Detroit Tigers Listed as Potential Trade Fit for Padres All-Star Luis Arraez
Despite it being a quiet offseason so far for the Detroit Tigers, that could all change with one or two moves.
Coming into the offseason, the Tigers were figured to be a team that could make a splash or two this offseason. Despite a lot of success in 2024, replicating that and exceeding expectations in 2025 will not be easy.
One of the biggest needs to improve the team is to bolster the lineup by upgrading at either first base or third base. So far, they haven’t done anything in that department. With a lot of free-agent first basemen coming off the market, options are starting to get limited.
Recently, Harrison Bruns of JustBaseball proposed an interesting deal that would send Luis Arrez of the San Diego Padres to Detroit in exchange for their current first baseman, Spencer Torkelson.
“Perhaps a swap headlined by Arraez and Torkelson would be beneficial for all parties. Detroit can move off of Torkelson while adding a more proven and consistent bat to help push for a division title. For San Diego, they would add a young first baseman who is still making the minimum. Torkelson still has a lot of potential, and maybe playing in his home state can help unleash some of that.”
Despite being a former first-round pick and showing some glimpses of becoming a good player in 2023, it hasn’t been a great start to his career. In the majors last season, he totaled a .219 batting average, 10 home runs and 37 RBIs in 92 games.
Arraez is a far different type of player, as he is known for being one of the best contact hitters in the game. For a Tigers team that does need help in the lineup, he would be a really solid addition. In 117 games last season, he totaled a .318 batting average and .744 OPS.
This type of flip could make sense for both sides, as it would give Torkelson a fresh start with a new team. The slugging first baseman certainly has a lot of power as shown by his 31 home run season, but there are a lot of flaws in his game.
As Detroit continues to look to navigate the offseason, their options to improve at first base are really limited now. While Arraez is a good player, he isn’t a middle of the order type hitter that is desperately needed. However, as the elite contact hitter that he is, it would still be an upgrade for the lineup.
