Looking at Which Bats Remain for the D-backs in Free Agency

In his Zoom call with the media, Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen stated that the team is still looking to add a bat and the hitter's handedness is not a factor in who they pursue. Given the current makeup of the roster, it still makes more sense for the team to target a right-handed bat over a left-handed bat.

With Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back in the fold, they have a right-handed bat for their outfield but could still serve to upgrade the designated hitter spot. After re-signing Gurriel, the D-backs might be priced out of the top bats left on the market in J.D. Martinez, Jorge Soler, and Rhys Hoskins. We have to account for the fact that teams like Boston, Toronto, and the Yankees, missing out on both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, will have some money to try to improve their roster. However where the D-backs have been good at is attacking the middle tier of free agency, as evidenced by their signings of Gurriel and Eduardo Rodriguez.

Right-Handed Bats

Justin Turner is coming off a solid season with the Red Sox, with a .276/.345/.455 triple slash and 2.1 bWAR. Turner just turned 39 last month, so age is an issue but he also adds veteran leadership to the clubhouse. He'd serve as the DH and backup first baseman on the roster, as the team would only need to cover the 25-30 games they want to give Christian Walker a day off. MLB Trade Rumors and FanGraphs predict a one-year deal for Turner, with MLBTR projecting $16 million and FG $12 million.

Mitch Garver is an interesting case, as his bat is more than enough when healthy. Last season he put up an impressive .270/.370/.500 slash line with 19 home runs and a 134 OPS+, but did so in only 87 games. The issue with signing Garver is the D-backs might not have the depth to afford such a signing if he can only suit up for 100 or so games as a designated hitter and backup catcher.

Alternatively the D-backs could pursue Adam Duvall, Tommy Pham, or Harrison Bader in free agency to serve as a fourth outfielder on this roster. Given that the team still sees Jake McCarthy as a core player, it's unlikely they relegate him to a fifth outfielder role.

Left-Handed Bats

If the D-backs would prefer going with a left-handed bat and make Gurriel a full time left fielder, a DH platoon could be possible. However without signing another outfielder, this move is very unlikely. Cody Bellinger is the top remaining left-handed bat and is an Arizona native, but the cost to sign him plus the weak quality of contact profile in 2023 should have the D-backs looking elsewhere.

Joc Pederson is a player this front office is familiar with from his time with the Dodgers and now Giants. Against right-handed pitchers in 2023, Pederson was a .248/.351/.435 hitter with all 15 of his home runs. He's also been shielded against left-handed pitching with only 109 PA in the past two seasons when not holding the platoon advantage. If the D-backs believe that his batted ball metrics on Baseball Savant are a better indication of his actual skill set with the bat, that's one way to improve the lineup for the 110 or so games they'll face a right-handed pitcher. FanGraphs predicts a two-year, $24 million contract for Pederson.

Eddie Rosario is the only other semi-interesting left-handed bat on the free agent market. He's coming off a year with a .258/.305/.457 slash line with 18 home runs against right-handed pitchers. His Statcast metrics aren't as strong as Pederson's, so he might not be much of an improvement over what the D-backs already have in their outfield.

Depending on how the market shakes out, there are very few options left for Hazen to find bats that provide a substantial improvement to the current lineup. If the organization finds the market to be too rich for adding that extra bat, they could save that money to add the bat they're looking for at the trade deadline.

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