The San Diego Padres are adding another major bat to their lineup. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Padres are closing in on a deal to acquire second baseman Luis Arraez from the Marlins.
In return for the two-time All-Star, Miami is expected to receive a package including three prospects and a relief pitcher. Though the trade is still pending medical review, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that prospects Dillon Head, Woo Suk-Go, Jakob Marsee and Nathan Martorella are the four players that the Padres are sending to the Marlins.
Over the last two seasons, Arraez has cemented himself as one of MLB’s best contact hitters. While with the Minnesota Twins in 2022, the infielder won the AL batting title and a silver slugger award after slashing .316/.375/.420 with eight home runs and 49 RBIs. After being dealt to the Marlins in January 2023, he secured another silver slugger and the NL batting title, posting career highs in batting average (.354), home runs (10) and RBIs (69).
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Arraez flirted with history last year, as the 27-year-old entered the MLB All-Star break with a league-leading .383 batting average - just .017 shy of the elusive .400 clip. Only 13 players have ever reached the magic number, with Hall of Famer Ted Williams last achieving the feat in 1941.
“Everybody keeps telling me, 'Keep it going, keep it going, you can hit .400,’” Arraez said ahead of the 2023 All-Star game, per USA Today. “I’m just going to go out there and do my thing, enjoy the game, and try not to think about it too much.
“I keep telling myself I can do this, but sometimes I’ll go 0-for-4, 0-for-5, and say, 'Wow, this is so hard.' Hitting .400 is hard. Hitting .300 is hard,” he continued. “But it’s not impossible. I’ve just got to trust myself, and see what happens.”
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Through the first 33 games of the 2024 season, Arraez has gotten off to a slower start compared to his torrid stretches over the last two years. He’s currently batting .299 with eight doubles, 22 runs and five RBIs.
The Marlins opted to deal Arraez - who’s set to become a free agent after the 2025 season - and bolster their farm system rather than keep him around during a lost season. Heading into Friday’s game against the Oakland Athletics, Miami boasted a meager 9-24 record and were on pace to win less than 50 games this year.
Once news of a reported trade broke, several of Arraez’s Marlins teammates approached him in the dugout and hugged him goodbye.
Arraez now joins a loaded Padres roster that features multiple stars in DH Manny Machado, outfielder Fernando Tatis and infielder Xander Bogaerts. San Diego sits second in the National League West at 16-18, 4 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.