Philadelphia Phillies' Luis Arraez Appears to Be a Goner

Back at the MLB trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies swung one the league's biggest moves, acquiring second baseman Luis Arraez in a trade with the San Francisco Giants.

Arraez was probably the best hitter available at the time, and considering he was a three-time batting champion, the Phillies couldn't pass up the opportunity to add him.

Instantly, Philadelphia saw results. Arraez transformed the Phillies' lineup in August, and his presence played a significant role in Philly having its best stretch of the season.

Arraez ended up slashing just .278/.309/.369 in Philadelphia, but there is no question that his impact was palpable.

The problem? The 30-year-old is hitting free agency this winter, and he is almost certain to draw significant interest around baseball.

That absolutely clouds his future with the Phillies, and based on the way team president Dave Dombrowski was talking on Thursday, it look like Arraez might already be a goner.

Dombrowski has already identified Trea Turner as the starting shortstop for next season, and he then mentioned prospect Bryan Rincon as a possibility to man an infield position.

Bryson Stott doesn't appear to be going anywhere, either, which means that Stott, Turner and Rincon would hold down infield spots. Bryce Harper would man first base.

Arraez wasn't even in the discussion.

If the Phillies are already thinking about promoting someone from within to fill an infield gap next spring, then that is an indication Arraez is already likely out the door.

And it also means Philadelphia probably won't be looking to spend big on someone like Brandon Lowe in free agency, either.

I don't believe that Dombrowski is bluffing with the idea of Rincon — who smashed 26 home runs with a .927 OPS in Double-A this season — either. Why? Because he started a rookie in Justin Crawford in center field this past year.

Clearly, Dombrowski is open to the idea of giving opportunities to young organizational players. He's done it before, and he might do it again.

Arraez is a tough call because of his age and because he historically hasn't been the greatest defender, although Dombrowski has never been one to value defense.

But for a team that is trying to get back to a World Series, re-signing Arraez would be ideal.

Perhaps the Phillies are planning on acquiring an outfielder as their big move this offseason, but it would be nice to do that and retain Arraez.

It just doesn't appear to be in the team's plans.