Infielder Luis Arraez is a logical trade candidate but recently expressed an openness to staying in San Francisco with an extension instead. There hasn’t been any indication the Giants are looking to extend Arraez and Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News reports that there have been no formal extension talks between Arraez and the club.
A trade has always seemed the most likely outcome and this report adds to that framing. Arraez is an impending free agent, as he was signed to a one-year deal with a $12MM guarantee. He’s having arguably the best campaign of his life. His batting average has returned to a very strong .326 mark this year. He had dipped to .292 last year, still a strong figure but low for him personally.
Perhaps more importantly, he has been playing second base and doing it well. He played that spot a decent amount earlier in his career but didn’t perform especially well and gradually spent more time at first base. The Giants gave him a chance to return to the keystone and have been rewarded. Defensive Runs Saved still considers him to be subpar but Arraez has been credited with ten Outs Above Average, second only to JJ Wetherholt at the position.
With the Giants sitting on a 42-57 record and 9.5 games back of a playoff spot, they are one of the few clear sellers in the league. With Arraez a few months from returning to free agency, he’s a logical trade candidate.
Other possibilities have been floated, with some fans hoping for the club to extend Arraez. As mentioned, the player himself has said he is open to such a scenario. However, that path is much more convoluted. For one thing, the Giants are currently trying to free up future payroll space. Various reports have indicated they are very open to moving guys with big contracts like Matt Chapman, Willy Adames or Rafael Devers. Adding another deal to the books by extending Arraez would go counter to that.
Extending Arraez and trading Chapman is a preferred path for some fans, but that’s not easy to pull off. Chapman is still owed $25MM annually through 2030, meaning his deal will still pay him $100MM over four seasons after this one. Since he is 33 years old, is having a down year and is currently on the injured list, that would be a hard contract to move. Chapman also has a full no-trade clause and has spent most of his life in California, which could add further complications to lining up a trade.
It’s also worth considering Casey Schmitt. A natural infielder having a breakout season at the plate, he has played a lot of left field this year due to the club having Chapman, Adames, Arraez, Devers and Bryce Eldridge filling up the infield positions and designated hitter slot. A trade of either Chapman or Arraez would open up an infield spot for him, giving the Giants motivation to move one. And as mentioned, trading Arraez is easier. Trading Schmitt is another possibility that some people have floated but he is controlled for three more seasons and won’t qualify for arbitration until this winter. That’s valuable for a club clearly worried about its budget.
On top of the roster concerns, there are reasons to be skeptical of Arraez going forward. Despite his strong season, he has a long track record of shaky defense and lower-body injuries. For a guy who is going to turn 30 next year, there would be some risk in investing in him for the long term, especially for a club that is already concerned about its older and expensive players.
Put it all together and a trade of Arraez seems to be the most likely outcome. The Giants could pivot in the coming weeks, particularly if they don’t get offers to their liking, but the smart money seems to be on a trade. He’s the club’s best chance at salvaging something from a lost season. Robbie Ray is their other notable impending free agent but he is having a so-so performance and is making $25MM this year.
Arraez has said it would be his preference to stay at second base if traded, though he doesn’t have much say in the matter. He doesn’t have any no-trade protection in his deal. The Giants should be looking to get the best trade return, regardless of which team offers it. The team that ultimately wins the bidding may prefer him at first base or designated hitter. Teams like the Rays, Red Sox and Rangers are in contention and could use some help at the keystone. The Guardians, Twins and Diamondbacks could use upgrades at first base and/or designated hitter.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images
They’re probably hesitant to give him…. A raise.
or a rise
A raise works better if you use an Australian accent!
Realistically, the expectation has been that his peculiar skill-set is more impacted by a slight decline than others. It’s the narrative, but is it unfair?
Huh?You should re-read your post. You forgot to add “ full transparency” and “lots to unpack.” 😅
I’m not sure I understand…but that’s baseball
Of course they haven’t! It would make too much sense to extend a 29 year old, three time batting champion who never strikes out, gold glove caliber all star player! Not for these SF Giants owners! Pathetic!!!!
Enhance your calm!
Gold glove?
I’m a SD fan and defended Luis a lot for being a better 1b than stats showed but never ever did I suggest he was gold glove.
he is playing gold glove defense this year but still with a team that is 15 games under .500 at this point – what he is providing is not going to propel this team for the future, trading for some young pitching on the other hand could help
You should watch Arraez this year. He’s more than solid. He’s GG.
It’s awesome to watch. Dudes even throwing in some style points these days. Ha ha. The non verbal “Who said I can’t play defense”
It’s been a cool story.
So this is a sad commentary on baseball development in general. It took Arraez this long, thru how many organizations, to finally get a coach (Ron Washington) to tap into his potential on defense. If Arraez at age 29 is able to learn and play GG defense at second base, then he should have been capable as a prospect. But obviously all these teams he played for lacked the coaching ability to garner this potential out of Arraez ?? Or did Arraez just not want to listen until now?? Things that make you go hmmmmm.
You haven’t watched him much this year though. Players can get better at many aspects of their game with good coaching. Arraez deserves a lot of credit as does Ron Washington. He has improved quite a bit on defense. Eldridge and Devers have improved a lot also. I hope they keep Arraez for 3 years at 50-60 million. He’d be an asset for sure.Casey can keep being a Super Utility.
Sure. If you ignore everything else it’s very simple. Fans can do that. Front office…not so much.
He is a blind umpire. What did anyone expect?
There was a reason why he was NEVER offered a multi year deal last winter. All he could get was a 1 year contract. I understand that he’s a .300 hitter but he’s kind of over rated. He’ll play for around 4-5 more teams by the time his career is done 😟
He is good on the right team in the right spot but he is also an extreme singles hitter
It was weird seeing him turn into a 1 win player both of his years in San Diego. When they made the trade and the Marlins picked up his salary in 2024 I thought they’d gotten the steal of a century.
Glad to see him bounceback and he’s probably worked his butt off to improve his D. He should finally get a good multi-year deal which is strange to say for a likely 4-time batting champ.
That said a 35% increase in k’s is alarming ;)
Trade him now, get some prospects and maybe re-sign him as a free agent in the offseason.
I don’t see the point of re signing him unless you trade some of the big contracts. at this point 2nd is the only position on the infield that isn’t blocked and there are a lot of infielders in the pipeline – some likely to be ready to debut as soon as next year
Depends on the price, he did enjoy the spaciousness of Oracle Park, it’s not entirely impossible but I do see your point.
yeah it isn’t about who he is as much as it is about what the team needs in the future
I don’t think even Gavin Kilen will be ready; he’s at least a couple years away. And while Schmitt can play second, he doesn’t provide the bat-to-balls contact that Arraez does.
Best would be dealing Adames to open ss for Schmitt while keeping Arraez at second.
Nate Furman could easily step in and replace Arraez.
His defense is suspect but Ron Washington can fix him. Furman can flat out hit, is fast and bidding his time in Sacramento.
Call up the Braves and get it done. I’m counting on you Pete !
There’s no place to play him if Schmitt is at 2b. Duh.
Padres could use him
Padres can use a lot of players
Here hoping for high demand
Giants can’t sign decent FA hitters, they have one who wants to stay.
Valid point Deke, but some prospects are nearing MLB readiness within the next couple of years. Luis is most likely looking for a bit longer of an extension.
2-3 years tops and the prospects are at least two years away, probably three.
The Giants have no pride and it’s too bad that not only is there human poop on the streets in San Francisco there’s even more poop within the confines of the ballpark.
It’s also too bad about your poop obsession, but maybe you’ll grow out of it in your teens.
Hey, you haven’t lived unless you poop on a SF sidewalk. My spot is front of the Full House house. I’ll be in the bushes snickering when Lori Loughlin steps in it.
Go back to your unfunny sarcastic posts, Mark66
@Mark66 You watch too much Fox News, you dopey old maggot.
Mark66, Man are you a sucker for propaganda.
Reads like there’s poop in Marks mouth.
Don’t you have a Capitol to go storm?
I always figured when there’s trade rumors surrounding a player on a team about to go in sale mode, them saying they’re open to an extension is just a quiet way of announcing to other teams “Don’t worry, I’m a team player.”
But who knows, maybe he really does like SF.
I’m thinking there manager is not earning his % if he isn’t advising them to say that.
Texas is obvious.
Scarborough ?
Arraez surplus is 7 million Scarborough is like 30 😂
So we gotta toss in Brubaker..
Still wouldn’t be even be close. Jim Bowden mock trade is Arraez to Texas for Dalton Pence, LHP; Yolfran Castillo, INF
Please oh please baseball gods, let Chapman be traded. I know it’s asking a lot, but after all we’ve endured this season that would be a nice little victory.
Chapman is the least of the contract worries. His glove is still golden. You’ll miss him when/if he’s gone.
Not a chance I’ll miss him.
Robbie Ray is having a better than “so-so” season – 3.33 ERA, 5 ER in last 5 starts. He’s definitely valuable to many teams.
Agree. He’s been a little inconsistent. But he’d be a big help to some team that needs help mid, or back of the rotation.
If the Giants do decide to do a full rebuild they are most likely stuck with Devers and Adames unless they want to give away and clear as much contract as they can. Arraez and Chapman are probably their best position chips. Arraez for the bat and Chapman for the glove and quality 3B.
From the pitching side Ray should get some help back. They could shop Webb to see if they can bag a nice package.
The truth is they aren’t in great shape and don’t have a lot of young talent.
Nah. Got plenty of young talent. 10th ranked farm and rising.
That “rising “ statement will really ring true once all the draft boys sign, and the trade acquisitions settle in. Looking to the future is all we can do to get through this season.
Pretty sure Baseball Americas 10
Ranking includes the draft boys. The big names down there keep performing. Hence the confidence for more rising. But yeah, a couple of other teams top 30 guys is something to add to the situation.
And moving up. Goose needs to read up a bit.
Goose—If you are referring to young talent at ML level, I’d agree.
However, they actually have 3 high upside young infield prospects all under 20. Just drafted the clear #1 pitching prospect in the June draft and have more depth in their system overall than at anytime I can recall in the past 5 years.
blogs.fangraphs.com/san-francisco-giants-top-50-pr…
I would 100% offer Webb. He’s never been an “Ace” – most overrated pitcher out there. Lots of miles on that arm , gonna break down. Dump him for a nice haul of prospects while you can.
He’s a 2 or 3 on a good team. He’s only a so-called ace because he plays for the Giants.
Hey I wanted to get Giants fans take on Jim Bowden’s trade proposal in the Athletic: Schmitt and Erik Miller for George Kirby. Mariners get a hitter for third base and Giants get a #2/#3 starter for the next 2.5 years.
I’d rather the Giants send Chapman and pay all his salary for a couple years + Miller.
The Mariners have plenty of options at 3 rd for next year. Pass on that offer, pitching is way more expensive. They would rather gamble with youth than give Kirby away.
Caleb Bonemer and George Wilkow for Arraez. White Sox will find a spot for everyone!
Luis gives your blue jeans Arraez, but does it give the Giants a Bonemer?
Crude, but still had to give you a thumbs up due to my antique sophomoric humor.
Wait till you see my poop reply.
I was tempted, but the use of “House house” just fell flat for me, sorry.
Both talented prospects but way far away from sniffing a MLB roster. And George Wolkow will never hit Major League pitching.
Ok take Billy Carlson instead?
The Red Sox do need some power in the lineup… and Devers is on the market…
Before people jump down my throat I meant that as a joke. a) With the whole 1B controversy there’s too much bad blood there. b) No matter how you look at it, Devers is an albatross. c) Honestly if I’m the Giants, I keep him and try to fix him. Raffy was never great at hitting lefties but he wasn’t as bad as he is this year. Get those numbers back to career norms and suddenly… well he’s still an albatross but a more productive one.
The whole post could be a joke imo. Nothing inspires ignorance like the words “Raffy Devers”.
Nothing to fix. Rocking a 900 ops since June 1. Playing an adequate 1st base. He is the Giants best hitter.
Not an albatross. It’s 28m per year. Less than half of what the market would s in paying Tucker. 33% less than Bichette. It ends when he is a spritely 36 yo. The recent norm has been 40 for long termers.
I never thought I would see the words Devers and sprightly in the same post.
I think the problem with Devers (even as he’s heated up) is that he’s not a contact guy when that’s needed. And the Giants have Eldridge to play 1b for a decade.
I think some team would have to be interested in Devers if the Giants paid down the contract—how much remains to be seen.
He is not everything. Still awesome though. I’m not sure they would need to pay down too much. Anyhow, too early for the Raffy/Eldridge decision imo. Maybe next year if the pitchers fall short on their Eldridge adjustments.
I just got done watching the Giants play the Mariners for three games and Devers struck out 9 times in 14 AB’s. I know that’s SSS but that would be my concern about Devers: that swing and miss.
All star break. I think history shows he takes a little bit while to warm up.
I get it with the SO’s but you can’t have everything all of the time.
Giants have been screaming for a hitter like him for years and years. No chance I’m giving him up that easy. Especially considering the FA situation this year.
If Boston trades with San Francisco it’s for middle infield help. It would be for either Arraez or Adames.
Arraez is a great player, Giants would be making an error trading him for prospects if they can sign him to an extension.
The Arraez and Lopez battle for the batting title in the NL would be great this season. If Arreaz gets traded to the AL, that is over.
Take that away from him, it would be a travesty in every way.
The fat cat owners have to sell some of their precious lucrative real estate portfolio to free up some badly needed cash to buy down or buy out some of the long term contract mistakes.
No they don’t. Dumb fans need to understand that’s not a realistic option.
If they trade Chappy, sign him. But no trade clause and what Luis wants may hinder this.
He could be your team’s next Marco Scutaro and leap frog you straight to a World Series victory. You just need to give up more than Charlie Culberson.
OAA swing from -9 to +9 from 25 to 26 is crazy. Also his baserunning value greatly improved, which I assume is in large part to coaching. It seems he has adjusted to not being terrible against sinkers like he was last year. Which probably accounts for him getting under the ball more, getting more solid contact, and not topping it similar to his pre 2025 form.
Giants fans I’d give ya Jarren Duran for Arraez straight up. Seems to me Duran needs a change of scenery, Roman Anthony will be back and we can’t platoon Abreu anymore he’s too good. Boston can use anyone who gets on base, especially since there’s a lack of power. 2025 Was a great year for Duran maybe he bounces back. What do ya say Giants fans?
Doubt it.
SFG looking for sub 25yo pitchers, not 28 yo outfielders.
Luis Arraez will be traded unless between now and the deadline he gets injured. Kudos to the work he did with Ron Washington who is an infield genius. My eye test says he’s been good, but to those who say Gold Glover …. watch Chapman or a not too long ago Crawford, THAT is what a Gold Glover looks like. Also if healthy Mahle, Ray and Brubaker are gone.
There’s a formula for winning at Oracle Park and that involves getting power from non-traditional power spots in the lineup. Posey at C, Kent at 2nd, even Aurilia at SS. This is because the park’s large OF just sets a high defensive bar for their everyday outfielders and OF is where most teams get their power. Move Arraez and installing Schmidt at 2nd helps here quite a bit
If this is a lost season to development then I’d like to see the Giants put Eldridge back in the OF where he play some in the MiLB. His ability to play the OF even if it’s just in select road parks opens a roster spot maybe for a RH slugging 1B/DH player. There was a time a not young Pat Burrell patrolled LF, just saying.
Similarly need to sort out if JH Lee can play CF where his bat profiles better. Advance metrics were down on him in CF but the sample size was small and defensive metrics aren’t of the same quality of offensive metrics This is of course they haven’t decided they’ve seen enough and decide to move on from him but Lee’s 2027 opt out makes a trade complicated, unlikely. Make Ramos fight for AB’s especially vs RHP. Step up or become the short side of a platoon.
As someone who’s had Adames on fantasy teams, he has years like this. He always has large strikeout totals, what separates his very good seasons from his bad ones is when he takes his walks which in 2026 he’s just not doing. I liked that he’s gone the other way this weekend, that works in SF too. Hitting 30hr’s is nice but it can’t come with a sub .300 OBP, he needs to take his BBs
Like Adames, Devers had a SLOW start but since May has been good, just not Boston good as lets be honest, Oracle is no Fenway for LHH. He too is putting in the work with Ron Washington and looks much improved at 1st. Last year and at times early 2026, things looked “too fast” for Devers, now he’s settled in and looks comfortable, showing better agility and improving his “pick throws” game. I think when 2026 is over the numbers will be more than solid, I’m not sure albatross is how I’d look at him.
Sort out the dumpster fire that is the bullpen.
LHP Miller/Hentes are both pitching well in July, likely both are dealt. Miller hasn’t shown the ability to stay healthy a full season, but it’s legit power stuff from the left side that works in playoffs. Cheap contract, I think 100% he’s gone. Hentes seems to have shaken off the post surgery rust and has 1yr of arb control, but with 2027 not a sure thing, likely he goes as well.
Dylan Smith, Caleb Kilian are pre arb and more than serviceable however more in 7th/8th inning setup roles. Jason Foley has closing experience but it’s not power stuff. I wonder if they couldn’t package Kilian + Hentes into something interesting. I wouldn’t be surprised if any of these RP get thrown in a deal with one of the starters as well.
Getting “cheap” with the rotation is how you end up overpaying a 4-5 guy like Houser. There’s no bad 1yr contracts, this was a bad 2yr deal. I think he stays and gets back in the rotation maybe with an opener as there are others whose IP total they’ll want to limit.
Speaking of, I think teams ask on Roupp and I think the Giants listen whereas prior very unlikely they’d listen at all. If Roupp could bring back an everyday CF, I’d do that in a heartbeat.
Good read Jack.
I had a chuckle at Eldridge. There might be a reason that LF experiment didn’t last long. He isn’t the most fluent of runners. Ha ha. It’s a scary thought.