Staring down a ticking clock, the San Francisco Giants may have to reconsider their asking price for Luis Arraez.
So far, the San Francisco Giants have yet to do anything of note during the MLB Trade Deadline.
Luis Arraez is someone the team would love to trade, and he's basically their best shot at getting a solid return here in 2026.
The 29-year-old is batting a staggering .328 this season, but he's only under contract for this season. Sure, he'll be a rental, but that doesn't mean San Francisco is going to settle.
According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Giants' asking price on Arraez "remains very high."
While yes, they have every right to demand a big return for Arraez, they're starting to run out of time and the last thing they can afford to do is keep Arraez around, as odd as that sounds.
Giants eye massive haul for a three-month rental
Arraez is well on his way to a fourth batting title, but that doesn't mean the Giants can get greedy. Obviously, a smart strategy is to start high and see what offers come their way. Clearly, they haven't liked what they've seen so far, but the price on Arraez simply has to come down with the deadline roughly 24 hours away.
San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slsuser added, "One source said the Giants are asking 'for the whole ranch.'"
Slusser believes that there could be a trade partner desperate enough to get a deal done, but she acknowledges that San Francisco will likely have to meet someone in the middle eventually.
"The Giants have absolutely no motivation to keep Arraez, who is a free agent after the season," Feinsand added.
While that may be confusing for some if the asking price is so high, the explanation is simple: The Giants are desperate. Absolutely nothing has gone their way this season, so they're willing to part with their star second baseman because he's the only player with a team-friendly contract they can put on the market.
Near 100% chance Arraez gets traded
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, there's a 95% chance the Giants trade Arraez at the deadline. At this point, the only thing stopping the Giants is themselves.
Should Arraez be traded to the American League, he would be in a prime position to win a batting title this season. His greatest competition would be Yordan Alvarez, but going toe-to-toe with him is better than facing off against Otto Lopez, Nick Gonzalez, Freddie Freeman, Jung Hoo Lee, and even Gabriel Moreno.
The Venezuelan native could've given the Giants a huge boost for years to come, but they're stuck in sell mode as they're already overpaying guys like Rafael Devers and Willy Adames and have no escape route in sight.
