The defending National League Champion Arizona Diamondbacks have had a fairly productive offseason. Owners of a solid core, they have been bolstering their roster with veteran free agent signings. General manager Mike Hazen recently mentioned last Friday that the team was still interested in adding pieces, particularly another bat. Less than 24 hours after that declaration, it was announced that the Diamondbacks had signed right-handed outfield Randal Grichuk to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with a $500,000 buyout of a mutual option worth $6 million. Grichuk also stands to earn up to $3.5 million extra in bonus incentives based on plate appearances.

Welcome to Arizona, Randal! 🌵 pic.twitter.com/TGdYMQEU7M

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) February 17, 2024

“We’re looking every way possible to continue to shore up our roster,” Hazen said of the signing. “We like him as a baseball player first and foremost overall and his ability to go out there in the outfield and his ability to hit lefties.”

Drafted 24th overall by the Los Angeles Angels in 2009, Grichuk debuted in 2014 and has played 10 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies, and most recently with the Angels in the second half of the 2023 season. Grichuk’s career has been defined by a reliable consistency that the Diamondbacks will now look to deploy with their roster.

About a month ago, the Diamondbacks reached an agreement with Joc Pederson to serve as their designated hitter primarily. The deal on paper looked like a masterful move by the Diamondbacks as they added a veteran bat that has success in the postseason, but Pederson comes with a glaring weakness against lefties, resulting in a need to have a platoon situation of some sort. Pederson has traditionally dominated right-handed pitching with a career slash of .242/.344/.490 with 142 doubles, 172 home runs, and 421 RBI with a 125 wRC+. Those numbers drop dramatically against lefties.

Luckily for the Diamondbacks, Grichuk can fill that platoon role perfectly. The right-handed hitting 32-year-old has a career .822 OPS against lefties and a slash line of .267/.315/.507. In 1,305 plate appearances, he has 66 home runs and 170 RBI. For a while, Grichuk’s splits were fairly normal and reasonable, as a result of a solid career, but since the start of 2020 he has seen the numbers in the splits begin to drift towards having difficulties against same-handed pitchers. In 2023, a season split between the Rockies and Angels, Grichuk slashed .328/.388/.607 with a .995 OPS against left-handed pitching compared to his .694 OPS against righties. His home runs were evenly split but Grichuk was able to do much more in fewer at-bats against lefties.

This isn’t to say that Grichuk still can’t hold his own against righties as needed, but his window of being an everyday player is quickly closing because of his platoon splits. However, he still provides an intriguing bat once he gets on a role. From 2015 to 2023, Grichuk’s power has been fairly consistent. He has just three 162 game regular seasons where he failed to hit 20 or more home runs, two of which came in the last two seasons. In the shortened 2020 season, Grichuk still managed 12 home runs for the Blue Jays. So, the power may not be as prevalent as it once was when he hit 31 bombs in 2019, he still has the capability to hit 15 home runs over the course of a season, depending on how much playing time he gets.

The start of Grichuk’s 2023 was quite strong for the Rockies. In 64 games after returning from a sports hernia surgery, Grichuk had a .308 AVG and a .861 OPS to go along with eight home runs. Those numbers led the Angels to acquire his services at the deadline along with C.J. Cron but unfortunately, Grichuk struggled in the final 54 games he played with the Angels. He struggled to a .216 AVG and .677 OPS with the Halos, while hitting eight home runs.

Grichuk underwent surgery recently to remove bone spurs in his ankle, something that could have hindered him near the end of last season, meaning that he couple be limited to batting duties to begin the season but his glove is still a valuable asset the Diamondbacks can take advantage of in lineup construction.

While Pederson is mostly landlocked to the DH spot and potentially first base, Grichuk brings some capability to play all three outfield positions. As an outfielder, Grichuk has recorded 8 Defensive Runs Saved and has a +10 Outs Above Average. He owns a career 8.1 Ultimate Zone Rating, carried heavily by his work in the corner outfield positions. Center field is his weakest outfield position, but he has proven an ability to be effective and reliable out there. A strong arm, decent range, and natural instincts in the outfield will give the Diamondbacks some needed versatility they can rely on.

Grichuk’s addition also gives the Diamondbacks the ability to shuffle other outfielders into the DH role as needed. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Corbin Carroll will get plenty the majority of their reps in the outfield, but on the occasion, they need to rest their legs while keeping the bat in the lineup, Torey Lovullo can plug Grichuk into the defensive alignment. A player like Grichuk gives Lovullo flexibility and options to send out the best lineup possible each night, and it’s not costing the team much.

“Mike and company have done a good job of filling the needs that this team has,” Lovullo told MLB.com. “I’ve always been a big fan sitting across the field from [Grichuk]. And I know that he can come up and have a quality at-bat at the most critical time of the game.”

The Diamondbacks have had a successful offseason, while also being cost-effective to not hinder themselves for the coming seasons. With an influx of veterans, Grichuk now joining that crew, to aid a quality homegrown youth movement, the Diamondbacks are poised to strike big in the 2024 season.