Geraldo Perdomo Indicators 4-Yr Extension With Diamondbacks

Geraldo Perdomo is just not leaving Arizona any time quickly. On Monday night time, Mike Rodriguez reported that the Diamondbacks and their switch-hitting shortstop had agreed to a contract extension, which is for 4 years and $45 million, features a membership possibility for a fifth season, and begins in 2026, in line with ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The 25-year-old Perdomo has simply over three years of huge league service time, so the deal will purchase out his last two arbitration seasons and at the least the primary two years after he would’ve reached free company. Perdomo was an All-Star in 2023, and he put up 2.0 WAR in 2024 regardless of an April knee damage that restricted him to 98 video games. He’s now set to spend everything of his 20s offering the Diamondbacks with a throwback mix of stable shortstop protection and an absolute refusal to swing the bat.

Perdomo bought a cup of espresso in 2021 and performed his first full season in 2022, working a 59 wRC+ that restricted him to simply 0.3 WAR. In 2023, he earned an All-Star nod on the again of a torrid, BABIP-fueled begin that noticed him with a 200 wRC+ on Could 3. He shortly got here again to earth, however ended up working a 117 wRC+ within the first half and a 74 wRC+ within the second half, for an general mark of 98 and a pair of.3 WAR. Perdomo missed simply over two months resulting from a torn meniscus in 2024, however he put up a 101 wRC+ and his second straight two-win season. Primarily, he’s been a bit higher than league common for 2 seasons now, and that was sufficient to persuade Arizona to lock him down for everything of his prime. Perdomo and the Diamondbacks had already averted arbitration by agreeing on a $2.55 million wage for 2025, and the brand new deal will add a $5 million signing bonus to that. He’ll obtain a $5 million wage in 2026, then $8 million in 2027, $11 million in 2028, and $13 million in 2029. The Diamondbacks even have a $15 million membership possibility for 2030, with a $3 million buyout ought to they select to not train it. There are additionally incentives for a top-10 end within the MVP voting.

That’s a fairly large dedication, even larger when you think about the truth that the Diamondbacks have shortstop Jordan Lawlar, whom Eric Longenhagen simply ranked our 14th general prospect. Let’s speak about why the Diamondbacks really feel Perdomo is value extending, even when it means blocking one of the best prospect of their system.

Personally, I believe Perdomo is among the most fascinating gamers within the sport. He got here up as a glove-first shortstop prospect, and he definitely seems the half, however the superior defensive metrics have been break up on his efficiency for his complete profession.

For his first two seasons, DRS thought he was costing the Diamondbacks runs. Then in 2024, the season when he missed time resulting from a serious leg damage, it thought he was among the finest shortstops in baseball. Statcast has just about seen him as impartial all through his three-year profession, whereas DRP thinks he’s been nice except for 2023. Clearly, although, the Diamondbacks consider in his protection.

On offense, Perdomo is simply plain bizarre. I do know I summarized his general offensive efficiency earlier, and people numbers are fairly normal – he’s been proper round league common for 2 straight seasons – but it surely’s vital to know how he bought to these numbers. For starters, Perdomo can not cease bunting. Over the previous three seasons, Perdomo has laid down 66 bunts, essentially the most in baseball. His 33 sac bunts are additionally essentially the most within the sport; solely three different gamers have even reached 20. His 15 bunt hits rank eighth, however among the many 61 gamers with at the least six bunt hits over that interval, his 23.8% bunt hit price ranks lifeless final. Much more damning, he leads baseball with 52 foul bunts. In line with Baseball Savant, these fouls have price the Diamondbacks 4 runs. That’s the worst quantity in baseball.

The bunting is genuinely an issue, but it surely matches completely with Perdomo’s general strategy on the plate, as a result of that strategy could possibly be finest summed up as “Attempt with all of your may to keep away from swinging.” Perdomo is among the most passive gamers in all of baseball. Our database goes again to 2002, and since then, Perdomo’s 39.2% swing price ranks forty eighth out of the 1,129 batters with at the least 1,000 plate appearances. That places him within the fifth percentile. Over the previous three seasons, it’s the sixth-lowest mark within the sport. Perdomo is the precise sort of participant whom Robert Orr’s SEAGER metric was constructed to reveal. In 2024, SEAGER had him within the 77th percentile when it comes to selectivity, but it surely put him within the second percentile when it comes to taking hittable pitches. In different phrases, Perdomo’s unwillingness to swing at strikes is far more excessive than his capability to put off balls.

Remember that SEAGER was meant to evaluate a participant’s capability to do injury, and, effectively, that’s simply not Perdomo’s sport. He runs a few of the lowest contact high quality numbers in baseball. Nonetheless, he makes tons of contact. Not solely that, however over the previous two seasons, he’s run a foul price of almost 43%, one of many larger marks within the sport. It’s almost unattainable to get him to swing and miss, even when he swings and doesn’t put the ball in play. So regardless that pitchers assault the zone like loopy, he runs wonderful stroll and strikeout charges. If I’m making it sound like each single a part of Perdomo’s sport is at one excessive or one other, effectively, yeah, that’s just about how it’s. His Baseball Savant sliders are both shiny purple or shiny blue. He’s all endurance, no energy. He’s the uncommon participant who runs an unimaginable squared-up price however an unimpressive line drive price. As a result of Perdomo places tons of balls in play, he’ll all the time have the prospect at posting an incredible BABIP and placing up a three- or four-win season, however except he decides to attempt attacking the ball, there’s not a lot ceiling right here.

I’m so, so curious to see what it might appear like if Perdomo had been to start out attacking the ball. He’s nonetheless younger, and I actually do suppose it’s doable that he has the capability to be greater than a mean hitter. I’m certain the Diamondbacks keep in mind clearly how effectively it labored out when he was pulling all the things in sight firstly of the 2023 season, and perhaps they’ll attempt to assist him turn into that participant once more. Nonetheless, I don’t suppose we must always anticipate that going ahead. I believe the Diamondbacks are paying for ground somewhat than ceiling. Nonetheless he will get there, if Perdomo retains performing like a two-win participant, the contract will work out effectively for each side. If he can stay a stable defender and a league-average bat, he’s a very helpful participant, even when he pushes Lawlar to 3rd base. Within the meantime, all of us get to take pleasure in watching Perdomo reside on the extremes to be able to carry out proper on the imply.