Blockbuster Trade Proposal Lands Padres Top Prospect for $14M All-Star

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jan 4, 2025

Oct 5, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez (4) and right fielder Fernando Tatis (23) interact before playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

By this point in the offseason, it isn't a secret that the San Diego Padres are being cautious with their money. They are trying to sign talent but also slash payroll.

One of the ways to slash payroll would be to trade a player in the last season of his deal.

Three-time batting champion Luis Arraez has been traded multiple times throughout his career, but Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicts it will be a fourth, saying the Friars will send the infielder to Seattle in exchange for designated hitter Mitch Garver and infielder Michael Arroyo (Mariners' No. 6 prospect).

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"Arraez is one of the players the Padres are actually open to trading," Rymer wrote. "It makes some sense, if for no other reason than he projects to make $14.6 million in 2025.

"As he produced just 1.0 rWAR this year, he's only worth that kind of money if a team is desperate for his bat-to-ball skills. He has been in the 100th percentile for whiff rate in each of the last four seasons."

The infielder, who played through a torn ligament in his left thumb for the final three months of the season, finished 2024 with a .314 batting average (.318 with the Padres), claiming his third consecutive batting title. Despite the strong average, his .346 on-base percentage was the lowest of his six MLB seasons, and his 3.6 percent walk rate was less than half of the 7.9 percent rate he posted before 2024.

Arraez underwent surgery for the torn ligament in mid-October. He suffered the injury on June 25 during a headfirst slide into third base while tripling against the Washington Nationals.

Bringing in a bat like Arraez would immediately boost the Mariners' offense which has been among the league's worst as of late.

"Hence the Mariners, who you may have heard aren't very good at hitting the ball," Rymer added.

"But just in case, know that Seattle hitters have ranked in the bottom five of the American League for strikeouts in each of the last six seasons. And right now, it so happens they have an opening at first base."

Garver has been a solid, above-average catcher throughout most of his career, but at 33 years old, his best years may be behind him. Arroyo, on the other hand, is a highly promising infield prospect, coming off an impressive 2024 season.

More news: Padres Want Luis Arraez to Make a Big Change in 2025