Luis Arraez continues to be one of the most unique players in this era of baseball, and ahead of the 2026 MLB season, he’s officially a free agent.
With Arraez still on the market as of now, let’s take a look at why the Los Angeles Angels could be a good fit for him.
The Angels are actually coming off a big improvement from their 2024 season, which unfortunately isn’t saying much. At this point, the Angels have been in a rebuild for quite some time, with the last season in which they won 80 games coming in 2019.
They could use a boost at the plate, and here’s why Arraez could help them improve in 2026.
This is a PREDICTION, not a REPORT.
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Luis Arraez Will Join The Los Angeles Angels
In order to get an idea of how last season went for Arraez, here’s a breakdown from a previous article:
“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.”
In an era where simply getting on base isn’t being viewed super highly by MLB teams, Arraez doesn’t have particularly impressive numbers outside of his .292 batting average.
While that would have been super appealing to MLB teams in years prior, right now, these more advanced numbers are a lot more important.
How Luis Arraez Fits in Los Angeles
Right now, the Angels have Nolan Schanuel projected to be their starting first baseman. Given that Schanuel is just 23 years old and the Angels’ first-round pick (11th overall) in 2023, he’s a perfect fit for this roster right now.
As for Arraez, he would make for a much better designated hitter than Mike Trout in the long term. At 34 years old, Trout just doesn’t fit this roster well anymore, and he would be much better off on a contending team. Trading away Trout would be a beneficial move for both sides.
Having Arraez could give the Angels the flexibility that they need to actually move Trout either now or once the MLB season actually starts.
Then, having Arraez as the designated hitter would be a great fit, given he’s never been a particularly effective fielder.
Luis Arraez Contract
The last contract that Arraez signed came in 2025 with the San Diego Padres. It was just a one-year, $14 million deal.
With that in mind, the Angels shouldn’t expect to have to pay Arraez a ton of money in free agency.