One of the more intriguing free agents that remains available on the market is Luis Arraez. While he has been occasionally linked to potentially signing back with the San Diego Padres or going to a team like the San Francisco Giants or New York Yankees, no deal has happened yet.
*Prediction*
The longer Luis Arraez remains a free agent, the more likely it is that a team comes out of nowhere to sign him. The team that could end up doing so is the New York Mets.
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New York Mets Sign Luis Arraez in MLB Free Agency
After losing Pete Alonso to the Baltimore Orioles in free agency, the Mets needed to shift their attention elsewhere for their solution in 2026 at the first base spot. They went on to sign Jorge Polanco to fill that void, and while Polanco is a versatile infielder, he has mainly. played shortstop and at second base over his career.
The Mets need to be looking for an actual proven first baseman who can provide the necessary production if they are going to get back on track as a team, and the free agent the Mets can pivot to and accomplish this with is Luis Arraez.
By signing Luis Arraez, the Mets would get a huge boost in their lineup as Arraez’s slugging ability would help make up for the production loss of Alonso departing. Arraez is coming off a productive 2025 season, as he still ended up producing a .292/.327/.392 slash line, eight. home runs, and 61 runs batted in, but also saw a decline in his hard-hit rate which was 16.7%, and average exit velocity which was 84.7 mph, could provide concern that he is going to start declining.
Luis Arraez has stayed consistent with his ability to connect when batting, though, which should be encouraging for a team to sign him knowing he can still provide an impact on offense. While the defense from Arraez hasn’t been fantastic, if Polanco fits at first base, signing Arraez could be the move to solidify their designated hitter role.
No matter what, Luis Arraez would be able to provide the consistency on offense that the Mets didn’t have last season.