OAKLAND, Calif. – The Miami Marlins are working on a trade that would send second baseman and reigning NL batting champion Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres.
The Marlins said Friday that the deal was pending a review of medical information before it could be finalized and formally announced.
“When a guy like that gets pulled from the lineup or potentially traded, you feel it because he’s such a good kid and one of the leaders of that clubhouse,” coach Skip Schumaker said, “so there’s definitely shock value.”
There was also some shock in the Padres clubhouse following their 7-1 victory over the Diamondbacks on Friday night, albeit for happier reasons.
“It’s really incredible — this guy is a player,” San Diego slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. said of Arraez. “He’s probably closest to Tony Gwynn at the moment so I’m looking forward to seeing him in our line-up. … The guy is a pure hitter and I can’t wait for him to help us.
Gwynn won eight batting titles for the Padres during his Hall of Fame career from 1982 to 2001.
Miami changed its lineup minutes before first pitch in Oakland, moving the 27-year-old Arraez out of the starting spot.
Instead, he walked past the visitors’ bench at the Coliseum, shaking hands and offering hugs and goodbyes to his now former teammates, coaches and staff.
“Great teammate,” Schumaker said. “So, of course, yes, I think it’s human nature for there to be an initial shock when this happens. Again, nothing is official, but when he’s taken out of the lineup, these guys aren’t dumb, they know what’s going on. I think the initial shock factor is definitely real and I hope it goes away in a few days or tomorrow or whatever because we know it’s a business and you get paid here to come here and win games and be professional.”
Arraez — who disappeared late in Miami’s 3-1 loss with an empty locker — should provide an instant boost to the Padres’ lineup. San Diego is behind the Dodgers, first place in the talented NL West.
Arraez was hitting .299 with five RBIs and scored 22 runs with a .347 on-base percentage in 16 games during Miami’s 9-24 start. A two-time All-Star, he also won an AL batting title for the Minnesota Twins in 2022 before they were traded to Miami for Pablo Lopez in January 2023.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay appreciated Schumaker’s pregame warning.
“It could be upsetting, but I think Skip handled it really, really well,” Kotsay said. “He’s been in the game a long time. say what they needed. In terms of preparation, we are all professionals here. I’m sure it didn’t distract them from the game.
The Marlins were expected to receive four players: reliever Woo-Suk Go and prospects Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee and Nathan Martorella.
Martorella was playing in a Double-A game for San Antonio and at second base when he was traded and removed from the game, initially confused before taking his leave.
ESPN first reported the trade on Friday.
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AP Baseball Writer David Brandt in Phoenix contributed to this report.
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