Padres fumble a golden opportunity as Luis Arraez signs with an NL West rival

Jorge Castillo was the first to report the gut-punch: Luis Arraez is headed to the San Francisco Giants on a one-year, $12 million deal. 

And then Bob Nightengale put the whole thing in neon lights with the quote Padres fans didn’t want to read: “Three-time batting champion Luis Arraez signs one year $12 million deal with the San Francisco Giants to be their second baseman.” 

Padres’ baffling whiff on Luis Arraez gets louder after signing with the San Francisco Giants

That last detail is the part that should make San Diego groan. This wasn’t just Arraez picking a rival — it was him picking the role. Reports around the league had already pointed to Arraez prioritizing a return to second base, even while weighing one-year and multi-year offers. The Giants basically walked up, handed him the keystone job, and got a bargain-proof “bet on yourself” contract in return.

Meanwhile, the Padres are left staring at an infield that still feels like it’s one bad week from getting weird. Arraez wasn’t a perfect player — he’s not adding thump, and you’re not signing him for highlight defense. You sign him because contact is a weapon and he shortens innings. He turns your “three true outcomes” funk into actual rallies. And if you’re San Diego, you sign him because you already know he fits.

And yes, he’ll definitely be at second base in San Francisco. Even if Arraez’s glove isn’t exactly a selling point, the Giants’ DH lane is going to get swallowed up by Rafael Devers most days — because if you’re trying to hide a glove, you don’t start by putting it right next to Devers. Let Arraez work second; let Devers’ defense remain… an experience… somewhere else.

Could the $12 million price tag have been too rich for a winter where every dollar is being squeezed? Maybe. But this wasn’t a five-year commitment. It was a one-year bridge — the kind of deal that buys you stability now and keeps you flexible later. Even MLB Trade Rumors noted it lines up with the annual value of their earlier two-years/$24 million projection, just packaged in a “reset the market next winter” wrapper. 

Instead, the Giants get the best bat-to-ball specialist available and the Padres get another reminder that “standing pat” in the NL West usually turns into regret.