Geraldo Perdomo Signs Four-Year Extension With Diamondbacks

Geraldo Perdomo will not be leaving Arizona any time quickly. On Monday evening, 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, based on 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 ultimate two arbitration seasons and not less than 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 harm 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 obtained a cup of espresso in 2021 and performed his first full season in 2022, operating 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 Might 3. He rapidly got here again to earth, however ended up operating 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 as a consequence of a torn meniscus in 2024, however he put up a 101 wRC+ and his second straight two-win season. Basically, 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 prevented 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 reasonably large dedication, even greater when you think about the truth that the Diamondbacks have shortstop Jordan Lawlar, whom Eric Longenhagen simply ranked our 14th general prospect. Let’s discuss why the Diamondbacks really feel Perdomo is price extending, even when it means blocking one of the best prospect of their system.

Personally, I believe Perdomo is likely one of 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 cut up on his efficiency for his whole profession.

For his first two seasons, DRS thought he was costing the Diamondbacks runs. Then in 2024, the season when he missed time as a consequence of a significant leg harm, it thought he was the most effective shortstops in baseball. Statcast has just about seen him as impartial all through his three-year profession, whereas DRP thinks he’s been nice apart from 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 customary – he’s been proper round league common for 2 straight seasons – nevertheless it’s necessary to know how he obtained to these numbers. For starters, Perdomo can’t 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 not less than six bunt hits over that interval, his 23.8% bunt hit price ranks useless final. Much more damning, he leads baseball with 52 foul bunts. In response to Baseball Savant, these fouls have value the Diamondbacks 4 runs. That’s the worst quantity in baseball.

The bunting is genuinely an issue, nevertheless it suits completely with Perdomo’s general strategy on the plate, as a result of that strategy may very well be finest summed up as “Attempt with all of your would possibly to keep away from swinging.” Perdomo is likely one of 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 not less than 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 form of participant whom Robert Orr’s SEAGER metric was constructed to reveal. In 2024, SEAGER had him within the 77th percentile by way of selectivity, nevertheless it put him within the second percentile by way of taking hittable pitches. In different phrases, Perdomo’s unwillingness to swing at strikes is far more excessive than his means to put off balls.

Understand that SEAGER was meant to evaluate a participant’s means to do harm, and, effectively, that’s simply not Perdomo’s sport. He runs a number 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 not possible to get him to swing and miss, even when he swings and doesn’t put the ball in play. So despite the fact 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 vibrant crimson or vibrant blue. He’s all persistence, no energy. He’s the uncommon participant who runs an unbelievable squared-up price however an unimpressive line drive price. As a result of Perdomo places tons of balls in play, he’ll at all times have the possibility at posting an excellent BABIP and placing up a three- or four-win season, however until he decides to strive attacking the ball, there’s not a lot ceiling right here.

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