Saturday, February 22

Welcome to the D-backs Beat newsletter! I’m Steve Gilbert, and I’ve been writing about the D-backs since 1998. Let's get right to it …

Mike Hazen had a secret to keep.

The Diamondbacks' general manager had agreed to a contract extension with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, but the deal was pending a physical. In situations like that, neither the team nor the player will wait an extra day for a physical. Neither side wants a fluke injury during a Spring Training workout to throw a wrench into the deal.

It was similar to two springs ago when outfielder Corbin Carroll agreed to a contract extension, and the team immediately had him take a physical, even though it meant scratching him from a Spring Training game that night.

The challenge with the Perdomo signing was that he needed to get his full physical done on Monday, the same day as the D-backs' first full-squad workout of the spring.

With all the commotion and comings and goings of players on the first day of camp, Hazen had a reasonable chance of keeping Perdomo’s absence quiet.

But there Hazen was on a backfield watching what was the expected starting infield, minus Perdomo, running through infield drills. None of the reporters seemed to notice, but then Hazen heard the voice of third baseman Eugenio Suárez.

“Geno kept coming over and saying, ‘Where’s Perdomo? Where’s Perdomo?’” Hazen said. “And I felt like he was going to keep doing that.”

If he did, it would almost certainly attract media attention. So Hazen pulled Suárez aside.

“Can I trust you with a secret?” Hazen asked Suárez, because at this point only the team’s top executives knew about the deal.

Suárez assured Hazen that he could.

“Perdomo is in an MRI tube right now,” Hazen told Suárez.

“Oh no!” Suárez replied. “What happened?”

Hazen then told him he was getting the MRI as part of a physical for a contract extension he was going to sign.

“He promised me he would keep it secret,” Hazen said.

Suárez did indeed keep it a secret -- and no one knew about it right up until news broke later that night.

Suárez made an appearance at Hazen’s press conference to officially announce Perdomo’s signing, and asked Hazen what it meant to the organization to keep Perdomo long-term.

“Are you auditioning for a future career [in the media]?” Hazen responded before telling the story about how Suárez knew before anyone else.

He then threw this into his answer to the veteran third baseman.

“I told other people later that I had told you, and they said that is the worst person you could have trusted with a secret,” Hazen said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Really?’”

“Nobody knew!” Suárez said.

“I know,” Hazen said. “We said it this morning that you kept it and we appreciated that.”

It was a funny part of a feel-good morning at camp with players excited to know that Perdomo is going to be part of the organization for the foreseeable future.

For most pitchers, facing hitters for the first time in Spring Training on the backfields is not a big deal.

But when you’re Drey Jameson and you haven’t faced hitters since July 6, 2023, well, that’s a different story.

Jameson, who missed the second half of 2023 and all of '24 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, is attempting to win a spot in the bullpen this year as the team looks to build back up his innings.

“It was definitely different,” he said of hitters standing in the box against him. “It’s been a long time. But it was fun.”

Infielder Gino Groover, Arizona's No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline, dropped to the ground during workouts Monday feeling lightheaded and dizzy.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo provided an update Tuesday, saying that the team now believes that Groover had likely suffered from food poisoning. He reported to camp Tuesday morning to be looked at by the medical staff before being sent home for the rest of the day.

Whether Corbin Burnes or Zac Gallen starts the regular-season opener against the Cubs remains to be determined, but Burnes will get the ball for Friday’s Cactus League opener against the Rockies at Salt River Fields.

Spring Training workouts are free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MST.

Fans may park in the Desert Lot on the north side of the complex, which is best accessed via 90th Street off Via de Ventura.

Spring Training tickets are currently on sale.

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