Giants’ Luis Arráez makes a blunt confession Padres fans won’t forget

One of the biggest reasons that the Padres didn’t bring back Luis Arráez was due to the decrease in offensive numbers last season. That, coupled with mediocre defense and ineffective base running, made it clear to A.J. Preller and the front office that it wasn’t worth bringing him back.

Preller wasn’t the only one to think this, as no team wanted to sign the three-time batting title holder for the first two waves of free agency. Originally projected to sign a multi-year contract, Arráez was forced to settle on a one-year, $12 million deal with the San Francisco Giants.

From .354 with the Miami Marlins in 2023 to .314 with the Marlins and Padres in 2024, Arráez saw his lowest career batting average in 2025, .292.

Giants’ Luis Arráez makes a raw confession that reopens a Padres wound

When interviewed at the Giants' spring training facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, reporters asked Arráez if he would tweak his fundamentals in his approach. Arráez said he wouldn’t and blamed his decline on an injury he sustained early on in 2025.

Arráez got a concussion early in the season after crashing into Houston Astros’ first baseman Mauricio Dubón. Arráez was carted off the field and was later placed on the seven-day concussion injured list.

In his time with San Diego, only a few skills were constantly present in Arráez’s game. Avoiding strikeouts, putting the ball in play, and avoiding swing-and-miss helped work up opponent pitch counts and gave the team a reliable top-of-the-order bat.

However, as we’ve mentioned, he lacked defense, baserunning, and power. The good contact skills weren’t enough to make up for porous defense and baserunning, which inevitably led to his departure.

These comments that Arráez made will certainly make for interesting matchups this season, as the Padres face the Giants in four different series. On top of that, the two teams will be competing for a playoff spot alongside each other, adding fuel to the fire.