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MLB insider Buster Olney shared his insights on San Diego Padres infielder Luis Arraez, who is set to hit free agency after the 2025 season. Arraez signed a one-year, $14 million contract with the team in January.
Olney, a veteran sports journalist and analyst for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight, joined Marty Caswell on her podcast to discuss the San Diego Padres. During the conversation, Caswell asked Olney about the market outlook for Luis Arraez ahead of his impending free agency.
Speaking on Arraez's value, Olney said: (21:45 - 22:38)
“I think it has been demonstrated. He does something better. I mean we have been talking about Tony (Gwynn) already in this podcast. He’s like Tony and that he will hit line drives and people will value him for that. But it’s pretty clear that the industry does not see him as being an elite player”
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“He wouldn’t have been traded twice already during the course of his career because the fact he doesn’t really have a position that he excels at and he really doen’t really run the bases that well. I think he’s the guy that everybody in the trade deadline would wanna have cause he would plug a hole.”
Olney drew a comparison between Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and three-time All-Star Luis Arraez’s playing style. He also recalled a conversation with someone from the Yankees organization and speculated about pairing Arraez with Yankees captain Aaron Judge.
“I remember having a conversation with someone in the Yankees before they signed Paul Goldschmidt. I was like man, you stick Arraez in that lineup in front of Aaron Judge or behind Judge or something like that and he could do damage. Like all of these team could use a guy like Luis Arraez when we get to the trade deadline. Maybe it’s the Padres who just keep him.”
Luis Arraez struggles as the Padres win 2-1 against the Athletics
On Wednesday, San Diego wrapped up their three-game series against the Oakland Athletics with a narrow 2-1 victory. The Athletics took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning, which the Padres tied in the third before pulling ahead in the fifth.
Luis Arraez struggled at the plate, going 0 for 5 with no hits, runs or RBIs. So far in the 2025 season, Arraez is batting .283, with 15 hits, five runs, one home run, and four RBIs.
Prior to Wednesday’s match, the Padres and Athletics had split the first two games of the series. They will now return home to Petco Park to begin a series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday.
