Giants, Luis Arraez get free agent news to land 3-time batting champion in San Francisco originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Francisco Giants have signed a three-time batting champion.
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That may not have quite as much meaning in MLB eyes in 2026 as it would’ve in a bygone era, but it’s still quite a cool thing.
This is, of course, about Luis Arraez.
According to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, Arraez signed a one-year contract with the Giants on Saturday evening.
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Arraez should have a good chance to play second base for the Giants, where it was previously set up as a position battle between Casey Schmitt and Tyler Fitzgerald.
The lefty with a short swing is a career .317 hitter at the MLB level and is going to turn 29 in April.
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Arraez played the last season and a half for the San Diego Padres, so he moves over to another NL West team.
He was a batting champion for the first time in 2022 with the Minnesota Twins when he hit .316.
He was then at .354 for the Miami Marlins in 2023.
In 2024, he began the season with the Marlins but finished with the Padres and batted .314, his third batting championship, won with three different teams.
Arraez has walked more times in his MLB career than he has struck out (and he doesn’t walk very much).
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The downside with Arraez is that he doesn’t have much power, but he actually has a .777 career OPS. That was .719 in 2025.
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He won’t set the world on fire, but he also puts the ball in play practically every time he steps into the box, and for those who enjoy a guy who hits the ball where it’s pitched and has a short, level swing, Arraez will be fun to watch.
It’s not a big investment for the Giants, so it’s a worthwhile addition to have some steadiness in the lineup for San Francisco.