Padres can’t ignore the awkward truth behind Luis Arráez’s free-agent market

Luis Arráez is the type of bat teams say they miss… until they have to decide what they’re willing to give back on defense.

Because the awkward truth behind his free-agent market isn’t that he suddenly forgot how to hit. It’s that modern baseball has basically decided elite contact is only “elite” if it comes with power, defense, or some kind of positional flexibility you can move around like a chess piece. Arráez is a batting-title machine — and it looks like the San Diego Padres, alongside the rest of the league, are still treating him like a compromise.

Padres might benefit from the strange way MLB is treating Luis Arráez

That’s why Ken Rosenthal’s comments on Foul Territory (Jan. 27) landed with a thud. He couldn’t even name a team that made obvious sense. Not because Arráez can’t rake, but because teams don’t want to “compromise their infield” to get the bat. When a three-time batting champion is being framed as a “prove it” guy, you’re not watching a player problem. You’re watching a market problem.

The Padres can’t pretend it doesn’t matter. San Diego’s whole identity the past few years has been stars, swagger, and “we’ll figure the fit out later.” But 2026 is shaping up like a winter where fit actually is the point. If the Padres are prioritizing utility types and defensive coverage, that’s a pretty loud hint that a reunion with Arráez isn’t Plan A. His glove narrows options, and once he’s living in the DH lane, the roster gets stiff fast.

Still, the Padres also know what it feels like when the lineup turns into an all-or-nothing slog. Arráez is a pressure release valve. He changes at-bats. He makes the offense breathe. That has value — just not the kind teams are paying for the way they used to.

So here’s the uncomfortable decision: if Arráez’s market keeps stalling, A.J. Preller has to decide whether this is a chance to buy low on a rare skill… or a warning sign to finally stop collecting one-dimensional pieces and hoping the puzzle magically completes itself.