The San Francisco Giants have been searching for an upgrade at second base, and have found it. Per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, the Giants and Luis Arraez have agreed to a one-year contract worth $12 million. San Francisco adds a pure contact bat to the top of their lineup, who is an extremely tough out and never strikes out.
Giants Land Arraez
With the addition of Arraez, the Giants’ infield is now set. He entered this winter looking to play second base full-time, and that’s where the Giants intend to play him. Rafael Devers will be at first, Willy Adames at shortstop, and Matt Chapman at third. While it’s great offensively, there will definitely be a ton of concerns defensively as we inch closer to Spring Training.
The left side is a sure thing with Adames and Chapman, but the right side could really get ugly quickly. It is clear that the Giants are prioritizing offense over defense, and Arraez brings a great deal to their lineup. He had 181 hits in ‘25 (2nd), a 3.1 strikeout percentage (1st), and 94.1% contact rate (1st). His incredible bat-to-ball skills fit great into a lineup that strikes out a ton.
Trade Market Was Too Expensive
After gauging many options on the trade market, including Brendan Donovan and Nico Hoerner, the Giants decided to turn their attention to free agency after failing to make deals with other teams. Both Donovan and Hoerner have extremely high costs for good reasons, and the Giants clearly did try to get deals done. They even made multiple aggressive offers for Washington Nationals Shortstop CJ Abrams, but were also shot down.
Going to Arraez isn’t a bad option for San Francisco, and on top of it, they get to keep all of their top prospects. The Giants’ lineup profiles to be one of the better ones in all of baseball, especially after they added Harrison Bader earlier this week. They are likely done adding any more impact bats this Winter, and will turn their attention to other parts of the roster.
What’s Next For Them?
The San Francisco Giants will likely turn their attention to the starting rotation, which was one of their biggest needs entering the offseason. They have shown interest in Framber Valdez, who has yet to sign with a team as we head into February. The Giants could be waiting for his price to drop, hoping to land him on a shorter-term deal with a higher annual value. In 31 starts, he had a 3.66 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 187 strikeouts.
San Francisco needs to add a high-end left-handed starter, which is hard to come by, but Valdez fits their needs perfectly. They know better than anyone how expensive the trade market is, and why making a big splash in free agency is the better move. Buster Posey has been aggressive this past week. Will these moves lead to wins in the Bay?
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