San Diego Padres execute blockbuster trade for 2023 MLB batting champion Luis Arraez

Luis Arraez, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins

The San Diego Padres may not have Juan Soto anymore, but they’re about to land one of MLB’s best hitters in Luis Arraez.

According to Jeff Passan, the 2023 MLB batting champion is being traded from the Miami Marlins to the Padres for a package involving three prospects and a relief pitcher.

While the move is a stunner, it doesn’t come entirely out of left field, even though it feels like just yesterday when the Marlins acquired the excellent on-base machine. Back in January of 2023, the Marlins sent Pablo Lopez, Jose Salas, and Byron Chourio to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Arraez.

While Arraez has done his job, the rest of Miami’s offense hasn’t held up their end of the bargain, so before the Marlins risk losing their two-time All-Star to free agency in 2026, trading him now nets a bigger haul.

Miami Marlins’ Luis Arraez trade prospect haul details

The Padres held onto top prospect Ethan Salas, who’s ranked as the seventh-best prospect according to MLB.com’s top-100 rankings. They also held onto the 11th-ranked prospect Jackson Merrill, Robby Snelling, ranked 33rd, and Dylan Lesko, 50th.

The Marlins may not have gotten any top-100 prospects in return, but they did get the 6th-ranked prospect in the Padres’ system, outfielder Dillon Head, San Diego’s first-round pick in 2023. Yet, Head is just 19 years old, and he’s still down in Single-A, meaning it will be a number of years before he makes his Miami debut.

In addition to Head, the Padres also get the ninth and 13th-ranked Padres prospects in outfielder Jakob Marsee and first-baseman/outfielder Nathan Martorella, both of whom are likely to make their Marlins debut this season.

Reliever Woo-suk Go, 25, signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract with San Diego in January, but he wasn’t able to make the big-league roster and has been pitching in Double-A to start the year. Suk-Go has made 10 minor-league appearances and currently has an ERA of 4.38.

While we’ll have to be patient before learning who got the better end of this trade, being that the Padres are getting an elite hitter who’s cost-controlled for two more seasons, and the Marlins are getting several intriguing prospects, both sides appear to have gotten a fair deal today. We’ll see if that remains true when we look back on the second Arraez trade several years from now.

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