The New York Yankees have been warned to steer clear of this former batting champion.
If the New York Yankees are unable to re-sign Cody Bellinger, there really won't be many alternatives.
Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman have all signed. Ketel Marte isn't being traded. Brendan Donovan? Talk about an uninspiring fallback plan.
It's pretty much Bellinger or bust for the Yankees at this point, and to be honest, I'm not so sure Hal Steinbrenner will be moved by that pressure. If he feels Bellinger is asking for too much money, Bellinger will be a goner.
Ryan Garcia of Empire Sports Media recently rattled off some potential pivots if New York fails to retain the former NL MVP, and one name was particularly interesting: free-agent infielder Luis Arraez.
"If Luis Arraez was a better defensive player I’d be more of a fan," Garcia wrote. "I think there’s some low-hanging fruit with his offensive profile since his steep decline in OPS can be correlated to worsening swing decisions."
While Garcia feels Arraez could have value somewhere, he certainly does not think the Bronx is a fit for him.
Luis Arraez. Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images."Some team should add him if they need cheap offense at first base or DH and just see if they can get him back to the ~115 OPS+ hitter I think exists somewhere, but that team should 100% not be the Yankees," Garcia concluded.
A three-time batting champion, Arraez slashed .292/.327/.392 with eight home runs and 61 RBI over 675 plate appearances with the San Diego Padres in 2025.
It was the worst year of Arraez's seven-year big-league career and was a far cry from his torrid stretch between 2022 and 2024 when he rattled off three consecutive batting titles.
Arraez also captured the batting titles with three different teams: the Minnesota Twins (.316), the Miami Marlins (.354) and the Padres (.314).
There is no question that the 28-year-old is still a good contact hitter, but that can only take you so far in the modern game, especially when you are so reliant on base hits to get on base (Arraez owns a lifetime 6.5 percent walk rate).
No, Arraez doesn't strike out, as he was rung up just 21 times in 2025, but he has very limited power, and he is too much of a free swinger. Plus, as Garcia noted, his defensive deficiencies have become too severe.