2 months agoSan Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said he sees infielder
Luis Arraez as the team's starting first baseman this year. "They're everyday guys that'll be on the field," manager Mike Shildt said of Arraez and
Jake Cronenworth being on the right side of the infield in 2025. Arraez will surely also see time as the club's designated hitter, but it appears he'll spend most of his time at first, with Cronenworth at the keystone. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter won his third straight batting title in 2024 by hitting .314 (200-for-637) while also being named to his third straight All-Star team. The Venezuelan has a unique skill set at the plate with elite bat-to-ball skills, and what he did last year is even more impressive, considering he played a large chunk of the season with a torn UCL in his left thumb. Arraez is great for your team batting average, but he does very little else.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - AJ Cassavell
3 months agoAccording to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres would prefer to hold infielder
Luis Arraez. Arraez has had his name circling around several trade discussions throughout the offseason. However, the Padres and Arraez settled on a $14 million to avoid arbitration last week. Lin noted that even though the team remains focused on winning a championship, they remain open to moving a few of their higher contracts to create some roster flexibility. Starting pitcher
Dylan Cease and right-handed relief pitcher
Robert Suarez have also had their names around trade talks. Last season, Arraez posted at least a .300 AVG for the third-straight campaign. Last summer, he held a .314 AVG across time with Miami and San Diego. Under the hood, he posted a stellar 4.3% K rate but lacked in power production. The 27-year-old remains one of the top targets for batting average but carries very low power upside.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Dennis Lin
3 months agoAccording to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, San Diego Padres infielder
Luis Arraez is no longer viewed as a fit for the New York Yankees. Earlier on Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that both sides were in the process of discussing a deal, but Heyman's report suggests that discussions may have come to standstill. The New York Yankees have been looking to acquire another infielder as they are still unsure where
Jazz Chisholm Jr. will play in 2025. If Chisholm returns to second base, they could be interested in seeking a third baseman but if Chisholm were to move to the hot corner, than Arraez could be a potential fit to cover second base. However, reports last week suggest that the Yankees may opt to give the final spot in the infield to someone currently on the roster such as
DJ LeMahieu,
Oswald Peraza, or
Oswaldo Cabrera. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor this situation as Arraez would be a valuable fantasy asset in the Yankees lineup batting leadoff behind
Aaron Judge and
Giancarlo Stanton. Last season, Arraez held a stellar .314 AVG with a 4.3% K rate.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
3 months agoAccording to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the New York Yankees continue to talk with the San Diego Padres about infielder
Luis Arraez. The Yankees have also inquired about Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman
Gavin Lux to fill their opening at second base. After failing to re-sign superstar outfielder
Juan Soto, the Yankees signed left-hander
Max Fried, right-hander
Jonathan Loaisiga and first baseman
Paul Goldschmidt and traded for closer
Devin Williams, center fielder
Cody Bellinger and reliever
Fernando Cruz to make their team deeper. None of those additions are guaranteed to be around beyond next season, though, while stars
Aaron Judge and
Gerrit Cole are approaching their mid-30s. New York is clearly in win-now mode. Although Arraez is an elite contact guy, he'd be a liability at second base full time on defense with Goldy already at first and
Giancarlo Stanton as the full-time designated hitter.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
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