Padres and Marlins approach trade for Luis Arraez

PHOENIX — A lineup that already features Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth could get even better.

On Friday, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that the Padres are finalizing a deal with the Marlins for the two-time batting champion. Luis Arraez. According to MLB.com’s John Paul Morosi, Miami has three prospects in right-handed relief pitcher Wooseok Goh, outfielders Dillon Head and Jacob Marcy, and first baseman/outfielder Nathan Martorella. It is said that they are planning to acquire. The trade, first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, has not been confirmed by the club.

“It’s really amazing. He’s a ball player,” Tatis said after the Padres game. 7-1 victory Friday night against the D-backs at Chase Field. “He’s probably the closest thing to Tony Gwynne at the moment, so we’re looking forward to having him in the lineup.

“There are only seven shots left until the batting title.” [from passing Tony Gwynn]” Tatis said with a laugh. “That’s why I said closest.”

That’s a high rating, but it’s not without merit.

According to Elias, the 27-year-old Arraez led the AL in 2022 with a .316 batting average, led the majors with a .354 batting average last season, and won batting titles in consecutive seasons with different teams. Sports Bureau became the second player to do so. No one has ever done that with three teams in three seasons. Arraez is currently batting .299 with the Marlins.

He also became the second player in the modern era to win both the AL and NL batting titles, and the first to do so in consecutive seasons.

Arraez was traded from the Twins to the Marlins in January 2023 for Pablo López and two prospects, but it was largely viewed as a win-win since López and Arraez made their first All-Star team last season. It was a transaction.

The deal makes Arraez the second multiple-time batting champion, joining Lefty Odul (1933) to win another title before being traded mid-season.

Arraez’s batting skills are second to none. Since his debut in 2019, there have only been three seasons in MLB in which a player took at least 500 swings and had a whiff rate of less than 8%. This fits right into the Padres’ “get them and get them” philosophy, which combines skill on the bases with slugging power. This season’s 21 home runs by men on base are tied for first in the National League with the Phillies, and second only to the Yankees’ 22 home runs.

“We’re always looking to improve our offense and maintain better balance in our batting lineup,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said.

With the addition of Arraez, the Padres will have another hitter who can play multiple positions. Since joining the Marlins, he has mainly played as a second baseman, but in his career he has played 85 games at first base, 79 games at third base, and 48 games in left field, but from 2021 onwards, he will not play anywhere other than infield. Not yet.

He will almost certainly play every day for the Padres, perhaps in a variety of positions. Whenever the Padres give Machado, Bogaerts, and Cronenworth a DH day, he could become the lead DH and shift to the infield.

That would mean less playing time for Tyler Wade, who was hitting .230/.329/.575 on Friday. Wade started 23 games at third base when Machado was the DH, including the series opener at Chase Field.

Graham Polley has also started eight games this season, four at third base and four at DH, but he has looked out of reach at times. With the addition of Arraez, he could be the odd man out to make room on the 26-man roster.