When any change takes place in a team’s managerial role, having players that a new manager is familiar with can help in the transition.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker is not new to being in an MLB dugout as he spent two seasons leading the Miami Marlins. One of his key players was infielder Luis Arráez, who now plays for the San Diego Padres.

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So, is a reunion in the offing? That depends on whether or not the Rangers could make it work with their payroll.

On Friday, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic included a tidbit on Arráez and a potential reunion with Schumaker in a roundup of MLB notes. The story comes just a couple of days before the Winter Meetings begin in Orlando, Fla., too.

“Infielder Luis Arraez was a favorite of new Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker when the two were together in Miami,” according to The Athletic article. “But while Arraez could be a fit for Texas, the Rangers might not have the payroll flexibility to sign him, according to people familiar with their plans. The Rangers currently are focused on other needs.

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“For starters, the team needs to find a catcher after non-tendering Jonah Heim,” Sammon and Rosenthal point out. “Revamping the bullpen is another priority, as is adding a starting pitcher. The Rangers have made it no secret they are reducing payroll. None of their additions is expected to command a high-end contract.”

Rosenthal and Sammon pointed out that Arráez, among analysts, is one of baseball’s most polarizing players and is an elite contact hitter. But that’s about all a team will get out of him. Arráez is 28 years old. Arráez has won three batting titles while playing for the Minnesota Twins, Marlins, and Padres, becoming the first player in MLB history to do this.

“With the Rangers, he could DH against lefties, play first base against certain righties in a platoon-type arrangement with Jake Burger and possibly fill in at second,” according to The Athletic article.

“Yet even if Arraez is available at a bargain price — a possibility if teams dwell on his deficiencies — he might still be too costly for the Rangers.”

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Last season for the Padres, Arráez had a slash line of .292/.327/.392 with an OPS of .719. He hit eight home runs and totaled 61 RBIs.

Besides San Diego and Miami, Arráez played his first four seasons with the Twins and is a three-time All-Star selection. Arráez played for Schumaker with the Marlins in the 2023 and 2024 MLB seasons before going to the Padres in 2024.

Should the Rangers be able to work a deal with San Diego, it would bring Arráez and Schumaker back together again. Maybe the ballclub does find room in its payroll for another trustworthy infelder.