Why Giants' Luis Arraez Is Possible Fit for Athletics
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As of right now, the A's stand in second place in the AL West division, which means they are in striking distance of winning the division. Even if they fall short of winning it, they could still have a shot at the Wild Card, as the American League Wild Card race isn't that stacked at all.
The clear need for the A's this summer is to add pitching. We've discussed Kris Bubic as a possible option, as well as a couple of arms from St. Louis, such as Dustin May and JoJo Romero.
They will attack pitching because they've gotten limited production from their rotation, and following the Las Vegas Series, the bullpen is starting to cool off.
However, there could be a need for a middle-of-the-order bat if they continue to get little production from veteran second baseman, Jeff McNeil.
McNeil had a couple of hits, including a home run a few nights ago, but has been one of the worst second basemen in the league in terms of OPS and WAR. Luckily for the A's, this veteran second baseman has been producing at a high level and could significantly improve the team's offense.
Luis Arraez Could Be Fit for A's
Assuming the A's are also able to get an arm in the trade market, they could also look to improve their offense by landing one of the best contact hitters in all of baseball, Luis Arraez.
Jacob Wilson, the A's shortstop, is actually a very similar player to Arraez. Both are very elite contact hitters who hit for high batting averages and don't strike out. Before this season, they've drawn plenty of comparisons, and Wilson was just the better defensive version of Arraez.
Now this season, Arraez has proven that he can be a good defensive second baseman, and he might fit perfectly in the stacked A's infield.
I just watched a video that said Luis Arraez is a fit for the A’s.
— Dylan Quinn (@dylanq_2) June 18, 2026
How big of an upgrade would this be for the A’s offense, A’s fans?? https://t.co/0lrkvRTwAn
Currently, MVP candidate Nick Kurtz is holding down first base. On the left side of the infield, franchise shortstop Jacob Wilson, and one of the hottest hitters in baseball, Zack Gelof, are holding down third base.
The A's have had a few different guys playing second base since McNeil has been struggling. Alika Williams has been very hot at the plate and has shown his excellent defense. The team also has Max Muncy as a depth infielder. Adding Arraez to hold down second base would truly make this infield one of the best in all of baseball.
Why Arraez Might Not Be Option for A's
The one simple reason Arraez might not be a fit for the A's is the fact that they need pitching badly right now.
If they part with some prospect capital, they might want to deal it out to land arms for their rotation or bullpen, as opposed to spending it on another bat.
The Giants are about to get a pretty great haul for Luis Arraez at the deadline pic.twitter.com/dbJv2TUdhV
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) June 18, 2026
The A's offense has been elite already, and adding another big bat like Arraez's would be amazing, but it might not be worth dishing out more of your farm system to land him.
While adding Arraez would be perfect for the makeup of the A's lineup for the remainder of the season, it's probably not their biggest need. The team needs to continue their search for arms, and they could finalize a trade for one in the coming weeks.
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Dylan Quinn grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about his favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but he loves the team and all of the current and former players so much. Quinn currently attends school at Penn State Scranton where he plays baseball.
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