Just over a week after their unexpected signing of Madison Bumgarner, the Arizona Diamondbacks have signed another slightly above average aging veteran, this time ex-Angel Kole Calhoun. The D-Backs bring in Calhoun on a 2 year deal, over which he will be paid $6M in 2020 and $8M in 2021, with a $9M club option for 2022 (per Nick Piecoro).
Calhoun is coming off a solid year offensively, in which he recorded a Hard Hit Ball % of 42.1%, walked at a rate of 11.1%, and posted an impressive 22.9% HR/FB.
These peripherals led to a 108 wRC+ and .340 xwOBA, his best offensive output since 2016.
He also held his own defensively, and while his 4.9 UZR/150 was a far cry from his career best, it was enough to keep him above league average, and even helped vault him to a 2.5 fWAR campaign.
This isn’t a game changing signing for Arizona, but it’s a low-risk move that fills a hole, and if Calhoun can continue to be a ~2 fWAR player, it’ll be worth the investment. If anything, this signing signifies that the Diamondbacks are getting ready to compete, and if we’re lucky, they will not stop here.
