BREAKING: Padres acquire INF Luis Arraez from Marlins
Credit: AP Photo
Prior to the first pitch of the 2024 MLB Season, the Padres made waves by acquiring RHP Dylan Cease from the White Sox.
With less than a quarter of the season completed, the Padres made another trade that turned baseball on its head.
Initially reported by Jeff Passan but confirmed by others since, the Padres have agreed to acquire INF Luis Arraez from the Marlins for three prospects (1B Nathan Martorella, OFs Dillion Head & Jacob Marsee) and reliever Woo Suk Go.
BREAKING: The San Diego Padres are nearing a deal to acquire second baseman Luis Arraez from the Miami Marlins for a package of three prospects and a relief pitcher, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. The trade is in medical review but is expected to be finalized soon.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 4, 2024
Yet again, A.J. Preller went out and acquired a player he had been interested in for years.
Before the season, the Padres had been one of several teams inquiring about Arraez. Once the season began, however, many thought there wouldn’t be further discussion until the trade deadline, and that assumed the Padres would be a contender. However, A.J. Preller shunned such common thinking and acquired the all-star less than 30 games into the season.
https://x.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1786572476652122581
The 27-year-old is considered to be one of the best contact hitters in the game and was the first player in recent memory to seriously chase Ted Williams’ legendary .400 batting average.
Acquired from the Twins for RHP Pablo Lopez and others, Arraez promptly displayed his worth by batting at or near .300 for two seasons while also picking up two batting titles, two Silver Slugger awards, and two all-star nominations. The left-hander has tremendous contact skills but limited power and fringe defensive skills at second base. It’s up in the air where the Padres would play or utilize him on the diamond or if they would simply prefer to use him as the primary DH.
Regardless of the details, the Padres once again acquired a long-sought-after target by harvesting from a rebuilt farm system. Now, the team will bring aboard one of the best left-handed contact hitters in the game to lengthen and balance a lineup that shows both flaws and promise.
A Native San Diegan, Loren has spent his entire life not only as a fan but an active participant in San Diego’s sports world. In 2006 Loren joined two other die hard Charger fans to create Bolttalk, where Loren was a co-host and regular columnist from 2006 until the Chargers left in 2017. After that he started another podcast, The Grid Podshow, from 2020-2021 with his former co-host and colleague, speaking about the local sports community and popular culture.
When he’s not giving his opinion about San Diego sports, Loren is an adjunct professor at San Diego State and an attorney.
Preller is a very desperate man who is desperately trying to save his job, all at a huge cost to the Padres.