Could the Padres Trade One of Their Key All-Stars This Season?

Valentina Martinez | Dec 9, 2024

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

The San Diego Padres have lofty expectations heading into 2025: Win the World Series. But before next season begins, the Padres still need to resolve financial issues and holes on the roster.

In order to keep the team competitive in 2025 and beyond, the San Diego front office will inevitably have to give up some of their talent. The Padres are faced with massive player raises, including Luis Arraez, who is due to earn $14.6 million in arbitration.

Arraez has been a journeyman in the majors in his last three seasons. The three-time batting champion has played for a trio of teams in the last three seasons. Heading into 2025, Arraez could end up playing for his fourth club.

Offensively, Arraez gave the Padres a huge boost. San Diego went from playing .470 ball to .602 after his arrival. Arraez rarely strikes out as he recorded 29 whiffs and a 3.4 percent strikeout rate.

But Arraez is extremely limited defensively, which would make his trade value complicated. Arraez made most of his starts at designated hitter and first base where he saw his WAR drop from 4.9 in 2023 to 1.0.

When the Padres traded away star outfielder Juan Soto and shed $90 million of its payroll, it was evident the franchise was turning a corner. But once again, the organization is faced with more financial problems this winter.

The Padres are expected to keep its payroll level essentially the same from 2024 to 2025, but maintaining the level of payroll is no easy feat.

San Diego still needs to add a starter in a rotation that includes Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish. Additionally, if the Padres were to lose players like Arraez it would create more holes on the roster.

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller will have to work his offseason magic to put together a well-balanced roster that can reach the World Series. Instead of the Padres trading Arraez away, the team could also back-load his deal to reduce the 2025 salary significantly.

The Padres have a few options when it comes to Arraez. The team could trade him, extend him with a long-term contract, or let him play out his final year and cut payroll somewhere else.

More News: Has Padres, Dodgers Target Roki Sasaki Already Picked His Team?