redundant.
@scottaz
I’m a bit indifferent on the BU C; if they feel that Barnhart is a string enough game caller? I’m on board; if they feel that Hernandez has some upside that they’re look for? I’m also on board. They just need to be able to get Moreno out of the crouch from time to time.
I’d absolutely rather play Blaze as the BU IF, but at least in Peterson’s defense, he was playing down the stretch with a torn meniscus. Alexander just has much more upside and experience playing SS in recent history. Not the biggest fan of Newman as an option, but he’ll do in an emergency; the beginning of the season isn’t an emergency, though lol
I also lean hard towards McCarthy; he still has the upside of an every day player imho, and redundant is exactly the word I use when describing Rivera. I’d just like to see if they can get something (anything) for him before ST ends.
highheat
My other comment on my choices for opening day roster spots is that what Iâm most excited to find out is who will be on the roster at the end of the season and headed into the postseason. That is especially true of the pitching staff, both starters and relievers.
@ihatemooncrickets
BU (or B/U) is “Back Up”; also to answer your earlier question (that wasn’t to me), KK is “Kevin Kiermaier”
Really like the move, if they stay healthy during spring training where does McCarthy fit in on the depth chart. A McCarthy trade look like a good possibility, and Pederson looks like DH only now.
How about throw in a couple prospects along with McCarthy in a package deal with Cleveland for Clase. With Ginkel having an elbow issue right now, although minor, it would not hurt to have another arm in the bullpen.
They’d have to be really good prospects because McCarthy doesn’t have much trade value.
Their lineup against lefties has more power (Corbin, Marte, Montero, Walker, Gino, Lordes, Gru, Alek/DH, Gerry), they can run produce with more speed against righties (Corbin, Marte, Montero, Walker, Joc, Gino, Alek, McCarthy, Gerry). Hazen said Joc will get an opportunity to face lefties and play some OF, but that experiment isnât likely to make it out of ST. They will at least have options off the bench too.
How many outfielders do the Diamondbacks really need? Seems like he would get more opportunities somewhere else.
Hazen has been telegraphing this one for a couple weeks. Probably just waiting for Grichuk to realize that this is his current value and accept his fate. Looks like its time for McCarthy to pack his bags for Reno/Trade or hope for a OF injury in st.
Dbacks have done well this off season
DBacks have done well in stocking up their lineup and bench. Could always use another good bullpen arm and starter though. Hopefully those things will be addressed during ST. Still don’t know what to expect from Miguel Vargas. The guy can throw 103 plus, but has little or no movement and he does get rocked often.. Maybe he can change some of this in upcoming weeks. This team will be very competitive once again..
My bad, make that Miguel CASTRO, not Vargas.
Nice pickup and a nice bench bat. They could use another starter but this is a pretty good team. My worry is that there’s not a lot of depth on the infield especially short.
Good off season but the game is played on the field for 162
@terry g
Part of me thinks that the “lack of depth” at SS is by design; Lawlar has no place on the Active Roster with the commitment to Perdomo and the addition of Suarez.
So the first injury opens the door for Lawlar to get every day reps at the MLB level. But I’ve been wrong about plenty of things lol
I agree. Perdomo can play 2nd, 3rd and short and in my mind would be better at that than a starter. I think :Lawlar still needs everyday at bats at AAA. He’s the future.
103 ops+ is not “perfectly” average obviously. Nit-picking tho. I get there little difference. 101 career OPS+ too.
So cheap, would have fit perfectly to only play against LHP as the Jays 4th OF (they dont have one). Jays have only 3 OF again, 2 are poor hitting LHH…4th “outfielder” is also their 3B? And is a poor hitting LHH (Biggio). Another Atkins whif. Not that it has to be Randal but he wont sign a 4th OF to play against lefties just like he didnt trade for one at the deadline.
I did the maths for Atkins since he was asleep this off season.
Biggio: Career .714 OPS against LHP
IKF: Career .673 OPS against LHP
KK: Career .666 OPS against LHP
Varsho: Career .648 OPS against LHP
These are the “outfielders” the Jays have along with Springer, 2 of them need to play against LHP every game. But also either Biggio or IKF will be 3B every game so uh..it will have to be 3 of the above in the lineup đ
D’backs have had a nice offseason as far their additions go. They may miss the leadership that Longoria provided last year and Pham later in the year but right now this roster looks better than the one they had last season
Good value
Had no idea this guy was still playing. Talk about a quiet career.