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6 hours ago
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The Arizona Diamondbacks learned Monday that they'll have a key contributor back next spring, sort of.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., on a day that a lot of players opted out of their contracts, opted in to his.
Gurriel accepted a player option that will be worth $13 million in 2026, according to insider Francys Romero.
He could be under club control through 2027, except that's via a club option and not a player option.
Gurriel was always going to accept this deal, because he tore his ACL in September.
If he's back at all in 2026, it'll be in the latter stages of the season.
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Gurriel was at his best in his first season with Arizona in 2023, when he hit 24 home runs with a .772 OPS.
He kept the batting average in a solid place in 2024 with a .279, and he still had 22 doubles and 18 homers.
In 2025, Gurriel's average dropped to .248, and his OPS to .713. He still hit 24 doubles, two triples and 19 home runs while driving in 80 runs.
Gurriel remains a solid enough hitter to have around at this cost, although there's no telling what his recovery will be like or how he might play once he returns.
But in this case, there was no suspense. A player who tore his ACL in September was surely grateful to have this player option at all. And now he'll hope to make it back soon enough in 2026 to have good contract options available to him before the 2027 season.
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