The Minnesota Twins traded reining batting champ Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins last offseason , in exchange for Pablo Lopez. Their rotation needed pitching, and Arraez provided an avenue to seizing it.
But you have to give, to get, a lot of times. Arraez was a fan favorite in Twins Territory, and he still has a Major League soft spot for his former organization, and the teammates he grew to love.
Rocco Baldelli brought his Minnesota Twins to San Diego yesterday, and Luis Arraez was quick to connect with his former teammates . Traded to the Padres earlier this season, Arraez won’t be a free agent until 2026.
Luis Arraez will forever love the Minnesota Twins
Still contending for batting titles and doing his high average thing , the All-Star clearly misses Minnesota. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes caught up with the former Twins infielder on Monday.
“I cried a lot when (the Twins) traded me. It was painful but it’s baseball. I understand. Baseball is a business. … It feels (like) a while because I played last year with Miami. I need to just stay focused. I don’t want to think about that. I want to still stay focused with my team right now.”
Luis Arraez on leaving Minnesota (via The Athletic)
Although Arraez now plays in San Diego, he still makes his offseason home in Miami. The Venezuelan still keeps an apartment in Minnesota, but he has yet to return to Target Field since the trade. Last season the Marlins hosted the Twins in April, and the Padres aren’t heading to Minneapolis until August 29, 2025.
Related: Twins Getting Aggressive With Top Pick Kaelen Culpepper
For now, Arraez can continue to keep relationships with his former teammates, but he clearly misses the organization he grew up in… a lot
“I played my whole career there. I never forgot Minnesota. I miss Minnesota. … I can’t wait to go there.”
Luis Arraez (via The Athletic)
Arraez is still chasing batting titles with Padres
Luis Arraez owned just a .299 average after 33 games for the Marlins this season. He has batted .306 for the Padres and his 2024 batting average sits at .304. As he looks for a third straight batting title, the Padres infielder will need to chase down Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.
Of course many players would love to have a .300 average be their threshold of positivity. It has become a given for Arraez. His ability to hit for contact is a boost to the overall profile given the other shortcomings.
Despite the high average, Arraez owns just a 101 OPS+, which is a far cry from Ozuna’s 165 OPS+ . With poor defense that detracts from his production, he has been worth just 0.5 fWAR this season. For context, Edouard Julien has provided 0.7 fWAR for Minnesota.
Related: Hardware Coming for Twins Carlos Santana?
Arraez is incredibly good at what he does, and his ability is something not often replicated in today’s game. He has always been an extremely likable person as well, and will continue to be fondly remembered in Twins Territory.
It seems unlikely the sides would like up in free agency, but that remains to be seen. For now, Arraez can hang onto the apartment and enjoy a feeling of home next summer when he returns to Target Field.
More must-reads:
Local Minneapolis, MN
Most Popular
Comments / 0