Three years ago the Minnesota Twins made the difficult decision to trade a fan favorite. Looking to land a big time pitching addition, it was Luis Arraez that was sent to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Pablo Lopez.
Fans didn’t like losing Arraez, and it took some time for Lopez to establish himself in the good graces of Twins Territory. Arraez went to the Marlins and did what he has always done though, hit.
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Now with three batting titles under his belt, and a trip to San Diego in his rearview mirror, he’ll stay in California and play for the Giants.
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Former MN Twins infielder Luis Arraez signs with Giants
After just one full season in Miami, the Marlins shipped Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres. He finished 2024 with a .314 batting average and won his third-straight batting title. He experienced a bit of a dip last year, and hit the open market for the first time. San Francisco waited it out, and now have a new second baseman.
The San Francisco Giants landed Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox last season. He moved across the diamond and is playing first base. Arraez played 117 games at first base for the Padres last season, but he wanted to get back to his initial position.
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Confirmed with a Giants source, the plan is to play Arraez as the every day second baseman. He fills out an infield that goes Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Arraez, and Devers from left to right.
After playing in more than 1,100 innings at second base for Miami during 2023, he was all but moved off the position. That year he posted 4 DRS (defensive runs saved) but has -11 OAA (outs above average). As a primary first baseman last year (993 2/3 innings) he posted 3 DRS and -6 OAA.
Ultimately Arraez doesn’t have good defensive movements anywhere, and his arm strength is lackluster. However, the Giants will hope that he can hold down the least-demanding infield spot, and that his knees will play nice as well.
Bat first still the Luis Arraez calling card
Last season the former Minnesota Twins infielder batted just .292. That’s not great for a guy with a .317 career average, and someone that batted .354 just two seasons ago.
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That said, Arraez still led the league in hits (181) and did so for just the second time in his career. He’s never going to be a power hitter, but the propensity to lace line drives and singles into the outfield grass remains strong. His Baseball Savant page looks as it always has. That is, high batting average and setting the bar when it comes to contact.
Playing at Oracle Park with Triples Alley in right field, Arraez has a swing and spray chart that fit near perfectly in his new home stadium. The Giants are excited about the obvious offensive addition that he will provide.
Steamer projects Arraez to lead MLB with a .305 batting average. If he wins another batting title, he would become the first player in history to win with four different teams.
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Minnesota will play the Giants for their final three road games of the season this year. The three-game set is scheduled at Oracle Park from September 21-23.
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