Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Free Agency: All-Star OF gives nod to Diamondbacks stay, pending physical

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was a prized acquisition for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year. The team followed up his addition, among other things, with a shocking run to the World Series. They are now deciding to keep the star outfielder around, with the two sides agreeing to a deal.

Ken Rosenthal, MLB reporter, had the scoop first. He said on X, formerly known as Twitter:

"Free-agent outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in agreement with Diamondbacks, pending physical, source tells The Athletic."

The Diamondbacks have a strong young core, and they believe Gurriel is paramount to their success moving forward. The young outfielder that came over from the Toronto Blue Jays in a trade is now around for the long haul.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. returns to Arizona

The Arizona Diamondbacks just barely snuck into the playoffs last year as a wild card before embarking on an unprecedented run. They shocked the world by upending the Los Angeles Dodgers and then the reigning NL champion Philadelphia Phillies.

They came up short against the Texas Rangers, but there's clearly something to build upon. They have a nucleus that could be a contender for some time, and they want to continue building upon that. The roster is among baseball's youngest, so there's plenty of time.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is a key part of that. The Diamondbacks liked him so much they sent promising outfielder/catcher Daulton Varsho to Toronto in exchange for him. They didn't want their investment to walk away, so they've signed him back.

The Dodgers and other NL teams have been busy this offseason, and they have strong odds of winning it all. That doesn't help Arizona, but they can sign their players and continue building something that will help them get better and better every single year.