The Padres and Marlins did not want to wait 87 days until the MLB trade deadline on July 30 to make the first big trade of the season, as they completed a five-player swap late Friday night that became official Saturday. San Diego acquired infielder Luis Arraez, a two-time batting champion, from Miami for center fielder Dillon Head, the 25th overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft, plus three other minor leaguers, outfielder Jakob Marsee, first baseman Nathan Martorella and right-handed reliever Woo-Suk Go. San Diego also received almost $8 million in the deal.
The Padres significantly improved the top of their lineup by adding Arraez, an on-base machine who is one of the best pure hitters the game has seen in years. He reminds me of Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs and Rod Carew with his elite bat control and ability to put the ball where the defense isn’t playing. He has a staggering career strikeout percentage of 7.5 percent. (League average over the past six years is 22.9 percent.) He’ll create traffic for the rest of the Padres lineup, including Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth. Arraez’s best position is designated hitter, followed by first base, second base and third base, and he’ll probably be used in all four as that will allow the Padres to rotate their infielders into the DH spot to get them some rest. He’s under team control through the 2025 season.
The Marlins were not going to be able to sign Arraez long term and with so many needs across their depth chart, this was the type of deal they had to make. Head was the headliner and most important player the Marlins acquired as he could eventually become their long-term answer in center field and the lead-off spot. Marsee profiles as a solid fourth outfielder type in the majors, Martorella can hit but lacks corner infield power, and Go, who signed a $4.5 million deal this offseason, has a chance to be a depth reliever for Miami. This won’t be a popular trade in South Florida as the Marlins’ two best bats from a year ago — Arraez and Jorge Soler, who signed with the Giants in the offseason — are now gone without their offense being replaced at the major-league level. However, it was necessary for their long-term future.
“He reminds me of a combination of Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs and Rod Carew all rolled into one.”@JimBowdenGM is a big fan of the @Padres move to acquire @Arraez_21.#LetsGoPadres | #LuisArraez pic.twitter.com/e9yBgdjo8b
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) May 5, 2024
I liked this trade for both sides and it got me thinking about other All-Star-caliber players who could be dealt over the next three months before the deadline. Generally speaking, it’s way too early to make trades because most teams want to wait until at least mid-July to see whether they’re in contention, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun and discuss some players who could be moved closer to the deadline depending on how things play out.
Here are three way too early trades I’d like to see happen and why these deals could make sense for both sides.
GO DEEPER
MLB trade grades: Taking stock of the Padres-Marlins Luis Arraez deal
1. Mets trade 1B Pete Alonso to Mariners for RHP Emerson Hancock and 1B Ty France
Alonso will be a free agent after this season and there is no indication the Mets are going to extend him long term before he reaches free agency. Therefore, if they aren’t in the wild-card race come late July, they should trade Alonso and try to re-sign him in the offseason. He loves New York and loves being a Met, so they’d have a legitimate chance to sign him in the winter. In the meantime, by parting with Alonso before the trade deadline, they could get back a promising young pitcher in Hancock, the sixth overall player taken in the 2020 draft, who debuted last year and this year has logged a 4.75 ERA over six starts. Hancock, 24, has given up two runs or fewer in each of his past four starts….
This article was originally published by a theathletic.com . Read the Original article here. .