Padres 'not likely' to trade Luiz Arraez amid expiring contract

The San Diego Padres are one game out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. With a month until the MLB trade deadline, it'd be hard to fall out of contention and become sellers. But whether they do lose a lot or not, they aren't expected to ship off one of their veteran bats at the trade deadline.

According to Dennis Line of The Athletic in a question and answer session, the Padres are not likely to trade Arraez. "It doesn't seem likely." Lin wrote. "Most other teams already don't value him as much as the Padres do."

San Diego acquired Arraez from the Miami Marlins for Dillon Head, Woo-Suk Go, Jakob Marsee, and Nathan Martorella. None of the prospects have made the Major Leagues for the Marlins yet, and the Padres have seen Arraez put up 1.1 WAR in 194 games with the Padres since the trade.

He's currently in the final year of a $14 million deal and is expected to hit free agency after the season. Even though he remains one of baseball's best hitters, he hasn't lived up to his previous standard of being a three-time batting title champion.

He did lead the NL in batting average in 2024, including notching 200 hits on the year, but he hasn't been the same in 2025. Arraez is batting .283 with the Padres in 2025, and has a .315 on-base percentage, the lowest of his career.

While he has a history of being one of baseball's best hitters, Arraez hasn't been playing nearly as well this year as his past six seasons in the big leagues. Despite rarely striking out, Arraez hasn't been able to get hits like he used to this season.

That, combined with his expiring deal, lackluster defense, and clear signs of regression, leads to the Padres likely not having many suitors for Arraez. A team might be interested, but not enough for the Padres to part ways with him as they try to contend in the NL.

Lin's report puts a pause on any trade speculation with Arraez. He's more likely to finish out his contract this season and hit free agency, likely leaving then as well. The Padres will have Arraez to close out the year, as Lin doesn't see a trade as a possibility for the veteran All-Star batting champion.