Luis Arraez made his return to San Diego yesterday for the first time since signing with the division rival Giants in free agency. Speaking to reporters (including Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune), Arraez revealed that he “talked a lot” with the Padres during free agency before ultimately signing in San Francisco.
It’s a decision that Arraez chalks up to his desire to play second base, which wasn’t on the table in San Diego due to the presence of Jake Cronenworth. The Giants afforded him that opportunity, and Sanders notes that the $12MM salary he received from his new club was more than the Padres could offer. Considering that Michael King is San Diego’s only offseason addition making even $3MM in 2026, that certainly seems like a fair assessment.
Even if the team’s financial situation made a reunion all but impossible, Arraez’s strong desire to play second base this year does shed some light on his free agency. The soon-to-be 29-year-old posted the worst season of his career last year, hitting just .292 with a 104 wRC+. It seemed as though that left Arraez to sit through a very quiet offseason where his name rarely appeared in the rumor mill, if ever. Perhaps, however, Arraez’s desire to play second limited his market more than it otherwise would have. Teams like the Mariners, Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Diamondbacks, and the Padres themselves were all looking for help at first base this offseason, while teams on the hunt for second base help were far more limited. The Red Sox, Giants, and A’s were three of the only clubs looking to add at the keystone this winter, and Boston was known to be prioritizing defense.
That surely left Arraez with a very limited market in terms of teams willing to hand him the second base job, but that list could expand if he turns in a strong season this year. Of course, a tough season or even one where he doesn’t prove himself capable of handling the keystone could leave him looking at an even softer market next year. As Arraez himself pointed out to Sanders, his contract with San Francisco is for just one year.
“I don’t know what (will happen) later,” Arraez said of his future after the 2026 campaign (as relayed by Sanders).
In other Padres news, Sanders writes that right-hander Jason Adam threw 1 1/3 scoreless frames on a rehab assignment over the weekend and is making good progress as he looks to return from quadriceps surgery. The righty is poised to throw in a simulated game today before making back-to-back rehab appearances on Friday and Saturday. If those outings all go well, that could set him up for a return not long after his minimum IL stint date of April 8. When he does return, Adam will be a huge boon to the Padres’ bullpen. The veteran righty has been one of the best relief arms in baseball over the past few years, with a 2.07 ERA and 3.20 FIP since the start of the 2022 campaign. He’ll join a crowded high leverage mix alongside Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, and Jeremiah Estrada once he’s back in action.
Speaking of rehab assignments, infielder Sung Mun Song is rehabbing after opening the year on the shelf due to oblique tightness. MLB.com notes that he began a rehab assignment last week, and he’s appeared in three games since. That includes appearances at second base and shortstop, suggesting that he might not be too far from being healthy enough to return. The 29-year-old is waiting to make his big league debut after signing out of the KBO with the Padres on a four-year, $15MM pact over the offseason. He figures to factor heavily into the club’s bench mix once healthy, seeing time all over the infield and perhaps even in the outfield corners this year.
If Song is coming to the active roster, I would guess Ty France’s days are numbered.
Song Sung Blue, everybody knows one.
France will have to decide if he is willing to take an assignment to El Paso. Pretty much every Padres option at 1B/ infield comes with question marks, it’s not that crazy to think that some of Sheets, Castellanos, Song or Andujar will underwhelm and France will get another shot this year.
France has already surrendered before the position battle has begun.
Castellanos isn’t helping his bid to avoid being the DFA.
He is not getting enough playing time to “get going” offensively.
Castellanos has never been a part time, bench player.
It’s very early, but Castellanos hasn’t looked great either and doesn’t have the defensive upside of France.
Sheets isn’t exactly tearing it up.
Sure, but he’s the only LH everyday option at 1B, and one of three LH bats among all the position players on the active roster.
Sheets is “money” when he gets going.
Padre’s made the right move here.
Interesting gamble. If he can play a near-average 2B, he’s immensely more valuable than he is as a 1B. It’s a big if though.
Arraez is so undervalued. I really don’t get the hate. I’d love to have a fine defensive second baseman who is an annual threat to win a batting title. Not to mention an elite clubhouse guy.
His fielding run percentile is 17%. Doesn’t sound fine defensively to me.
It is fine. Limited range and limited arm dictates those numbers but his glove works. I’ve watched him play plenty he’s never felt like a liability. If anything he was a liability at first. He just isn’t gonna go above and beyond like Hoerner or Turang.
That’s just what the stats say.
Range at 2nd is pretty important.
fitzer,
If he has “(l)imited range and limited arm” he’s not “a fine defensive second baseman.” He’s a slap hitter who can’t field and can’t run. If anything, he’s overvalued at $12M.
In fantasy baseball, sure. In real life, his value is 12m.
foppert,
Sure his value in real life is $12M because the Giants are paying him that much. It just seems like an overpay to me.
You brought up fantasy baseball, so I’ll comment that he brings one skill to that game, BA, and that skill is diminishing.
But you’re not across the Giants needs. That’s where values are set.
Correct me if I’m wrong but that stat indicates comparatively poor. He isn’t as good as others, but we are talking the men who play the highest level. It doesn’t really indicate he can’t do an acceptable (fine) job there.
Thank you, foppert
No prob. It’s a deceptive stat. Measure the 100 best defensively outstanding second basemen in the world, and someone who is really good, is landing in the 17th percentile.
foppert,
Is your argument that he’s a better second baseman than most of the world’s population? If so, you’re right, but that’s completely irrelevant. He needs to be compared to his peers, and when he is, he’s notably below average.
He’d be a 4th-option starter by that train of thought. Don’t get me wrong, the bat may play enough and I think his defense is more bad than horrific, but his glove is a negative at 2B.
No. My argument is that below average when compared to others in mlb does not automatically rule him out of doing a good job at 2b. Simples. He is not going to flash the leather like others but who cares if he is hitting. He just needs to get the job done to an acceptable level and the 17th percentile is not an indicator of his ability to do that.
How does “below average” not rule out “doing a good job?” Good is above average.
A bad fielder and bad baserunner whose hitting is trending from good to average is a below-average MLB player.
Because if the sample are all doing a “good” job, someone is still landing in the 17th percentile and being below the average. It’s not hard. You just need to dissociate below average and good job.
This is an odd semantics argument. Arraez is not a good defender at 2B (anywhere, really) compared to his major league peers. Is he still one of the best human beings in the world at baseball? Yeah, but that’s meaningless sans context.
Semantics ? Isnt it statistics. MLB is loaded with below average players when compared to their peers. Why ? Because some people in a sample are always going to be below the average !
foppert, you’ve chosen a bizarre argument to defend. I can easily dissociate “below average” and “good job” because I would never associate one with the other.
Arraez is a below average fielder whatever position he plays. He’s a below average runner. He has been a good hitter. Add it all together, and he’s a below average player, and I don’t understand why the Giants gave him a $12M contract.
Here’s a prediction: Arraez will no longer be playing major league baseball in 2029, and not because of injury but because he won’t be good enough to be worth even the league minimum.
What are you talking about ! You just associated them (“how does below average not rule out doing a good job”)
Now you are trying to tell me you never would ? Ok. Sorry mate. In my world that is a bizarre contradiction.
Zero backing down is going on here. Below average in MLB doesn’t mean horrible. Im sticking with it. Confidant he will get through it defensively without raising an eyebrow. Until the stats guys on here, who didn’t watch a single game, point out he is “below average”
@foppert – “MLB is loaded worth below average players when compared to their peers”.
I don’t think you understand how averages work.
Are you saying that your personal observations supersedes objective defensive statistics?
“Getting through it” albeit playing below-average defensively will cost the team wins.
I don’t associate/correlate/connect below average and good. Trying to show an equivalence between them would be a bizarre contradiction.
below average ≠ good job
above average = good job
He has to be compared to his MLB peers to determine his relevant ability level, and if he’s in the 17th percentile of something, that’s not doing a good job.
No one other than you used the word “horrible.” Arraez isn’t horrible, he’s below average overall because an average bat + below average fielding + below average running = below average overall.
Yes I do. That was my point !
Ok. We will see. I’m outnumbered by plenty !
If I’m crying about his defence in 3 months I’ll happily concede.
No. I’m saying the below average won’t be a problem.
You realize that is among all position players, right?
That’s because you’re under the impression he is a “fine defensive second baseman”.
The stats,and everyone else,know different
Arraez is averaging 198 hits every year in his major league career.
He is an offensive “table setter”.
His “D” is passable.
Padres should have found a way to bring Arraez back as a rotational DH, give him some reps @ 2B, OF etc..
If someone doesn’t step up to replace his hits, then the Padres offense and scoring will suffer.
He’s averaging 198 hits per 162 games, and he’s never played 162 games in a season, so his actual season average is somewhat lower than 198.
He’s hit for a high average in his career, doesn’t walk often, and doesn’t hit for much power. He’s a “table setter” in that he gets on base at a good clip, but he’s not going to score from first on a double very often because he’s not fast.
“Passable” seems accurate for his defense, which is another way of saying “below average.”
Padres – and any team – would be foolish to put him in the OF.
I really don’t mean to trash Arraez, but he’s a one-dimensional player whose best skill seems to be diminishing.
The Padres got a first hand look at him and decided they don’t want him back.
He has one skill. That’s okay if he’s passable with the rest of his skills, but he’s not. He’s legitimately poor at the rest. He’s a poor runner, a poor defender, hits for zero power, can’t take a walk and hits into a bunch of double plays.
Arraez said that the Padres made him offers. We know from interviews that the Padres made Arraez a multi-year offer at about the same rate he is being paid by the Giants. He wanted to play 2B, not 1B. He signed with the Giants because they allowed him to play 2B.
Arreaz Adam Song sounds like an early Elton John track.
lol!
I’ve seen Arraez make some great plays already this season.
He’s got a great attitude and is playing well with his new teammates.
He will get flak when he makes his first error because haters gonna hate, whatever.
Padres wish they still had Arraez over the sullen superstar known as Nick Castellanos.
Giants marketing has presented a quiet humble guy. I’m on board. Go well Luis.
I saw him make good plays at 1b last year. I think it’s more his range than ability to field a ball thst he can get to.
Castellanos is a rather small threshold to surpass.
If Eldridge gets called up in a couple months, Schmidt and Arraez may compete for playing time.
Top 100, Since Schmitt isn’t much better defensively at 2B, and Arraez is the far better hitter, I doubt they’ll be much competition for playing time.
Schmitt was a better hitter than Arraez last season.
Per BB Ref, marginally in some categories, 2 points of OPS+, 9 p0ints of SLG, but not according to Fangraphs. Arraez with a 105 wRC+ bested Schmitt’s 98.
Plus, Arraez had 1.2 bWAR, and a 0.9 fWAR last season to the 0.6 bWAR and 0.7 fWAR for Schmitt.
You can have Schmitt. I’ll take the guy with a .327 OBP, 3.1 SO%, and 29.5 AB/SO ratio, over the guy with a .305 OBP, 23.9 SO% and 3.8 AB/SO ratio in what amounted to a down season.
And, not cherry-picking last season, Arraez has clearly been the better hitter over their careers. Arraez has a 114 OPS+ and a 116 wRC+. Schmitt has a career 87 OPS+ and an 85 wRC+.
Did you see what Chapman said to Schmitt in the game yesterday? Schmitt was at 1B. Exact quote: “Catch the F***ing Ball”
Schmidt and Arraez will not compete for time lmao
Is Eldridge going to DH? He has looked absolutely horrendous defensively at 1B.
Great attitudes and “playing well with teammates” [??] doesn’t score runs.
Cool to watch though.
Jean
Although Schmidt is a much smaller sample size, Schmidt had a higher OPS+ than Arraez in both 2024 and 2025. I think Arraez will keep his job, but I do see a potential competition.
Schmitt (note the spelling) had OPS+s that bettered Arraez by 5 points in ’24, and just 2 points in ’25. But they both had a 109 wRC+ in ’24 and Arraez had a wRC+ 6 points better than Schmitt in ’25. That’s not conclusive.
But, over their careers Arraez has been the better hitter by far, 114 OPS+ to 87, and 116 wRC+ to 85.
Plus, it’s been pretty clear the Giants don’t like Schmitt at 2B. He’s a guy playing out of position there. If they move off Arraez, I think it will be Koss, a much better fit at 2B.
Just because Arraez makes a play that “looks” great does NOT mean that a better defender couldn’t had made the same play look mediocre. A limited range defender will have to dive for the same batted ball a better defender makes without diving.
In the first 2 games the Giants played (pathetically), the bright spot were 3 (count ’em) excellent defensive plays by Arraez.
Arraez is making $12M, Padres are paying Castellanos the $780k minimum MLB salary. That $11M+ is a sizable difference.
Padres have 4 guys in their 1B plans right now. That’s not an efficient roster. None of them are better than Arraez
Sheets is a better 1B option on offense and defense than Arraez and was so last year, too. Even Andujar and France are arguably better 1B options.
If that were true why didn’t they get more money than Luis? If contract value isn’t your standard Sheets got plenty of playing time last year and only produced .7WAR, totaling -2.2WAR for his career. Yet he’s better somehow? Andujar and his .8WAR doesn’t support your theory either. Both of those are career years for those players, not counting andujar 2018. France won the GG but still had to settle for minors deal. It’s almost like teams aren’t as die hard for WAR or WRC+ as fans. We all agree castellanos basically sux.
Sheets’ salary is controlled thru arbitration (I doubt he would’ve made more than Arraez, though). Arraez got paid because he is a lefty who was a legitimate offensive force in 2022-2023, and he’s a couple years younger than France and Andujar (both righties). Giants gave Arraez $12M because of his past production and maybe they value BA more than other clubs or their internal defensive metrics see his defense as less egregious. Arraez is marginally the best player of those 3, but I legitimately prefer a Sheets/Andujar platoon going into the year even for half of Arraez’s salary.
He didn’t make a fielding error at 1B last season. If he can get to it, he catches it.
His negotiations pretty much confirm what most already knew this off season; San Diego was cash strapped on payroll. They had spent what they had before the off season began. Certain “fans” on this site continued to believe that wasn’t the case. Between this report, and SDP limited action, maybe they will now accept reality.
Sssssshhhh. You will awaken the children.
San Diego had a near full 40 Man over the Offseason. All players come with price tags, and the Pads weren’t willing to go above their own internal valuation for Arraez. Signing King for 3y/$75M was a far more pressing need. I’ll take Andujar over Arraez anyway, price tags be damned.
Arraez is the most ineffective excellent batter. It’s very strange because he is a great bat to ball guy. That’s just the offensive side of the ball
The Padres offered Arraez a multi-year deal with an AAV similar to what he got in San Francisco. Arraez declined and signed with the Giants because they were the only team that offered him an opportunity to play 2B. The Padres were right there in terms of salary. It all came down to Arraez wanting to play 2B.
Hi Nick,
Andujar is also making more than $3M this year, but I get your point. 🙂
If you don’t expect Nick Deeds to get basic facts correct you won’t be disappointed.
I understand where the writer was going with this but King 1) was not the only off-season addition the Padres made, and 2) is not making only $3M this season.
Andujar has a $1.5M salary for 2026 with a $2.5M buyout on a 2027 option.
Ah, good catch.
Arraez my favorite player in the game. Most hits,hardest to strikeout.elite average, one of the best batters in the game.
It sucks to say but the Padres offense looks a lot better on paper than in real life. I have been to the first 4 games and the listless offense has picked up where it left off last season.
Tatis, Laureano, and Merrill will do just fine. Bogearts and Machado’s best years are in the rear view mirror. Everyone else looks completely lost up at the plate. Change Up or Curveball in the dirt will make short work of them.
The mistakes in giving long term extensions to veteran players in their 30’s are glaring on this Padres team.
Bogaerts free agent contract was a disaster as soon as offered and signed.
Manny is a great player, but his decline years are on the horizon.
They extended him for too many years for too much money that will hurt the team long term. A shorter deal would have been much better for the team.
Yu Darvish—Extension too generous, too long for an older starting pitcher
Cronenworth was an over pay also.
New Ownership will have to deal with these issues.
The Brewers have proven that a team can keep recharging their farm system, keep adding youth to their MLB team that rejuvenates the team yearly, keep winning, keep competing every year.
Padres don’t have to go “all in” on the Brewers plan.
The Padres can keep a consistently top 10 farm system with players perculating up to the majors every year and also extend some off their core, key players on deals that don’t extend into their late 30’s early 40’s.
Perhaps, New Ownership will have a “better way” forward…
Spend money, AND keep an actively developing Top 5 or Top 10 Farm system every year.
The Soto trade was reckless and unnecessary.
Without that deal, the Padres would have Wood in LF, LHSP McKenzie Gore in their rotation, CJ Abrams @SS plus more.
Perhaps, no Michael King, but with the money and players saved (Not signing Bogaerts and redirecting his money to the rotation)
they could have still filled out their rotation and landed other Starters.
Read way too much of both sides of the argument already but I didn’t notice Arraez being bad on defense. Gold glovers Juan Soto and Eric Hosmer were two of the worst defenders I can ever remember seeing on the Padres and their metrics were somehow better than his. Doesn’t make sense to me.
Song could be the “spark plug”the Padres offense needs.
The Padres early season hitting has been subpar and cost them games in the “W” column.
Also, Rookie Manager Craig Stammen has made some mistakes with the bullpen that cost the Padres some games also.
He wasted Michael King’s excellent five scoreless innings against the Tigers @ home.
Stamen’s management of the 8th inning was terrible.
Jason Adam will rejoin the pen soon
But Padres rookie Manager Stammen needs to think “outside the box”
and make the right decisions. Team injuries are inevitable and Stammen will have to make better decisions going forward to deal with it to compete and win in the NL West.
Statistical Analysis is a good tool to have in youir toolbox, but it can be like using Navigation for driving.
If their is a “glitch” in the system or a “new wrinkle” that the computer
has not been programmed for, then, it could lead to bad decisions and losses in key games.
Remember the tourists who blindly followed the Navigation system on their Mercedes rental and promptly drove the vehicle into the SF Bay?!
You have to be ready, willing and able to override the computer and statistical analysis when necessary.
Morgan should have started the 8th inning and, very likely, no rally by Tigers.
Mason Miller could have worked a 3 or 4 out save.
The last time he pitched was in the WBC Semi Finals where he closed out that game.
If Estrada did not “have it” that day, then go to Morgan or another reliever much quicker.
You don’t let them walk the bases loaded with their red hot hitting rookie
Kevin McConigle waiting to hit and do some damage.
Rookie Manager Stammen is learning MLB managing “on the fly”.
But, these early season games count as much as games in September.
With the Padres looking for at least 2 “break out” candidates in their unsettled rotation, and with the team hitting ice cold (with a few exceptions) at the start the of the new season, the Padres cannot afford to fall too far behind the Dodgers in the standings.
Games in Spring count as much as games in the Fall for making the playoffs and team matchups.
The only thing that is terrible is your understanding of the game.
Estrada was required to throw to 3 batters in that fateful 8th inning, just fyi.
Thanks Gwyning.
I did not consider that rule change in my analysis.
I would have started the 8th with Morgan and if anyone got on, then Miller for the 4 out save and the win.
Lucky! I spend most my waking hours trying to forget about Manfred’s stupid rule changes! Cheers 🍻
Two things that Acee and Lin/Rosenthal got wrong cleared up by Arraez.
#1 – The Padres did make him offers including a multi-year deal. He wanted to play 2B and the Padres could not do that.
#2 – The Padres could afford him he just chose to sign elsewhere because he wanted to play 2B.
At what point are people going to just realize that Acee and Rosenthal are just making stuff up because they no longer have any access to the Padres FO?