The Kansas City Royals were engaged in trade talks with the Miami Marlins last week in regards to second baseman Luis Arraez, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Monday.
The talks never advanced past preliminary stages, however, and the San Diego Padres swooped in to trade for Arraez on Friday.
The Seattle Mariners, like the Padres, had been trying to acquire Arraez since the offseason, per Rosenthal. San Diego came away with the grand prize when it was all said and done, sending reliever Woo-Suk Go, outfielder Dillon Head, outfielder Jakob Marsee and first baseman Nathan Martorella to Miami to seal the deal.
The Royals went all-in by their standards this winter, and splurging on Arraez would have continued that run on established veterans.
Kansas City signed utility man Garrett Hampson in November, outfielder Hunter Renfroe in December and utility man Adam Frazier in January. The front office did even more to revamp its pitching staff, prying Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha away from the Padres in free agency while trading for Kyle Wright and signing relievers Will Smith and Chris Stratton, among others.
Michael Massey has served as the Royals' primary second baseman over the past few weeks, taking over for Frazier and Nick Loftin, who was optioned to Triple-A. While Massey has been impressive, hitting .292 with a .785 OPS and 0.6 WAR on the season, Arraez would have given Kansas City an even more dangerous bat.
Arraez was named an All-Star with the Minnesota Twins in 2022, then again with the Marlins in 2023. He won Silver Sluggers in each season, as well as the AL and NL batting titles.
The 27-year-old infielder is batting .311 with a .740 OPS and 0.3 WAR this season. For his career, Arraez is a .325 hitter with an .802 OPS and a 15.3 WAR.
Arraez went 4-for-6 in his Padres debut on Saturday, then 1-for-5 on Sunday. Massey, meanwhile, enjoyed a 4-for-8 weekend of his own.
The Royals are 20-15 on the season, putting them on pace for their first winning record since they won the World Series in 2015. Arraez could have helped Kansas City reached those heights again, but it doesn't appear as if they desperately need him in their lineup at the moment.
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