Report: Arizona Diamondbacks in on right-handed hitting candidates to platoon at DH

The Arizona Diamondbacks are looking into coupling a right-handed hitter at DH with newly acquired left-handed bat Joc Pederson, per Mark Feinsand of MLB Network.

Pederson was acquired by the DBacks through free agency on Jan. 25. He is signed through 2024 with a mutual option for 2025. He'll make $9.5 million this season, and faces a $3 million buyout if the two sides do not pick up his 2025 option.

Pederson was likely acquired in hopes of him being able to hit right-handed pitching for the DBacks, as the lefty bat owns a career .834 OPS against righties. Pederson, however, has a .622 OPS against left-handed pitching in his career. If the team is pursuing right-handed bats, it very well could be because the DBacks want a DH option who can hit southpaws.

As Feinsand points to in his tweet, three candidates for the spot could be Randal Grichuk, Tommy Pham and Adam Duvall. When it comes to hitting left-handed pitching, Feinsand notes that Grichuk has fared the best, at least according to OPS. Grichuk's .995 OPS against lefties last season towers over Pham's .787 and Duvall's .756.

The advantage for Pham, however, would be continuity. Pham was traded to the DBacks last season, and he also played well for Arizona.

Driving in 32 runs for Arizona in 50 games, Pham carried that momentum into the postseason. He hit three home runs and scored 10 runs in 16 playoff games with the DBacks.

It's worth noting that Pham and Pederson previously were in a physical altercation prior to a game in 2022 over a dispute that they had about an incident in their fantasy football league.

Pham was the only one of the three candidates Feinsand mentioned who did not struggle with durability last season. Grichuk missed 44 games, and despite having a strong start to the season, faded after being traded to the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline. He went from hitting .308 with the Colorado Rockies to .216 with the Halos.

Duvall missed 70 games, although did hit well in the 92 games he did play in. Duvall hit 21 home runs, brought home 58 RBIs and recorded an .834 OPS when he was on the field for the Boston Red Sox.

There are pros and cons for the DBacks to weigh with all three options, but if this report is true, then one thing is for certain: Arizona does not seem to be done adding to its roster in an offseason where it already has been uncharacteristic with spending.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Report: Arizona Diamondbacks in on right-handed bats to platoon at DH