Arizona Diamondbacks Top Prospect Just Got Dealt a Really Tough Message

Jordan Lawlar, expected to be the D'Backs shortstop of the future, all of a sudden finds himself on the outside looking in after the team gave a contract extension to Geraldo Perdomo.

2. SS Jordan Lawlar at spring training. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Monday night, the Arizona Diamondbacks came to a contract agreement with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo.

Jeff Passan of ESPN had the information on social media:

BREAKING: Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a four-year, $45 million contract extension that also has a club option, sources tell ESPN. The deal will start in 2026 and buys out up to three years of free agency for the 25-year-old Perdomo.

BREAKING: Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a four-year, $45 million contract extension that also has a club option, sources tell ESPN. The deal will start in 2026 and buys out up to three years of free agency for the 25-year-old Perdomo.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 18, 2025

Perdomo, 25, hit .273 last year for the D'Backs over 337 at-bats. He had three homers and nine stolen bases. In that All-Star season (2023), he helped the D'Backs get to the World Series, hitting .246 with six homers and 57 RBIs. He stole 16 bases that year.

This extension news is good for Arizona but it is undoubtedly bad for top prospect Jordan Lawlar. With Ketel Marte cemented at second, Perdomo at short and Eugenio Suarez at third, there's certainly less chances for Lawlar to get on the field. We already knew he was likely to start the year in Triple-A, but the path back to the big leagues in general just got more crowded.

Lawlar was just ranked as the No. 2 shortstop prospect in the sport and the No. 13 prospect overall by Baseball America. He had just 85 at-bats in 2024 because of injury.

The 22-year-old Texas native has 31 career at-bats at the big-league level, making his debut in 2023. He played just 23 games across three minor league levels in 2024, hitting .318 in those 85 at-bats.

He was healthy enough to play 27 games in the Dominican Winter League this year, hitting .237 with three home runs for Tigres del Licey.

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