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Diamondbacks DFA Former All-Star
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- Diamondbacks DFA Former All-Star
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He was the supposed "throw in" for the Arizona Diamondbacks when they swung a blockbuster deal with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022 for top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno . But Lourdes Gurriel Jr. turned out to be a lot more than that for the D-Backs in 2023. He was an All-Star, slugging 24 home runs along with 82 RBIs. He also played a big role in their postseason run into the World Series. Moreno is now, as expected, the prized gem in that deal, and Gurriel Jr.'s career has fallen off a cliff. Arizona has now designated him for assignment.
It's been a frustrating and injury-riddled season for the 32-year-old. He's been on the injured list three times and has never recaptured his mojo. Gurriel was DFA'd after hitting .210 with a .544 OPS. His 51 OPS+ means he was just about 50% worse than the average major league hitter. He had two homers and 22 RBIs while batting .210.
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Injuries prevented Gurriel Jr. from getting into a groove in 2026; now DFA'd
The season began on an ominous note, as he was forced to start on the IL, recovering from his September ACL surgery. He did return sooner than expected, but started extremely slowly. Gurriel batted just .194 in April after coming back for the second half of the month. He didn't register his first HR until May 17. Just five days later, it was back to the IL with a left hamstring strain.
He was back in the lineup on June 15, but that lasted only a month, until a right adductor strain knocked him out for another six weeks.
The Diamondbacks held a team option at $14M on Gurriel for the 2027 season, but with the decision already made that they would not be picking it up, they decided to move on now. They will have to pay a $5M buyout, but that saves them $9M.
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The team is battling for a Wild Card berth, and Gurriel was effectively unplayable at this point. The Snakes are 1.5 games back of the soaring San Diego Padres for the last postseason berth in the National League. Every at-bat matters.
Gurriel Jr. was a pretty consistent performer for the team in his first three seasons there, hovering around the 20-HR, 80-RBI mark. In 2023, in addition to his All-Star regular season, he launched three homers with 11 RBIs in the Snakes' 17 postseason games. He batted .333 with a home run and 5 RBIs in their 5-game World Series defeat. Whether he'll ever be able to get back to that type of production remains to be seen. He'll be turning 33 next month.
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