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Diamondbacks Division Rival Adds Reigning Batting Champion to Lineup

Originally posted on Burn City Sports
By Michael McDermott | Last updated 5/4/24

A Diamondbacks’ division rival has swung a massive trade, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the San Diego Padres are close to acquiring 2023 National League batting champion Luis Arraez from the Miami Marlins. Craig Mish reports the players going to Miami are prospects Dillon Head, Woo-Suk Go, Jakob Marsee, and Nathan Martorella. Head, Marsee, and Martorella rank as the No. 6, 9, and 13 prospects in the Padres organization.

BREAKING: The San Diego Padres are nearing a deal to acquire second baseman Luis Arraez from the Miami Marlins for a package of three prospects and a relief pitcher, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. The trade is in medical review but is expected to be finalized soon.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 4, 2024

Marlins also are getting OF Jacob Marsee in return in the deal per source. It is a 4 for 1 trade with Head being the headliner. No pun intended.

— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) May 4, 2024

Arraez, 27, is a career .324 hitter in 569 games with the Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins. After coming up with the Twins, he was traded to the Marlins in exchange for Pablo Lopez before the 2023 season. He was a key bat at the top of the Marlins order, leading all major league hitters with a .354 batting average, and helping them make an improbable run for a National League Wild Card spot.

The National League West has seen a lot of talent enter the division since the start of the previous offseason. The Dodgers added Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow, who have gotten off to a hot start in 2024. The Padres already added Dylan Cease in a trade on March 13th. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo’s reaction the day after the Cease trade sums it up best.

Torey Lovullo’s initial reaction to the Padres trading for Dylan Cease:

“I wish the best players would quit coming to the NL West.” pic.twitter.com/eDqSLuZ3be

— PHNX Diamondbacks (@PHNX_Dbacks) March 14, 2024

The Padres already feature a starting infield of Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts, Ha-Seong Kim, and Tyler Wade, from first base to third base. Graham Pauley and Eguy Rosario serve as bench pieces. Arraez plays both first and second base, got mixed reviews on his glovework at second in 2023. Sports Info Solution’s Defensive Runs Saved metric credits him with 4 DRS in 1124 innings, while Baseball Savant’s Fielding Run Value at -8. The metrics both paint him as a poor defender in 2024, with -4 DRS and -5 fielding runs in 281 innings. With infielders that can play multiple positions, the Padres would have the option to mix and match their infielders to suit their lineup.

The Padres play the Diamondbacks this weekend at Chase Field, sitting with a 17-18 record and in second place of the National League West.