SF Giants agree with three-time batting champ Luis Arraez on one-year deal: report

When speaking with reporters on Friday, president of baseball operations Buster Posey didn’t rule out the possibility of making more additions. Fresh off signing outfielder Harrison Bader, San Francisco added another bat by agreeing with three-time All-Star Luis Arraez on a one-year, $12 million deal, per multiple reports.

ESPN’s Jorge Castillo was the first to report the news.

Acquiring a second baseman does not come as a surprise given the Giants had been linked to the St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan and the Chicago Cubs’ Nico Hoerner. With Arraez, they’ve found their man.

The additon of Arraez, 28, likely turns Casey Schmitt into a super utility player, one who has seen time at all four infield positions in his major-league career. Since the Giants also have Christian Koss, who can also play around the infield, San Francisco could potentially trade Schmitt for more pitching.

The three-time batting champion’s value will derive almost solely from his bat. Arraez does not provide much power, but his .317 career batting average is the highest among active players and he’s eclipsed the 200-hit mark on two occasions. Over seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres, Arraez has a .777 OPS (115 OPS+) with 36 homers and 308 RBIs.

Arraez’s main calling card is his unparalleled ability to make contact, an arena where he is truly elite.

Since making his debut in 2019, Arraez’s contact rate of 93.8 percent is the highest in the majors while his strikeout rate of 6.1 percent is the lowest in the majors. Arraez doesn’t walk much either (6.5 percent walk) rate, making him a true hitter whose plate appearances will often end with him putting the ball in play.

With Arraez and outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who will move to right field following the addition of Bader, the Giants now have a pair of players with excellent bat-to-ball skills. Over the last two seasons, Lee’s contact rate of 88.6 percent ranks eight among all players in the majors with at least 500 plate appearances.

The addition of Arraez gives the Giants one of baseball’s better offensive infields, one featuring him and Rafael Deves on the right side and third baseman Matt Chapman and shortstop Willy Adames will man the left side. There’s also top prospect Bryce Eldridge as a possibility for designated hitter, though it is uncertain whether he will be on the Opening Day roster.

Since San Francisco’s lineup features several power bats, Arraez and Lee’s contact-first archetypes give the Giants’ lineup more depth. But despite Arraez’s reputation as one of baseball’s best pure hitters, he’s coming off the worst season of his career.

In 2025, Arraez had a .292 batting average with a .719 OPS, both of which were career lows in full seasons. With a 99 OPS+, Arraez was essentially a league average hitter.

The underlying metrics are not kind to Arraez either. Baseball Savant tabbed Arraez as having a Batting Run Value of -9, placing him in the 15th percentile. Arraez also posted career lows in expected slugging percentage and hard-hit percentage.

Defensively, Arraez has played 359 major-league games at second base, the most of any position, but he’s primarily been a first baseman over the last two seasons and hasn’t been a full-time second baseman since 2023. Over nearly 2800 innings at second base, Arraez has been worth -6 defensive runs saved and -35 outs above average.

Arraez, through no fault of his own, has become one of baseball’s more polarizing players because of his unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Now, the Giants are banking on Arraez to live up to his reputation.