Orioles and Diamondbacks Add Righty Bats Ramón Laureano and Randal Grichuk

With a 115 wRC+, the 2024 Orioles had been one of the best offensive crew in franchise historical past, outperforming even essentially the most dominant Baltimore lineups from the Nineteen Sixties, 70s, and 80s. Their 115 wRC+ was additionally good for second within the AL final season, trailing solely their pennant-winning division rivals in New York. A pair thousand miles away, the Diamondbacks additionally completed with a best-in-franchise-history 115 wRC+. That wRC+ was good for second within the Nationwide League, trailing solely Arizona’s World Collection-winning division rivals in Los Angeles. How’s that for symmetry?

On Tuesday, the Birds and the Snakes continued to parallel each other, at the least so far as their lineups are involved. Within the afternoon, the Orioles introduced that they had signed righty-batting outfielder Ramón Laureano, reportedly to a one-year, $4 million deal. Not lengthy after, the D-backs confirmed that they had re-signed righty-batting outfielder Randal Grichuk, reportedly for one yr and $5 million assured. Each offers additionally include choices for 2026. Laureano’s is a $6.5 million crew possibility, whereas Grichuk’s is a $5 million mutual possibility with a $3 million buyout. His wage for 2025 is technically solely $2 million, with that buyout making up the remainder of his $5 million assure. There was a time when each Laureano and Grichuk had been promising, multi-talented, on a regular basis gamers. As of late, nevertheless, they’ve every change into function gamers with two main jobs: deal with a part-time gig within the outfield and hit nicely towards left-handed pitching. That needs to be precisely what the Orioles and Diamondbacks ask them to do in 2025.

Earlier than the 30-year-old Laureano was a part-time participant with an injury-prone repute and the large black mark of a PED suspension on his transcript, he was a budding star. From 2018-21, he performed 313 video games for the Athletics, hitting 49 dwelling runs, swiping 34 bases, and racking up 9 DRS and 13 FRV as a main heart fielder. Though he was by no means in a position to play a full season in that point, he averaged 4.4 WAR per 162 video games. That’s an All-Star-caliber tempo. In 2021, he got here in at no. 40 on our annual commerce worth rating. The next yr, he earned an honorable point out. But, since Laureano returned from his suspension in Might 2022, his worth has pale quick. In every of the previous two seasons, he’s gotten off to such poor begins that his groups had been prepared to provide him away without cost.

In 2023, the A’s DFA’d their once-promising outfielder to save lots of a bit money after he put up an 81 wRC+ and 0.3 WAR in 64 video games. The Guardians claimed him that summer season, however his tenure in Cleveland would final for lower than a yr. With Laureano slashing simply .143/.265/.229 via 31 contests in 2024, the Guardians launched him in Might.

To his credit score, nevertheless, Laureano discovered a technique to salvage each seasons. In 2023, he rebounded sufficient with Cleveland to complete with an total 90 wRC+ and 1.0 WAR in 105 video games. In the meantime, in 2024, he seemed like an entire new participant after the Braves scooped him up on a minor league deal. In 67 video games, he slashed .296/.327/.505 with 10 dwelling runs and a 129 wRC+. All informed, he completed the season with a 108 wRC+ and 0.9 WAR. That’s a far cry from the manufacturing he put up in his early 20s, nevertheless it’s sufficient to maintain him within the main leagues on a assured contract. A fourth outfielder who can provide one-win manufacturing over 100 or so video games is the type of participant that each crew can use. For proof, simply take a look at the Orioles. They already had greater than sufficient outfielders to fill their energetic roster however determined to deliver Laureano into the fold anyway.

When the Orioles signed Dylan Carlson final week, Davy Andrews identified that the O’s had been so loaded with outfielders that they “most likely don’t have sufficient roster spots to maintain all of them in Baltimore.” Laureano is yet one more outfielder, and in contrast to Carlson – who has three minor league choices and a mere six-figure wage – Laureano isn’t only a depth piece. The Orioles signed him with the expectation that he’ll play a job for the large league membership all through the season.

Baltimore has three beginning outfielders: AL Rookie of the Yr runner-up Colton Cowser, long-time heart fielder Cedric Mullins, and free agent addition Tyler O’Neill. The O’s even have the younger slugger and former top-100 prospect Heston Kjerstad, whom they’d absolutely prefer to get within the lineup regularly. That doesn’t appear to go away a variety of taking part in time for Laureano. The hot button is that three of these 4 outfielders – Cowser, Mullins, and Kjerstad – bat lefty, and all three have had their struggles towards left-handed pitching. Cowser produced an 89 wRC+ towards lefties in his rookie season. Mullins got here up as a switch-hitter, however after three seasons he determined to cease batting righty; on the time, he had a profession 25 wRC+ in 111 plate appearances towards lefties. Over the 4 seasons since he ditched switch-hitting, he has an 86 wRC+ in 664 plate appearances when going through southpaws. That’s higher, to make sure, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not good. Kjerstad, in the meantime, had extensive platoon splits final season within the minor leagues. On high of that, the Orioles shall be relying on three further lefty batters in 2025: Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Ryan O’Hearn. With all these lefties within the lineup, it’s straightforward to see why they needed one other right-handed bat – particularly due to the brand new, extra hitter-friendly dimensions in left discipline at Camden Yards.

Laureano’s platoon splits had been negligible throughout his greatest seasons in Oakland, however he has became a short-side platoon bat over the previous few years. His shortcomings towards righty pitching have tanked his total numbers, however the splits reveal he’s been simply as productive as ever when he has the platoon benefit:

With a left-handed pitcher on the mound, supervisor Brandon Hyde can use Laureano to interchange both Mullins, Cowser, or Kjerstad within the outfield. Alternatively, Hyde might play Laureano within the outfield and transfer O’Neill to DH, giving O’Hearn (profession 51 wRC+ towards left-handed pitching) a day without work as a substitute. On high of that, if one or two of Baltimore’s outfielders land on the IL, Laureano is a safer option to tackle a extra common function than somebody like Carlson or Daz Cameron. So, as stunning because it might sound that the Orioles signed yet one more outfielder, Laureano is definitely a reasonably nice match. The O’s haven’t any scarcity of alternatives for him towards lefties and no scarcity of depth to protect him from righties. That feels like an association that ought to work out nicely for each side.

Very similar to Laureano, Grichuk suffered a pointy decline in his age-27 season, reworking from a well-rounded starter right into a flawed function participant. From 2015-18 with the Cardinals and Blue Jays, Grichuk averaged 30 homers and three.0 WAR per 162 video games. Along with his highly effective bat, he introduced additional worth as a quick and productive baserunner and a powerful defender in all three outfield spots. Early within the 2019 marketing campaign, he earned a five-year, $52 million extension from the Blue Jays. But, his offense, protection, and baserunning all slipped that season. Check out how his numbers from 2015-18 examine to his numbers from 2019-23:

Whereas Grichuk took a step again in virtually each respect, he continued to thrive towards left-handed pitching. Actually, he punished southpaws much more than he had earlier than. From 2015-18, he was comparatively platoon impartial, with a 112 wRC+ towards righties and a 108 wRC+ towards lefties. He had the next stroll charge and decrease strikeout charge with the platoon benefit, however he made up for that with barely extra energy towards right-handed pitching. But, beginning in 2019, Grichuk’s bat disappeared towards same-handed opponents. He produced a meager 79 wRC+ in additional than 1,600 plate appearances towards righties from 2019-23. His saving grace was his sturdy efficiency towards lefties. Dealing with southpaws in that very same span, he hit .285 with 38 homers and a 125 wRC+ in 732 journeys to the plate.

Forward of the 2024 marketing campaign, the Diamondbacks inked Grichuk to a $2 million deal to be their fourth outfielder and the quick facet of a DH platoon with Joc Pederson. To name that signing a hit could be a large understatement. In 279 plate appearances, Grichuk hit .291 with a 139 wRC+ and 1.5 WAR. His .359 xwOBA would have ranked within the 91st percentile if he had sufficient batted ball occasions to qualify. And whereas his 151 wRC+ towards lefties was the driving pressure behind his success, he was quietly fairly efficient towards same-handed pitchers. In 95 plate appearances vs. righties, he registered a 116 wRC+ and .317 xwOBA. Though he wasn’t within the lineup day-after-day, he made an enormous distinction for the D-backs when he performed. No Diamondbacks hitter averaged extra RBI per plate look than Grichuk. Certainly, solely eight gamers within the majors drove in runs at the next charge:

Not like Laureano’s slot in Baltimore, Grichuk’s slot in Arizona is reasonably self-explanatory. It’s protected to presume he’ll tackle the same function this yr as he did in 2024. The one query value asking is that if he might find yourself taking part in extra usually towards right-handed pitching. Barring any additional additions, the D-backs will ask the lefty-batting Pavin Smith to fill a Joc Pederson-shaped gap of their lineup. If Smith continues to mash like he did final season, that needs to be a seamless transition; in 2024, Smith produced a 142 wRC+ and a .395 xwOBA in 158 journeys to the plate. Nonetheless, we’re speaking a couple of participant with a profession 98 wRC+. Perhaps one thing lastly clicked for Smith, however till he proves in any other case, I’m inclined to imagine his 2024 efficiency was an unsustainable sizzling streak in a small pattern of video games. So, if Smith struggles this yr, Grichuk might find yourself as supervisor Torey Lovullo’s most suitable choice at DH – even towards right-handed pitching.

Grichuk’s sturdy efficiency in 2024 helped him earn a barely larger assure than Laureano, however in the end, we’re speaking about two comparable gamers who can count on to fill comparable roles in 2025. Neither one in all these short-side platoon bats goes to maneuver the needle in any vital means, however as we noticed final season from Grichuk with the D-backs and Laureano with the Braves, each might be beneficial function gamers on contending golf equipment.