D-Backs, Escobar agree to 3-year, $21M contract
In an move that represents an early strike before the start of free agency, the Diamondbacks have re-signed infielder Eduardo Escobar to a three-year, $21 million contract, a deal that brings back a versatile player whom the club acquired as a rental prior to the trade deadline in July.
To hear Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen explain it, the move doesn’t so much signal the Diamondbacks’ intentions when it comes to their offseason strategy as it does give them options to proceed in a variety of directions.
With left-hander Patrick Corbin and center fielder A.J. Pollock entering free agency and seemingly unlikely to return, the Diamondbacks appear to be entering a challenging offseason.
They’ll either have to replace those players while still attempting to improve on this year’s 82-80 finish. Or they will have to shift their focus to the future and contemplate trading off some of their more valuable assets. Or, perhaps, they’ll try to do something in between.
Escobar’s presence could be valuable in any number of scenarios. As he did over the final two months of the season, he could handle third base on an everyday basis. Hazen said he views Escobar as an everyday option at second base, as well. And Hazen acknowledged that Escobar’s presence could allow the team to use its now-fortified infield depth to its advantage on the trade market.
“I think in terms of the flexibility among others that are on the roster currently,” Hazen said, “that affords us the opportunity to be a little more aggressive early in the offseason before we have some of those other answers in place.”
That sort of answer could mean just about anything, but here are two possibilities: The team could trade shortstop Nick Ahmed, move second baseman Ketel Marte to short and play Escobar at second. Or it could trade face-of-thefranchise slugger Paul Goldschmidt, move Lamb to first and play Escobar at third.
A couple of less dramatic options include shifting Marte to center field – an idea that has been discussed internally – and having Escobar take over at second, or just keeping them all on the infield and using Escobar as a super-utility type who gets at-bats at multiple positions on essentially an everyday basis. “I think what we have on our roster currently and with Eduardo is a tremendous amount of flexibility (with) guys that play multiple positions around the diamond,” Hazen said. “We’re going to hopefully use that to our advantage. Really, that’s how he fits in. How it’s going to ultimately look at the end of the offseason, that’s obviously still to be determined.”
Escobar, who turns 30 in January, is coming off the best season of his career in which he hit .272/.334/.489 in 631 plate appearances split between the Twins and the Diamondbacks. His 74 extrabase hits tied for the 14th most in the majors.
Escobar said he felt at home with the Diamondbacks almost immediately upon being traded, adding that he’s open to shifting to whatever position manager Torey Lovullo needs him to play on a daily basis.
“I think the most important thing for me coming here was the people here,” he said. “There are great people here. Everybody took care of my family and that’s the most important thing for me. I signed it because I like it here. I’m happy to be here and ready for next season.”
Hazen called the move a “great first step” to his offseason but stopped short of calling it anything more than that.
“We feel like this is one very strong step in a direction,” Hazen said, “but I don’t think it finishes off a lot of the work that we’re ultimately going to have to do to put the team where we need it to be for me to be able to sit here and say one way or another right now.
“I would ask and caution not to read into either side of those things, as much as I know fans are definitely going to want to do that. We totally understand. (But) it’s a long process for the offseason.”