San Diego Splashes Big: Padres Poised to Land $37 Million All-Star in Jaw-Dropping Luis Arraez Trade
The San Diego Padres have had a quiet offseason, to say the least.
They are actively MLB contenders, taking the Los Angeles Dodgers to five games in the NLDS last season, but are also actively saving money.
San Diego has not made a major league addition towards its roster this off season.
The Padres have also ensured that they will not go to arbitration with a few of their veteran core pieces like pitchers Dylan Cease (1-year, $13.75 million) and Jason Adam (1-year, $13.75 million), as well as a player linked in many trade rumors this off season, Luis Arráez.
Despite agreeing to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, Arráez is still trade eligible.
A great way to improve the roster while also maintaining the current contract situation is acquiring talent via trades. Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer predicts that San Diego will do just that with Arráez.
Finding a trade partner shouldn’t be too hard given he has led the majors in batting average each of the last three seasons.
An ideal team would perhaps be one piece away from a championship and contain prolific home run hitters in the offense so Arráez can get on base for them.
Look no further than the New York Yankees.
New York is reportedly already calling about the Padres’ infielder per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Here is what Rymer predicts the deal will consist of.
New York Yankees: Receive 2B Luis Arráez
San Diego Padres: Receive RHP Marcus Stroman, RHP Will Warren, cash considerations
New York gets the 27-year-old to juice their lineup, and San Diego receives some pitching help and a little extra cash.
Stroman is coming off a slightly down year but has a career ERA of 3.72. His lone season with the Yankees saw 113 strikeouts to 60 walks through 154.2 innings pitched in 2024.
Stroman would fit in seamlessly with the Padres rotation and work with pitching coach Ruben Niebla to lower his ERA.
Warren is a similar story, but has significantly more work to do.
The 25-year-old made six appearances with New York in his first year in the majors with an unimpressive 10.32 ERA and an abysmal WAR of -1.2. A bright spot for the right hander is his youth and potential as he too will have to work to bring down that ERA.
