Padres Insider Provides Massive Update on Luis Arraez Free Agency

San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez is set to enter free agency in the offseason at the age of 29, providing him the chance to explore any team, although his market is expected to be unpredictable.

Arraez has been one of the most polarizing players in baseball, with many traditional observers enjoying his contact-focused approach at the plate.

However, more analytically inclined fans have often been skeptical about the true value Arraez adds to a team, given that he does not walk much and lacks significant power, which leads to a low volume of home runs.

His impending free agency will serve as an interesting case study for understanding how the league views Arraez. However, it is possible that he may remain with San Diego instead of entering the open market if both parties reach an agreement.

Dennis Lin of The Athletic predicts that Arraez may remain, considering the high regard the Padres have for his contributions both on and off the field.

"I still think there’s a decent chance he stays in San Diego," Lin wrote in his mailbag story.

"While he’s one of the most polarizing baseball players in recent history, the contact-driven Padres clearly value his unique skill set, his buoyant personality and his willingness to share his wealth of baseball knowledge. Maybe free agency, if Arraez is allowed to get there, will reveal more bidders than expected. Maybe not. If it’s the latter, I could see the Padres gladly retaining him with a reasonable contract."

Through 38 games played this season, Arraez is slashing .297/.335/411, getting several hits and creating offense at a good clip with a wRC+ of 111.

He has a walk rate of only 5.2% and a strikeout rate of 1.7%, which illustrates the give and take that a team with Arraez must consider.

He can achieve several key hits and sacrifice fly balls because he frequently puts the ball in play. However, he is just as likely to ground into a double play, putting less pressure on the basepaths due to the unlikeliness of him taking a free pass.