A's Seen as a Match for This San Diego Padres Free Agent

The A's may not be in on this Padres free agent, but they'll certainly be paying attention to how his market plays out

May 17, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a San Diego Padres hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres have a number of pending free agents to concern themselves with this winter with Dylan Cease and potentially Michael King among the top of the list. Then there's contact bat extraordinaire, Luis Arraez, whom Jim Bowden of The Athletic listed as the No. 29 free agent on the market.

Bowden also listed his potential fits as the Padres (of course), and then a slew of teams that have been at the bottom of the league in recent years: the A's, PIttsbrugh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels. He's also projected two years and $30 million to secure Arraez's services.

The A's are the team that stands out as a big "why?" There isn't a logical place to put him on the roster, since he hasn't been a great defender anywhere on the diamond, which has led to him over at first base a fair amount. The A's already have Nick Kurtz over there, and he's not moving.

At DH, the A's have already extended Brent Rooker, and he's a much better overall hitter than Arraez as well.

Where Does Arraez Fit?

Sep 18, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Luis Arraez (4) hits an RBI sacrifice fly against the New York Mets during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The one spot that the A's could have an opening is second base, which figures to have some competition this spring. With Zack Gelof likely to miss some time at the beginning of the year, the club is going to have to pick a replacement for at least a short time, but they're more likely to go with either someone internally like Darell Hernaiz, or a lower-cost veteran.

While he doesn't have the career numbers that Arraez does, Hernaiz has shown to be a solid defender, and his strikeout rate sat at just 12.2% this past season in 197 plate appearances. As an overall player, he may even be a better overall player than Arraez moving forward, especially at the pre-arbitration price.

Arraez is a three-time batting champion and a career .317 hitter in the big leagues since 2019, but his glove has been a huge negative anywhere he's played on the diamond. With the A's looking to continue to tighten up defensively, this doesn't look like the best fit for the Green and Gold.

A's Will be Paying Attention to Arraez's Free Agency

Aug 21, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez (4) points into the crowd during the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The inclusion of the A's on this list of suitors was a little confounding, though the club is likely very interested in his free agency for another reason.

They already have Jacob Wilson, who is typically compared to Arraez for the amount of contact each batter makes, but the A's shortstop put up 13 home runs in his rookie season in 2025, while Arraez has topped out at 10 in any season. They're similar players, but Wilson plays a premium position and has more thump in his bat.

That said, when it comes time for arbitration and his own free agency, there is a good chance that Wilson's closest comp will be Arraez, so how he ends up faring this winter could end up having an impact on the A's young shortstop down the road.

The big separator between the two will be Wilson's glove and how that fares as he continues to develop, and the level of pop he displays in his bat. Arraez has been more of a prolific singles hitter throughout his career, so it will be up to Wilson to differentiate himself a bit in the coming years.