PHOENIX — It's official. Piña Power is coming back to Chase Field after the Arizona Diamondbacks officially announced on Friday that they have re-signed outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Gurriel reportedly signed a three-year, $42 million contract, which has an opt-out after the 2025 season and a club option for a fourth season.
Gurriel was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays, along with catcher Gabriel Moreno, in exchange for utilityman Daulton Varsho on December 23, 2022.
Gurriel had a great 2023 season, slashing .261/.309/.463 with 24 home runs and 82 RBI. That, along with his purple hair, quickly established him as a fan favorite. Gurriel said the warm welcome from the team and D-backs fans played a big role in his decision to come back to Arizona.
"Honestly from the beginning, since my arrival with my family, we felt very, very welcome," Gurriel said through a translator on Friday. "Just the way everyone in the organization welcomed us and (I'm) just very grateful for all the support that was given to us, everything from my citizenship process to being able to gel and be together with the staff, the coaches, the players. All of that kind of combined, that just kind of made it the right fit."
D-backs General Manager Mike Hazen said bringing Gurriel back was one of the team's top priorities this offseason.
"We felt like we needed to continue to add to our outfield and the middle of our lineup, specifically right-handed hitting," Hazen said. "And, so, he was a natural fit through all of that. Secondarily, I think what he added to our clubhouse last year, what he does for our players, his makeup, his work ethic, those were major factors in bringing him back."
Gurriel also played a large role in the D-backs' deep run in the 2023 playoffs, hitting .273 with three home runs and 11 RBI as the D-backs won their first National League Championship since 2001.
But coming up short of a World Series title still stings for Gurriel.
"We were at the doorstep of making history," Gurriel said. "We kind of came up a little bit short, being able to get the ring. It's definitely a huge motivation for me to want to come back and be part of that and get to that ultimate goal."
Gurriel added that the relationships he built with his teammates this past season also made him want to be a part of this franchise for years to come.
"Once the news started spreading that I was coming back, a lot of people, a lot of players and teammates reached out to me, so just those relationships, that bond that we formed, it had a big impact on me coming back," Gurriel said. "I kind of had a little bit of an exchange of words with some of the players like Gabi Moreno and (Geraldo) Perdomo and (Luis) Frias and I joked with them that they're not getting rid of me that easily now."
Gurriel made his first All-Star Game in 2023 and set career highs in games played (145), runs scored (65), hits (144), doubles (35), home runs (24), extra-base hits (61), total bases (255) and walks (33).
In the field, Gurriel was tied for fifth in MLB for outfield assists (8) and his 14 defensive runs saved was second in MLB among left fielders behind Cleveland's Steven Kwan.
His 3.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) was a career-high and ranked 7th on the 2023 D-backs.
In order to make room for Gurriel on the 40-man roster, the D-backs designated infielder Diego Castillo for assignment.
D-backs not finished this offseason
Now that Gurriel's signing is official, the D-backs 2024 payroll is projected to be $136 million, which would be the highest in team history, eclipsing the team's 2018 payroll, which was $131 million, according to Sports Illustrated.
Hazen said he appreciates the support the D-backs ownership group has shown him and the team after their run to the World Series this fall.
"I think (D-backs Managing General Partner) Ken (Kendrick) has always, (D-backs President & CEO) Derrick (Hall) has always been consistent with telling us if we prove that we have a winning team that’s going onto the field that we will have more to invest into the team," Hazen said. "I think it’s a fair position to take and one that we’ve kind of always operated in.
"So we’re very appreciative of that. And I hope our players and I think our players would be appreciative of that too that we are continuing to try to find ways to build upon what they created for us last year. And I think it’s a reflection of all the hard work that our players put into last season and hopefully, you know, that’s something we’re going to add moving forward. Now it’s going to be up to us to continue to keep it here."
Hazen added that he does not believe the D-backs are done adding players this offseason and that they will be looking to add another hitter to their lineup.
"I feel like we’ve certainly added to our team," Hazen said. "I think our team, on paper, starting out next season is going to be in a very similar if not slightly better position than what we started out 2023 with. So, that’s a decent starting point. I think the competitiveness within our division is going to still require us to continue to upgrade the roster any way we can."
Hazen specifically mentioned that the D-backs will be looking to sign catchers in January to compete for the backup role behind Gabriel Moreno.
However, Hazen also said that the Los Angeles Dodgers committing more than $1 billion to Designated Hitter/Pitcher Shohei Ohtani (10 years, $700 million), Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12 years, $325 million) and Pitcher Tyler Glasnow (Five years, $136.5 million) isn't having any impact on how he is building the 2024 D-backs.
"I don’t really pay much attention to what they do," Hazen said. "We need to figure out what we’re doing, how to make our team better, what we’re going to do to be better than 2023 and that, that’s really all I’m focused on."
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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