San Diego Padres infielder Luis Arraez will command an interesting market in free agency this winter. The former three-time batting champion will hit the open market following this season and could command a lucrative deal.
Arraez is experiencing a bit of a down year to his standards, slashing .284/.317/.391 with seven home runs and 52 RBIs. Arraez has been known to keep his batting average high, but his slugging numbers suggest that his value may be a little overstated. ESPN’s Jeff Passan isn’t sure what Arraez will command in free agency due to his unique skill set.
“Arraez, one of the younger players in the class at 28, has minimal power, is a below-average defender, can't run and doesn't walk. If it weren't for the extreme bat-to-ball skills, Arraez would not be in the big leagues,” Passan said. “Batting average matters. Plenty. It doesn't matter as much as on-base percentage --which, until this year, Arraez had at a .372 clip --or slugging percentage. But it matters, and when compounded with the paucity of strikeouts, it's an asset to whichever team signs him. The question of how much they'll pay him remains open.”
For now, Arraez remains one of the Padres’ most important bats. The Padres currently hold the National League’s second Wild Card spot, and are marred in a heated battle with multiple teams in the NL. San Diego has slipped lately, dropping eight of their last 10 games, so they’ll need Arraez to heat up at the plate to avoid a late-season collapse.