Arraez on the Block: Four Teams Make Their Case for Padres All-Star

Luis Arráez has played on three different teams in the last three years. His incredibly unique skill set has made him an attractive trade candidate, but he seems to have a difficult time finding a stable home.

Currently with the Padres, Arraez could be on the move again this offseason as the team looks to shed some payroll.

The Padres’ estimated payroll for 2025 is currently sitting at $210 million. That is a $41 million increase from their final total in 2024 of $169 million.

It is rumored that Arraez as well as Dylan Cease are being shopped due to their relatively high projected arbitration salaries. Arraez is predicted to make $14.6M in arbitration this offseason.

With that relatively high arbitration number, why would teams be willing to take on Arraez? Well, his value comes from a particularly unique skill set that most have become familiar with. Since 2022, Arraez leads all qualified hitters with a .328 batting average.

He is also first in strikeout rate (5.6%), first in hits (576), and 12th in OBP (.371). A 123 wRC+ over the last three seasons shows what his elite contact skills can bring to an offense.

Last season was his worst by wRC+ since 2021, but after struggling in Miami, he finished with a 111 wRC+ in 117 games with San Diego.

The downsides to Luis Arraez are his minimal power output and lack of a home defensively. Despite those flaws, there should be a handful of teams in the market to employ Arraez for next season.

Here are four clubs that should explore trading for the three-time batting champion.

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners have struggled to produce offensively for numerous seasons now. The offense has often been to blame for their shortcomings.

It has become clear that boasting the best rotation in baseball won’t get you very far if your offense can’t back it up. Just one postseason appearance since 2002 should be enough to encourage the Mariners to take some chances.

Last season, the Mariners’ offense ranked 12th in wRC+. Despite an above-average wRC+, they ranked 21st in runs scored, 29th in batting average, and 29th in strikeout rate. These offensive deficiencies show pretty clearly why Arraez would be a great fit in Seattle.

The two most glaring flaws of this team in 2024 were the egregious number of strikeouts and the inability to pick up base hits. What better way to address your biggest flaws than to add the best player in all of baseball at both of those things?

When looking at how the Mariners are set to line up in 2024, there is a clear hole at second base. As it stands, the projected Opening Day starter at second would be Ryan Bliss. Bliss made his MLB debut last season and was decent (but unremarkable) in 33 games, finishing with a 101 wRC+.

Adding Arraez would likely send Bliss or veteran Dylan Moore to the bench. Whoever it ends up being, this would be a drastic improvement to the Seattle lineup. He would be an excellent table setter for Julio Rodríguez, Cal Raleigh, and Randy Arozarena.

While the Mariners certainly could trade from their greatest area of strength if they want to, they could likely acquire Arraez without having to give up anyone from their rotation.

The Mariners have been mentioned in trade rumors tied to their rotation since the offseason began. They are potentially looking to make a big leaguer for big leaguer trade in order to provide this lineup with a boost.

Yet, given that all of the Mariners starters have a significant amount of team control, they are all significantly more valuable than Arraez, who would be a one-year rental.

Adding Arraez could be the perfect way for the M’s to keep the rotation together while also improving the offense significantly. The only question is if they’ll be willing to pay his projected salary.

New York Yankees

The Yankees have had a busy offseason. After losing out on Juan Soto, they went and signed Max Fried and have now traded for both Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger. All indications point to them not being done making moves.

They have recently been rumored to have interest in first basemen Christian Walker (before he signed with the Astros), Pete Alonso, and Carlos Santana.

After losing Soto, this team needs help replacing his production in the lineup. It is impossible to have one player replace Soto, but if they can put quality pieces around Aaron Judge, their overall team numbers should not fall off too significantly.

The two weak spots in the Yankees lineup that stand out right now are Oswaldo Cabrera at third base and Ben Rice at first.

A lot of Cabrera’s value comes from being able to play multiple positions. In his major league career, he has logged 70-plus innings at six different positions: every infield position as well as left and right field.

Providing average defense across the field is great, but a career 80 wRC+ makes him more suited to a role as a bench bat.

Rice, on the other hand, struggled quite a bit as a rookie. His 73 wRC+ and -0.3 fWAR in 50 games make it hard to imagine the Yankees starting him at first base come Opening Day.

Arraez’s ability to play both first and second base would allow the Yankees a little more flexibility in free agency.

If they are able to add someone like Ha-Seong Kim, they could move Jazz Chisholm to third and have Arraez play first. If they add a first baseman like Alonso, they can have Chisholm play third and stomach Arraez’s bad defense at second.

I particularly like the fit of Arraez in the Bronx because of what he can provide hitting in front of Judge.

Last season, the Yankees had Soto to hit in front of Judge. That is going to be impossible to replace. However, a player who is always a threat to win the batting title is a good place to start.

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are an interesting candidate to land Arraez. As of right now, their infield appears to be set with Spencer Torkelson at first, Colt Keith at second, Trey Sweeney at short, and Jace Jung at third. The DH spot is filled by Kerry Carpenter. So where does Arraez fit?

Talk has been swirling of Torkelson being available via trade. A prime change of scenery candidate, the former number one pick has struggled in the Motor City.

The 2023 season looked like it was a turning point, as he hit 31 home runs with a 108 wRC+. However, 2024 was a different story. He was even sent to Triple-A due to his struggles in the majors.

Perhaps a swap headlined by Arraez and Torkelson would be beneficial for all parties. Detroit can move off of Torkelson while adding a more proven and consistent bat to help push for a division title.

For San Diego, they would add a young first baseman who is still making the minimum. Torkelson still has a lot of potential, and maybe playing in his home state can help unleash some of that.

This Detroit offense is in desperate need of some help. They were able to somehow make the playoffs last season despite ranking in the bottom 20 in almost every offensive statistic. They ranked 24th in batting average, 29th in OBP, 19th in runs, and 21st in wRC+.

It is going to be a real uphill battle to make the playoffs again without changes. It is not a stretch to say that the Tigers got lucky making the postseason in 2024.

Currently, four of the nine projected starters on offense have one year or less of service time. Jake Rogers is the only offensive starter with more than four.

Arraez can bring consistency and experience to this young Detroit lineup. The one downside to this move for the Tigers is they already have a lefty-heavy lineup. Adding Arraez in place of the right-handed Torkelson would make it even more so.

Cincinnati Reds

The final fit for Arraez is the Cincinnati Reds. Similar to the three previous teams, there are a couple of reasons that Arraez would be a good fit for the Reds. The first is that they currently have a hole at third base.

Santiago Espinal is a decent player. He had a two-and-a-half-win season in 2022, but he has posted zero fWAR since that season.

The Reds took Cooper Bowman in the Rule 5 draft and have Noelvi Marte in the minors as contingency plans. Both of those bats are unproven in the majors thus far. Adding Arraez, however, would allow them to move Jeimer Candelario to third with Arraez taking over at first base.

Similar to the Tigers, the Reds had an atrocious offense last season. Even playing in a hitter-friendly park like Great American, they struggled. They ranked 24th or worse in batting average, wRC+, and strikeout rate.

Despite those ranks, they were middle of the pack in runs scored (perhaps with help from their home stadium). Arraez would elevate this offense and complement the pieces already in Cincinnati.

We already know what Arraez brings to the table offensively, but he could maximize his offensive output in Cincinnati. In Great American Ball Park, he becomes a legitimate double-digit home run threat.

According to Baseball Savant’s expected home run metrics, Arraez would have 36 home runs in Great American over the last three seasons. This ability to get the absolute best version of Arraez in their home ballpark could make him that much more attractive to the Reds.

The final reason that the Reds should be interested in Arraez is that he provides a sort of contingency plan. It is hard to know what to expect from Candelario as well as Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

Candelario has always been incredibly streaky. He had a 3.9 fWAR in 2021 and a 3.2 fWAR in 2023. On the other side of things, he combined for -0.4 fWAR in 2022 and 2024.

As for Encarnacion-Strand, he is coming off of a wrist injury. He did, however, have a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. A .930 OPS in 32 plate appearances is a positive sign, but the AFL is far from major league competition.

All of these reasons should be enough for the Reds to at least consider the idea of trading for Arraez.