Former Miami Marlins hitter wants an extension

Peter Bendix is still criticized for his infamous trade earlier this season. The trade that saw the Miami Marlins trade then second baseman Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres. That trade is still getting the fans to debate whether it was the right call. It looks like Arraez is interested in staying on that team long-term. Will that actually happen however?

Former Miami Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez wants to stay in San Diego.

Luis Arraez was a fan favorite with the Miami Marlins. The team's then second baseman debuted in the 2023 season. He was coming off of a 2022 American League Batting Title with the Minnesota Twins. Arraez batted .354/.393/.469, with 10 home runs and 69 RBI in 147 games and 574 AB. He was worth an impressive 4.9 WAR. He also won the National League Batting Title.

This season, saw Arraez bat .299/.347/.372, with 0 home runs and 5 RBI in 33 games and 137 AB. He had a below average -0.2 dWAR and an underwhelming 0.1 WAR. Upon getting traded to San Diego, he batted .318/.346/.398, with 4 home runs and 41 RBI in 117 games and 500 AB. He was worth a terrible -0.9 dWAR and an underwhelming 1.0 WAR.

The reason why Luis Arraez was traded, was because he's a free agent after next season. Peter Bendix had no extension in extending him, because he's not good defensively and has no power or speed. This means that his only real value is elite contact hitting. Of course if that goes, so does his value. You can't really blame Bendix for not wanting to extend him with The Fish's limited financial resources.

Arraez had this to say:

“If they want to sign me, I want to stay here. This is business. I understand the business. But I hope I stay here for a long time.”

I'm not sure if he truly means it, or if he's just being polite, but it's obviously something to think about. I don't know how San Diego will value him, but I strongly suspect that they will let him hit free agency. He's their DH when everyone's healthy and he doesn't have the typical profile for the position.