Padres Free Agent Luis Arraez Drawing Interest From 'Up to' 6 Teams: Report

Luis Arraez isn't the hottest name on the free agent market, but that doesn't mean the Padres' incumbent leader in hits and batting average isn't in demand as a first-time free agent.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Arraez is drawing interest from "up to a half-dozen teams," some of which are looking at him at either first or second base.

More news: Padres' AJ Preller Breaks Silence on 'Massive' Trade Report

It's unclear whether the Padres are still in the running to re-sign Arraez. In November, Robert Murray of FanSided reported the Padres had "interest" in keeping Arraez and figuring out if the parties can reach a new deal.

Arraez is hitting the market after a down year by his standards. He slashed .292/.327/.392 with a .719 OPS (99 OPS+) in 2025. He was worth 1.2 WAR according to Baseball Reference, an indictment of his lack of power (eight home runs) and limited utility on defense.

For comparison's sake, catcher Freddy Fermin accrued 0.9 bWAR in just 42 games for the Padres after he was acquired in a July trade.

More news: Padres Lose Free Agent Utility Player To Rangers

Still, the lack of buzz around Arraez's free agency is perhaps less of an indictment of his skillset and more an indication of the slow market for free agent position players in general.

Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, arguably the two best outfielders in this year's free agent market, have yet to find new homes. Neither has Toronto Blue Jays star Bo Bichette, who could be on the radar among interested teams as a second baseman.

It's possible that some teams interested in Bichette as a second baseman would pivot to Arraez if their Plan A falls through. In that case, Arraez might be wise to wait on Bichette's market to ratchet up.

Arraez spent more time at first base than at second for the Padres in 2025. He's also seen time at third base, left field and shortstop in seven major league seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2019-22), Miami Marlins (2023-24) and Padres (2024-25).

Arraez led his league in batting average in three consecutive seasons (2022-24), making the All-Star team and collecting downballot MVP votes each year. He was honored with Silver Slugger Awards in 2022 and 2023.

In 2025, Arraez cut his strikeout rate from an already-small 3.4 to 3.1 percent. That's the lowest strikeout rate by any qualified hitter in either league since Tony Gwynn in 1995.

Latest Padres News

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.