The Giants are one of the few clear sellers and have one of the most obvious trade chips in Luis Arraez. However, he’s also open to staying around via an extension. “Yes, why not?” Arraez said to John Shea of The San Francisco Standard about the possibility. “Especially because this organization gave me a big opportunity to improve my defense. I would love to come back here. We’re still in the season, and I don’t think about that right now. But in the future, let’s see what happens. I’m open to listen to whatever they want to say to me.”
For Arraez personally, he should be looking to cash in on what could be a career year. He has long been known as the league’s best contact hitter. He doesn’t draw walks or have huge power but he’s tremendous in the batting average department. He racked up three batting titles from 2022 to 2024, hitting between .314 and .354 in those seasons. He dipped down to .292 last year but is back up this year, currently sitting at .326.
The big jump is on the defensive side of things. Arraez came up to the majors playing a decent amount of second base but never got good grades for his glovework. In 2024 and 2025, he spent more time at first base.
The Giants took a shot on him by giving him a one-year, $12MM deal and a chance to return to the keystone. He has responded by being better than anyone really expected. Defensive Runs Saved still considers him to be subpar but Arraez has been credited with ten Outs Above Average this year. JJ Wetherholt is the only player in the majors ahead of him in that category. With the improved glovework and his bat bouncing back, FanGraphs has credited him with 3.5 wins above replacement. That’s already a personal best even though barely half the season is in the books.
Arraez is set to return to free agency and should have greater earning power than he did last winter. It’s hard to pin down a value on him since he’s such a unique player but a multi-year deal at a comparable salary should be viable. If the Giants are interested in something like that, perhaps the two sides could have some conversations.
However, it’s also possible the Giants are looking to sell high on Arraez after they bought low on him. They are 39-54 and clearly going into the August 3 deadline as sellers, with Arraez being easily their best trade chip. Logan Webb is off the table. Their other impending free agents aren’t too enticing. Robbie Ray will get interest but his $25MM salary detracts from his appeal. The big names like Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers are reportedly available but those contracts are underwater.
Arraez is having a great season and is playing on a relatively affordable salary. The Giants could even eat some of that money if they want to maximize the prospect return. Though Arraez is playing second base now, some clubs could put him at first base or designated hitter, depending on their own needs. He will be the Giants’ best path to extracting some future talent from a lost season.
Trading Arraez could also have other benefits for the Giants, as it could open up a spot for Casey Schmitt. He is having a breakout season at the plate but doesn’t have a great defensive home. A natural infielder, he was recently forced to learn left field on the fly in order to keep his bat in the lineup. Devers, Arraez, Adames, Chapman and Bryce Eldridge have the infield and designated hitter spots covered. Schmitt is temporarily at third base while Chapman is on the injured list but Chapman will be back eventually. The Giants could trade Arraez and give Schmitt the second base job, for the rest of this year and next season as well.
Theoretically, a Chapman trade and an Arraez extension would be another route the club could take, with Schmitt moving to third. Chapman is much harder to trade, however. He is owed $100MM over the next four seasons, plus the remainder of this season’s salary. For a guy who is now 33 years old, that’s not an enticing contract for other clubs, especially since his offense a bit down this year. He’s also a California native and has a full no-trade clause, so he would need to be on board with any trade and it’s anyone’s guess how he feels about the possibility of leaving.
Trading Schmitt is another possibility but he is controlled for three seasons beyond this one and hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration. He could be an affordable part of the club for the next few seasons, a notable feature for a club apparently concerned about the current payroll commitments.
The Giants will presumably ramp up trade talks after the upcoming draft, like all clubs. They could explore various different scenarios but the most straightforward path is for them to trade Arraez. If they do want to try something different, such as a plan that involves Arraez staying in San Francisco, he’s open to talking about it.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images
