Nearing the End of a $42 million Contract… Ryu Hyun-jin's Former Teammate Gurriel Released, $5 million Buyout

Arizona released Gurriel, Ryu Hyun-jin's former teammate, on the 18th, five days after designating him for assignment on the 13th. Jose Fernandez was called up to fill the roster spot, and no team claimed Gurriel. The $5 million buyout remains.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

"It was a very difficult decision." Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said this when designating outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment on September 13 (U.S. local time), as reported by Sportsnet. Five days later, the club officially released him. The outfielder played alongside Ryu Hyun-jin in Toronto in 2020.

Gurriel Released September 18… Becomes a Free Agent 5 Days After Being Designated for Assignment

MLB official transaction logshows the split played out within five days. On the 13th, Arizona designated Gurriel for assignment and, as reported by MLB.com, called up infielder Jose Fernandez to fill the spot. Designation for assignment is a move that removes a player from the roster. At that stage, the player is not yet a free agent.

According to RotoWire, no team reportedly claimed his contract off waivers. Arizona released Gurriel on the 18th, and he became a free agent (FA).

From a 7-Year, $22 million Deal in Toronto to the 2023 All-Star Game… 131 Career Home Runs

Gurriel, who is from Cuba, left Cuba with his brother Yuli in February 2016. In November of that year, he signed a 7-year, $22 million contract with Toronto, and he made his major league debut on April 20, 2018. In 2020, he shared a dugout with Ryu Hyun-jin.

He was traded to Arizona on December 23, 2022. In 2023, his first year after the move, he was selected to his first All-Star Game. Cross-checking Baseball-Reference and MLB official records (accessed September 19, 2026), his major league career line is 926 games, 941 hits, 131 home runs and 513 RBIs, with a 0.271 batting average.

Gurriel's Contract: 3 Years, $42 million… $5 million Buyout Remains Even After Release

According to Forbes, the new contract he signed in December 2023 pays $10 million in 2024, $14 million in 2025 and $13 million in 2026. Adding the three seasons gives $37 million. On top of that comes a $5 million buyout, paid when the club declines its 2027 option, bringing the guaranteed total to $42 million.

Releasing him does not make this money disappear. RotoWire reported that Arizona must pay this $5 million buyout. How much of this year's salary remained at the time of the release could not be confirmed, because there is no official settlement data. His $13 million salary this year was the seventh-largest in the payroll table below.

Rank	Player	2026 Contracted Salary (USD)	Note
1	Corbin Burnes	35 million
2	Nolan Arenado	27 million	Before deduction of amounts covered by other clubs
3	Zac Gallen	22,025,000	Before deferral discount
4	Eduardo Rodriguez	21 million
5	Merrill Kelly	18 million
6	Ketel Marte	15 million	Excludes incentives
7	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	13 million	Based on pre-release contract, excludes buyout
8	Corbin Carroll	10,625,000

This is the salary column of the FanGraphs RosterResource payroll table, sorted (as of 20:00 on 2026.09.19). It is neither an official league ranking nor a ranking of take-home pay.

2026 Season: 51 Games, 0.210 Average… Knee, Hamstring and Adductor Injuries

According to Sportsnet's tally, his numbers at the time of release were 51 games, a 0.210 batting average, 2 home runs and 22 RBIs. That is 0.061 lower than his career average of 0.271. RotoWire reported that he missed time with knee, hamstring and adductor injuries and managed only a 0.254 on-base percentage and 0.290 slugging percentage in 201 plate appearances. Added together, his OPS is 0.544.

RotoWire's editors judged that his lower price could bring him an opportunity, but he may have to accept a minor league contract. That is only a forecast, and there is no news of a contract yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who pays Gurriel's $5 million buyout?

Arizona pays it. It is the price of not exercising the $14 million club option for 2027. This amount is already included in the $42 million guaranteed total, so adding it separately would double-count it.

Q. What is the difference between Gurriel being designated for assignment and being released?

He was removed from the 40-man roster when he was designated for assignment on September 13. After it was reported that no team had claimed him off waivers, he was released on September 18 and became a free agent.

Q. Has Gurriel's next team been decided?

As of September 19, 2026, no contract has been confirmed. RotoWire forecast the possibility of a minor league contract, but that is not an actual signing, and it is still undecided whether he will land another guaranteed major league contract.

Related Official Sites

Arizona Diamondbacks Official Website — Club news and roster status
Arizona Official Transaction Log — Check the original dates of designation for assignment and release
MLB Official Player Stats for Gurriel — Look up season and career stats

Featured image · Archival photo · Not an on-site photo of a current game in the article · Archival photo from his 2020 Toronto days · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (All-Pro Reels), CC BY-SA 2.0 · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lourdes_Gurriel_Jr._from_the_Nationals_vs._Blue_Jays_at_Nationals_Park,_July_28,_2020_(All-Pro_Reels_Photography)_(50164598808).jpg