Diamondbacks demonstrate Geraldo Perdomo’s importance

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SCOTTSDALE — The Arizona Diamondbacks value shortstop Geraldo Perdomo’s defensive stability, at-bat quality and leadership skills, rewarding the impact he’s had on the club with a contract extension on Tuesday.

The deal begins in 2026 and runs through 2029 with a $15 million club option for 2030, keeping Perdomo in Arizona at least two years beyond when he would have hit free agency.

Contract talks developed last week, but the Diamondbacks have known the 25-year-old possesses rare qualities for a long time, particularly his ability to connect with those around him.

“We saw it in the minor leagues,” general manager Mike Hazen said on Tuesday after the extension announcement. “I remember seeing him play in Kane County. I think it’s innate. I think it’s something he’s very comfortable with. I don’t think you can throw leadership on certain people. … He’s just always seemed very comfortable speaking his mind, being honest with teammates, with us.”

Perdomo called his ability to connect with teammates from all walks of life a gift, saying how showing respect and having fun with players of different backgrounds has earned him that level of respect. On the field, he has a feel for when to talk to his pitchers. In the clubhouse, he commands attention.

The Diamondbacks threw him into the pool early, calling him up as a 21-year-old in 2021, and Perdomo remembers not swinging once during his first MLB plate appearance. Over the years, manager Torey Lovullo has been open about being hard on Perdomo, and the young infielder has stepped up to the challenge of being consistent.

“I really started to pound the table hard for Gerry to get this and be a Diamondback for as many years as possible,” Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Tuesday.

“What does he represent? Stability, leadership, consistency. … I need a shortstop to play the baseball game just the exact same way that he does, and I’ve been very hard on him. I’m not gonna lie. When he got here, he was still young, he still needed some training, and we had some very difficult conversations.”

Geraldo Perdomo develops into franchise shortstop

Perdomo played 11 games in 2021 and had to fill in for the injured Nick Ahmed for much of 2022. He played 148 games as a rookie, showing promise as a defender while struggling to get much going at the plate (.195 average).

But the D-backs maintained faith in the process, platooning him with longtime starting shortstop Ahmed in 2023.

Perdomo made the All-Star Game as an injury replacement after a hot start. Despite cooling off in the second half, he stepped up as a reliable, consistent everyday player in the postseason and earned his spot as the franchise shortstop going forward.

He continued to make strides as a defender, someone who may not have the flashiest highlight reel but makes up for it with his feel for the position.

“Shortstop is a tricky position,” Hazen said. “There’s an element of where can you get to on the field to make plays. And then there’s an element of making every single play and I think the sure handedness, steadiness, consistency, his technique, how he plays the position, is up there at the very top of of the game.

“We value how he plays the position, from intelligence, positioning and so many things I think get undervalued that may not show up on objective things at times, but the consistency with which he makes every play is a value for that position.”

The switch-hitter is an absolute headache for pitchers at the bottom of the order. He’s had minuscule chase, whiff and strikeout percentages, all in at least the 90th percentile of MLB last season, per Statcast. It is very common to watch him work a full count with Arizona’s power threats due up next, giving him the chance to work a walk or see a pitch to hit and flip the lineup.

Paired with a strong walk rate in each of the past two seasons (12.9% and 9.3%, respectively), Perdomo’s extension should most excite Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte at the top of the order, Hazen said.

The club learned the hard way during the first two months of 2024 — after Perdomo suffered a meniscus tear — how much of a void his absence created.

“We talked about it last year when he was out how much we missed him and what it meant,” Hazen said. “Yes, that was a topic that we discussed.”

Fortunately for the club, they did not take him out of circulation too soon.

Hazen credited assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye for arguing against potentially dealing Perdomo as a prospect way back in 2017. The Diamondbacks made a trade for veteran outfielder Jon Jay after reaching the 2017 postseason, and Hazen said Perdomo was on the table at one point. Instead, Arizona dealt pitchers Gabe Speier and Elvis Luciano, holding onto a future core member of the organization.

“I’m very thankful that Amiel didn’t let me trade him in 2017 for Jon Jay,” Hazen said. “Amiel said, ‘No chance you can trade Perdomo.’ So we didn’t, thankfully, and he’s still here because of it.”

Perdomo added, “I’m glad he didn’t trade me,” saying they’ve joked about it since then.

Diamondbacks committing to young core

The Diamondbacks have now committed long-term contracts to two members of its young core after signing Carroll through the 2030 season in 2023. Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson, Justin Martinez and Jordan Lawlar have also come through the system over the past few years, while Gabriel Moreno is in that age range having been traded from Toronto.

The Diamondbacks have some potential reshuffling on the horizon with a number of key free agents going into next winter. Investing in that young core, Hazen explained, is valuable to building sustainability.

“We’re going to try as much as we can to keep this group together, because I think that group of teammates staying together that have all come up through the minor leagues together, which I think is part of the reason they play well together at the major league level now, the level of respect between teammates is an important thing for us to try to build upon,” Hazen said.

Perdomo called this a special moment for his family in the Dominican Republic. The deal is worth a reported $45 million, life-changing money for his family after he described growing up without having much.

As for what changes for him in Arizona, he said nothing. He feels the team has unfinished business after the previous two years and is focused on winning with his guys.

“At the end of the day, it’s not about me,” Perdomo said. “It’s about how we are as a group, we are like a family. Sometimes a different guy has something to say … we support each other.

“I told Hazen and Torey a couple times we didn’t finish our job the last two years. It’s win the World Series. That’s what the mindset is right now.”




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