D-backs Search for a Right-Handed Bat Continues

The Diamondbacks continue to search for a right-handed hitting infielder to help balance their lineup. Their search in free agency has included Evan Longoria, Justin Turner, and Brandon Drury. Turner and Drury have signed with new teams this week, leaving Arizona scrambling for other options to fill that need.

The search may have been prompted by Emmanuel Rivera's performance against left hand pitching after the trade with Kansas City. With Arizona, Rivera hit .227/.292/.341 against southpaws with just one home run and a 14/3 strikeout to walk ratio in 48 plate appearances. It's a very concerning stat line, as his main role on the team is to be a lefty masher who can platoon with Josh Rojas at third base, spell Christian Walker at first base, and make some starts as the designated hitter. Instead the D-backs are looking for someone else to fill that role.

So where can the team pivot towards in free agency?

Evan Longoria

The former Ray and Giant is a free agent for the first time in his career, but could start seeing some interest with Turner and Drury now out of the market. The 37-year-old third baseman has struggled to stay healthy in an everyday role, playing only 170 games in the past two seasons. When he was in the lineup, Longoria handled lefties pretty well to a .282/.333/.479 slash with 6 home runs and was 19% better than the league average hitter according to Fangraphs' wRC+ stat. He also fared decently against right-handed pitchers with a 107 wRC+, meaning he doesn't have to be pinch hit for late. The questions for Arizona is do they believe Longoria still has something left in the tank physically, can he accept a reduced role, and can he stay healthy for them in that role?

It's also possible that with the Carlos Correa deal falling through the Giants will pivot back to Longoria for one more stop gap year.

Brian Anderson

Anderson was a solid player for the Miami Marlins from 2018 to 2020, but his production took a steep dive in 2022 and he was non-tendered. He's split time between right field and third base, where both Statcast and Baseball Info Solutions graded his glovework positively before they took a nosedive in 2022. Health has also been an issue, as Anderson has played in only 165 games in the past two seasons. His hard hit rate of 42.0% and maximum exit velocity ranked in the 61st and 81st percentiles among big league hitters, but a high ground ball rate has limited his potential as a hitter. He could be the type of hitter who could bounce back if he can get the ball in the air more often to make use of his power tool.

One caveat with Anderson is that for his career he actually has a reverse split, hitting right handers better than lefties.

Vs. RHP: .262/.349/.418, .766 OPS

Vs. LHP: .238/.316/.386, .702 OPS

But in 2022 his split was more typical:

Vs. RHP: .215/.308/.325, .632 OPS (302 PA)

Vs. LHP: .247/.321/.,425, .746 OPS (81 PA)

Longoria and Anderson both have a longer track record of success and might present an upgrade over Rivera in the present, but the question becomes how much it takes to sign one of them and if that money could have been better spent elsewhere. Alternatively, the trade market could be a potential avenue for the D-backs to try to add more balance to their lineup. The team has set a high price for their coveted outfielders however and don't appear close to any deals.