The Giants have yet to move any of their assets, but they’re one of the clearest sellers heading into Monday’s trade deadline. Second baseman Luis Arraez is an impending free agent and obvious candidate to find his way to a contender, especially after the report that there haven’t been extension talks between the parties.
Arraez was scratched from tonight’s matchup against the Padres, but it doesn’t appear a trade is imminent. The team said the infielder was cramping during warmups (h/t Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). Arraez was pulled in the seventh inning of Friday’s game due to similar issues.
The Rays, Red Sox, Yankees, Guardians and Padres are among the teams interested in Arraez, per Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. The Phillies are also in the mix for the veteran’s services, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Rangers are also at the table, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Arraez is playing on a one-year, $12MM deal, with less than $4MM left to be paid out.
While suitors for Arraez don’t need to be limited to those looking for a second baseman, given his experience at other spots, he’s expressed a desire to remain at the position. The 29-year-old has improved under the tutelage of infield coach Ron Washington, though it depends where you look. Arraez has posted -2 DRS in 102 games at second base this year. He’s notched 11 OAA, the second-best mark at the position. He doesn’t have any no-trade protection, so his preference to stay at second may be ignored.
Arraez is having a vintage season at the plate. He leads the league in batting average at .328 heading into Saturday. His 122 wRC+ is his best mark since 2023 with the Marlins. Arraez has even chipped in 10 steals, one of the career high he set in San Diego last year.
Boston seemed to address its needs in the infield by acquiring Curtis Mead from the Nationals in exchange for lefty Connelly Early last week. That plan evaporated quickly. Mead was hit by a pitch in his second at-bat with his new team. He suffered a broken wrist and is expected to miss six to eight weeks of action. Mead started at second base in his team debut. He was replaced by Anthony Seigler, who is back to being Boston’s primary second baseman.
Arraez certainly fits the profile of a Rays’ hitter with his contact-oriented approach. The infielder has had the lowest strikeout rate among qualified hitters in every season since 2022. Tampa Bay is tied with Arizona for the lowest strikeout rate in the league at 19.2% (the Diamondbacks are narrowly ahead if you expand to two decimal points). The Rays have struggled to find consistent production at second base. The club ranks 24th in OPS at the position. A group led by Richie Palacios and Ben Williamson has generated a .658 mark.
Similar to their pursuit of Luis Garcia Jr., the Yankees are an awkward fit. The club has Jazz Chisholm Jr. locked in at second base. Playing him at third base the past two seasons didn’t go well (-6 Defensive Runs Saved). New York has Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt penciled in at first base/designated hitter. The lineup needs a boost wherever it can get it, so manager Aaron Boone would certainly make the pieces work if a deal materialized. The Yankees scored the second-fewest runs in the league last month. They’re sorely missing Aaron Judge and just lost Cody Bellinger.
The Phillies don’t have an obvious need at the keystone, though Arraez would be an upgrade. Bryson Stott is having a fairly typical season. He’s notched a 96 wRC+ with a mix of power (eight homers) and speed (18 stolen bases). The number that stands out for Stott this year is his -6 DRS. He’s been at least a neutral defender in all four big-league seasons before 2026, including 7 DRS in both 2023 and 2024. The Statcast numbers are much more favorable, giving Stott 6 Outs Above Average this year.
The Guardians certainly need some help in the lineup but second base is one of the positions where they are in a good spot. Rookie Travis Bazzana has a .243/.337/.397 line and 109 wRC+ on the year. Arraez would fit better in their first base/designated hitter mix. The platoon of Kyle Manzardo and Rhys Hoskins is yielding subpar results at first base. Chase DeLauter is getting a lot of the DH time now but acquiring another bat could push him into the outfield more, leading to fewer at-bats for Petey Halpin or Angel Martínez.
The Padres are very familiar with Arraez from his previous stint with them. They have a red-hot Ty France covering first base. Jake Cronenworth is having a disappointing season at second base, so perhaps he could be bumped into more of a utility role. A lot of DH at-bats are currently going to Luis Rengifo and Gavin Sheets. Sheets is having a league-average season at the plate. Rengifo has been great in a tiny sample since the Padres called him up but has been a subpar hitter dating back to the start of last season.
The Rangers have a glove-first second baseman in Nicky Lopez. Acquiring Arraez and bumping him to a bench/utility role makes sense. First baseman Jake Burger has power but is only having a league-average season at the plate.
Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images
