Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo had a request. His teammate, Eugenio Suarez, was off to a terrible start last season, struggling to keep his average over .200. Perdomo approached him with an idea.

“He goes, ‘Can you put intensity in your workout?’” Suarez recalled. “I said, ‘What are you talking about? I’ve been doing this for 10 years.’

"He goes, ‘I feel like if you put intensity into your preparation in the cage, in practice, you’re going to be better than what you are right now.’”

Suarez was taken aback. He had been an All-Star, was signed to a sizable contract. At the time, Perdomo was 24 and in just his third year in the majors.

But Suarez thought about Perdomo’s words, the intent behind them, and decided to give the suggestion a try. Suarez, reflecting on the conversation on Tuesday, is glad he did.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

“I always tell him, ‘You put something in my mind that changed my season,’” Suarez said. “It was something that nobody else did for me. I say, ‘I appreciate that you said that to me.’”

It is the sort of interaction that helps illustrate why the Diamondbacks were eager to lock up Perdomo to the four-year, $45 million extension that was finalized on Tuesday, a deal that buys out two free-agent years with a club option for a third.

Measuring Geraldo Perdomo's impact

Perdomo is a smooth defender at shortstop, consistent with his glove and his throws. He grinds out at-bats with a discerning eye. Despite his limited offensive impact, he is often in the middle of rallies, usually sparking them from the bottom of the lineup.

But Diamondbacks people say his value is not limited to his play.

“He's just always seemed very comfortable speaking his mind, being honest with teammates, with us,” Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said. “He calls me out all the time for things that I’m not doing well.”

Assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye said he went to Perdomo last year hoping Perdomo could inspire one of the organization’s prospects to work harder on his defense. Manager Torey Lovullo remembers a time when Perdomo walked into his office after a game and told him he needed to put down his phone and listen.

“I’m like, ‘All right,’” Lovullo recalled, raising his eyebrows. “‘What do you want to talk about?’ I was thinking, ‘I like this. Let’s go.’”

Perdomo said this is the way he has always been. He cannot trace the origin of it, nor can he remember a time when he first realized that people seem to listen to him.

Relating to, and leading teammates from the shortstop position

“I think it comes from God; that’s a gift at the end of the day,” Perdomo said. “I respect all my teammates and I think they respect me, too. I can be on both sides with the white guys and the Latin guys. It’s a gift. I don’t know how to describe it. I just try to be me.”

The contract hammers home something that has been obvious around the Diamondbacks for more than a year, even if it has taken a while to sink in for the rest of the industry — that shortstop belongs to Perdomo.

It had been assumed that he eventually would cede the position to top prospect Jordan Lawlar. Even late in the 2023 season, when Lawlar debuted and Perdomo bounced around the infield, it appeared Perdomo’s hold on the job was tenuous.

Then came the 2023 postseason, with Perdomo playing a key role in the club’s run to the World Series.

While Lawlar might not be the long-term answer at shortstop, Hazen was adamant in saying that nothing has changed in terms of how Lawlar is viewed by the organization.

“When Jordan Lawlar is ready to be on this team, Jordan Lawlar will be on the team,” Hazen said. “We’re not (such) a perfect roster that we’re not going to take impact players. We’ll find places for them to play on our roster. I'm not worried about that at all.”

Hazen credited Sawdaye, his top assistant, for preventing him from trading Perdomo years ago. The Kansas City Royals asked for Perdomo in exchange for outfielder Jon Jay during the 2018 season. Hazen said he was ready to do the deal before Sawdaye intervened.

Perdomo said Tuesday he had heard about that near-trade a couple of years ago. He is glad it didn’t happen. So are the Diamondbacks.

“I told Haze and Torey a couple of times that we didn’t finish our job the last two years, and that’s win the World Series,” Perdomo said. “That’s the mind-set for us, for everybody here.”