Luis Arráez trade has been overlooked due to Padres star's unique brand of baseball

San Diego Padres President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller is known for making big moves. The Padres signed All-Star third baseman Manny Machado to a mega-deal back in 2019, traded for Juan Soto a little over two years ago, and swung a deal for the most sought-after starter on the market, Dylan Cease, prior to the start of the 2024 season.

While all those blockbuster signings and trades are fantastic, one deal that hasn't received as much publicity was San Diego's acquisition of Luis Arráez shortly after the 2024 season began. Sure, Arráez is a two-time batting champion, so there's was a bit of fanfare attached to the Padres trade with the Miami Marlins back in May.

But the Padres infielder doesn't necessarily play the brand of baseball that's widely talked about in the day and age of 450-foot moonshots, uber-athletic superstars, and showboating trots around the base paths. Arráez handles his business in a very professional manner. And while he may not offer the flashy style of players like Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres fans can't appreciate how good his addition has been to the lineup this season.

Luis Arráez has been incredible overlooked Padres' addition

Heading into play on Friday, Arráez has not struck out since August 10. Read that again. Arráez has not gone down on strikes in over a month. Only twice all season has the three-time All-Star struck out more than once in a game.

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon struck out Arráez twice back on April 9 and Texas Rangers starter Jon Gray was able to register two punchouts against the 27-year-old back in early July. On the season, Arráez has only struck out 26 times. Since his last strikeout, Arráez is hitting .375/.414/.442.

What Arráez is doing is unheard of during a time in which strikeouts are the norm throughout Major League Baseball. Pitchers are throwing harder than ever, with more spin and more break, and yet, the Padres' leadoff hitter is consistently putting the ball in play and reaching base safely nearly 35% of his plate appearances.

Over his 20-year career, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn struck out an average of 29 times over a 162-game season. Arráez could potentially match that number or come in under it this season. While comparing the two players is a bit of a stretch, there's no denying that Arráez is the closest thing to a modern day Gwynn we've ever seen.

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