With the Chicago White Sox, there are about a million moves they could make in MLB free agency. Since they have to start somewhere, signing Luis Arraez could make sense.
Arraez is one of the most polarizing players in baseball, given his unconventional playstyle. In the modern MLB, all the talk is about power, but Arraez thrives from contact and a high batting average.
Although Arraez has talked about how he wants to stay with the San Diego Padres, it doesn’t seem like they’re going to be willing to pay him much.
In an article from Aaron Coloma of Sports Illustrated, he quotes an article from Dennis Lin (The Athletic) which says says, “Even the chances that Arraez receives a qualifying offer are unclear; the Padres have dealt with cash-flow issues since the death of owner Peter Seidler after the 2023 season, and the club might not want to risk guaranteeing a hefty one-year sum when it will have more pressing needs than a first baseman.”
With the Padres potentially being hesitant, the White Sox could come in and slightly outbid them for Arraez.
This is a PREDICTION, not a REPORT.
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Luis Arraez Joining Chicago White Sox in MLB Free Agency
To get a better understanding of Arraez’s game, let’s take a look at the box score. Arraez had a 0.292 batting average with only eight home runs.
However, when you dive into his overall Baseball Savant numbers, they’re not great at all. Arraez was in the 15th percentile for his Batting Run Value, 37th for his Baserunning Run Value, and 16th for his Fielding Run Value.
Diving even further, the picture just gets even more confusing. Arraez is in the 17th percentile for xwOBA but the 92nd for xBA.
Not only that, but Arraez thrives in categories such as Squared-Up %, Whiff %, and K % in which he’s in the 100th percentile for both.
How Luis Arraez Fits in Chicago
When taking all of that into account, the White Sox could absolutely benefit from someone who is consistently able to collect hits, as their offense has struggled. This could be a help towards the stability this team needs.
Right now, Lenyn Sosa is projected to be the team’s starting first baseman, but he can play a number of different positions. The best play would be to move Sosa to second base and keep Chase Meidroth on the bench for now.
Having the flexibility of Sosa to play a ton of different positions is what would make this move work. With the White Sox not having someone that they know they want at first base every day, Arraez could be a perfect fit.
The last piece of context for this move is age. At 28 years old, Arraez fits well with what the White Sox are trying to do. They’re still in rebuilding mode but looking to turn the corner shortly.
Even if Arraez isn’t at his peak by the time the White Sox are legitimate contenders, he could play a crucial part in pushing this organization back in the right direction.
Luis Arraez Stats
Arraez puts up some of the most interesting stat lines year over year. In 2025, Arraez had a 1.3 WAR mark, 0.292 batting average, eight home runs, 61 RBIs, and an OBP of 0.327.
It’s not as if this has been the peak of Arraez’s career either, though, showing that there could be more left in the tank. From 2022 to 2024, Arraez made the All-Star Game every single year.
There’s a very real chance that Arraez can’t get back to that level of production now that he’s getting older, but it’s not out of the picture at all. With all of that in mind, the White Sox should sign Luis Arraez to help move this franchise towards the playoffs again.