Giants to Trade Luis Arraez to Phillies for Long-Term Pitching Help

Luis Arraez didn’t want to leave the San Francisco Giants. But, in the end, the Giants really had no choice.

San Francisco traded their second baseman on Monday, a move many expected given that he was on an expiring deal and was having a season that might lead to a fourth batting title. The only question was where he would go. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to repor the move. USA Today’s Bob Nightegale reported the return — starter Ramon Marquez, the Phillies’ No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, and reliever Marty Gair.

The Phillies is getting a resurgent player, one that is having one of his best offensive seasons and has upgraded his defense at a position where he was a liability earlier in his career, thanks to work under Giants infield coach Ron Washington. Meanwhile, the Giants are getting players they can build around next season and beyond.

Luis Arraez is Traded

Arraez joined the Giants this past offseason on a one-year contract. He had been playing for the San Diego Padres the past two seasons and had been their first baseman. It was an odd choice given that first base is a position where teams want home runs and that’s not his forte. But the Padres had other offensive stars and had to find a way to get the high-contact bat of Arraez in the lineup.

When he signed with San Francisco, the idea was to play him at second base, a position he played earlier in his career in Miami, but where he was not considered a quality defender. Washington changed that. In addition to having one of his best offensive seasons, Arraez is now seen as an above-average defender at the position this season. It’s part of the reason he told reporters recently that if he was traded, he wanted to continue to play second base.

The Giants have not had the season they were hoping for. Arraez was one of several players they signed in the offseason to help bolster a lineup that included shortstop Willy Adames, first baseman Rafael Devers and third baseman Matt Chapman.

With first-year manager Tony Vitello at the helm, San Francisco has been among the worst teams in the National League and have no reasonable pathway to a playoff berth. That’s what put Arraez on the trade market, along with other Giants who had expiring deals this season. There are also several long-term contracts San Francisco would like to get out from under as baseball heads toward a potential lockout after this season.

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