Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Position: OF B/T: R/R
Age: 30 (10/10/1993)
2023 Traditional Stats: 145 G, 592 PA, .261/.309/.463/.772, 24 HR, 82 RBI, 35 2B, 33 BB, 5 SB
2023 Advanced Stats: 106 wRC+, 17.4% SO%, 5.6% BB%, .282 BABIP, .326 xwOBA, 2.1 fWAR, 3.0 bWAR
Rundown
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. made his big league debut in April of 2018 with the Toronto Blue Jays. It was not until 2020 when he become a full-time starter as the team’s left fielder during the shortened 60-game season. Gurriel had a few strong campaigns, but after the Blue Jays were swept by the Seattle Mariners in 2022 Wild Card series, the front office decided that changes were needed. So, in late December, the outfielder was packaged in a deal with the team’s No. 1 prospect Gabriel Moreno, and they were traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchanged for utility player Daulton Varsho.
Moreno was considered to be the big piece in that return, especially at the catcher position that has lacked depth across the league in recent years. Gurriel had one-year left on his deal, but Arizona felt that could have an important role to play in 2023. The Diamondbacks were fantastic to start the season, spending most of April, May, and June at the top of the National League West ahead of teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. Gurriel was phenomenal for the first few months, making his first All-Star team after slashing .263/.316/.493 with 15 home runs, 54 runs batted in, and 21 walks in the opening 79 games.
His bat would take a slight dip in the second half, specifically his power, as he slashed .259/.300/.425 with nine home runs and 28 runs batted in over the final 66 games. Gurriel was the perfect veteran for a Diamondbacks team that was filled with young talent, and without him, a run to the World Series may not have been possible. His level of consistency throughout the 2023 season puts him in a great position this off-season. Teams all across the league need help in the outfield, and given his age, Gurriel will be heavily pursued.
Contract
Gurriel is at a point in his career where he is more than deserving of a long-term deal with a significantly increased average annual value. He will get that, especially when he has played in 125 games or more in each of the late three seasons.
According to MLB Trade Rumors, they project a four-year, $54-million deal. Meanwhile, Fangraph‘s crowd-sourced projections a three-year deal worth $36 million. Each projects a contract in the $11.5-million to $14-million range and term between three and four years. For the 30-year-old outfielder, these seem like more than fair projections.
Recommendation
Brandon Nimmo has solidified himself as the everyday starting center fielder, but besides that, the Mets have two unknowns in each corner outfield spot. Starling Marte is the likeliest candidate to be the team’s right fielder, but injuries limited him to 86 games last season and even when he was available, his production was underwhelming. The two-time All-Star is now 35-years-old, so it would be unrealistic to depend on him to feature in around 110-120 games. DJ Stewart is comfortable playing in either corner and while Jeff McNeil has the versatility to do the same, the Mets would like to have him as Francisco Lindor‘s double play partner up the middle.
