Marlins could be willing to trade batting champion

Coming off a season that ended with a playoff appearance, the Miami Marlins appear ready to try to cut costs yet again.

The Marlins may be open to trading reigning batting champion Luis Arraez, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The team is not aggressively shopping Arraez, but said to be open to everything when it comes to potential deals.

Arraez is still two years away from free agency. There is little belief that the Marlins will be able to afford him long-term, though, which could motivate the organization to deal him for a solid return while it can. 

The 26-year-old Arraez became a full-fledged star for Miami in 2023. He hit .354 on the season and maintained a batting average over .380 into early August before fading a bit down the stretch. The second baseman does not offer a ton of power and is not regarded as an elite defender, but he gets hits and almost never strikes out.

Arraez has said he would be eager to sign a contract extension with the Marlins. The team, however, seems to feel he has priced himself out of what they would be willing to offer.