The D-backs are reuniting with outfielder Randal Grichuk on a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2026, the club announced on Tuesday. A source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that Grichuk¡¯s base salary for 2025 is expected to be $2 million, with the mutual option for $5 million ($3 million buyout), making it a guaranteed $5 million plus $500K in incentives in 2025. The club did not confirm the value.

¡°[We've] been staying in touch the whole offseason, [and] this was a natural fit for our team,¡± D-backs GM Mike Hazen said. ¡°We are happy to have him back. He was a major piece to what we did last year offensively. I know we¡¯ve lost a little bit of firepower in the home run department. He certainly adds that back for us, especially against lefties. But he played really well for us down the stretch in all phases. I think it continues to build out the depth of the roster for us.¡±

Grichuk had a resurgent year with the D-backs in 2024, slashing .291/.348/.528 with 12 home runs in 279 plate appearances and producing 2.2 bWAR, his highest mark since 2018, when he was with the Blue Jays. During that season with Toronto, Grirchuk¡¯s 2.5 bWAR came in nearly double the number of plate appearances as he had this past season with Arizona.

With his playing time limited in a platoon with fellow outfielder Joc Pederson, Grichuk mostly faced left-handed pitching, but he made the most of it by posting a .914 OPS against southpaws. One of the biggest keys to his 2024 success was a substantial reduction in his strikeout rate -- his career K rate is nearly 25%, but he struck out in a career-low 16.5% of his plate appearances last season. He also posted the highest hard-hit rate of his career, at 47.6%, and saw his barrel rate jump from 7.1% to 11% from ¡¯23 to ¡¯24.

¡°Probably similar,¡± Hazen said of Grichuk¡¯s likely role. ¡°I think there¡¯s probably a healthy amount of DHing vs. lefties. He can certainly spell [Lourdes Gurriel Jr.] vs. lefties and go in the outfield if Gurriel has a day at DH or two. We¡¯ll probably mix and match that around and certainly we know how much of a weapon he was as a pinch-hitter, so there¡¯s going to be plenty of opportunity for that, too.¡±

Grichuk¡¯s strong year came on the heels of a mediocre performance over the three previous seasons -- from 2021-23, Grichuk slashed .255/.299/.434 and produced the exact same bWAR as he did in ¡¯24, but in 301 more games.

If the 2024 Grichuk returns in ¡¯25, it could be a major boost to the lineup from an unlikely source. Perhaps the most crucial stat for him moving forward will continue to be his strikeout rate. If he can keep it below 20%, he may see more and more success at the plate.