After being traded for the second time in as many years back in May when he was acquired by the Padres in a deal that sent a four-player package back to Miami, told reporters (including ) that hes looking forward to the stability of knowing where hes going to play next year. Not only that, Arraez even expre sed interest in a longer-term deal to keep him in San Diego beyond the end of the 2025 season, when hes scheduled to reach free agency for the first time. It means a lot of good things, Arraez said, as relayed by Ca savell. If they want to sign me, I want to stay here. This is busine s. I understand the busine s. But I hope I stay here for a long time. Arraez is in for a healthy payday this winter, as a $14.6MM salary for the infielder in his final trip through arbitration. Its a hefty price to pay for Arraez unique but somewhat limited skill set. Arraez has never provided much defensive value even when he primarily played second base with the Twins and Marlins. That changed upon Arraezs arrival in San Diego, as the Padres used him at the keystone in just nine games while otherwise splitting his time between first base (where he profiles as a below average defender) and DH. Meanwhile, Arraezs elite contact is held back by lackluster plate discipline and a lack of power. While Arraez just won his third consecutive batting title with an excellent .314 average, he was just 9% better than the league average hitter by wRC+ thanks to a paltry 3.6% walk rate and a minuscule .078 ISO that leaves him with the third-lowest power production Jake Bauers Jersey among all qualified hitters this year. An injury could help explain Arraezs downturn in production after back-to-back 130 wRC+ seasons in 2022 and 23, however: the infielder told reporters (including Ca savell) that hes been playing through a thumb injury this year and is set to undergo an MRI to further explore the situation now that the Padres season has come to a close. If Arraez would be open to a long-term deal at a lower average annual value than the $14.6MM figure hes currently projected to earn via arbitration this winter, its not hard to imagine the Padres having incentive to put a deal together. After all, projects the club for a luxury tax payroll just over $243MM in 2025, around $2MM above the lowest tax threshold of $241MM. Meanwhile, the clubs actual payroll is projected for just over $207MM, an increase of nearly $50MM over 2024s $169MM figure. While specifics of the clubs payroll plans for 2025 are not yet clear, writes that the Padres are committed to a payroll closer to their 2024 figure than 2023, when they ran an estimated payroll of $257 per . With needs in the starting rotation and outfield that will have to be addre sed this winter, San Diego bra s may wind up needing to get creative in order to afford the additions nece sary this winter. Extending Arraez could be one such creative route to a lower payroll, and its one the Padres have used under A.J. Preller in the past. Lefty and right-hander are two of the most notable recent examples of players who were signed or extended on contracts designed to mitigate their luxury tax impact, and its even po sible an Arraez extension could be somewhat back-loaded in order to free up more dollars for the 2024 team. Of course, such an arrangement would require the Padres to have Arraez in their plans beyond the 2025 season. Its not yet clear if Arraezs desire to remain in San Diego beyond the life of his club control is reciprocated by club bra s, though did highlight Arraez recently as an obvious extension candidate for the club and emphasized San Diegos respect for the 27-year-olds unique skill set. There would surely be other obstacles to workaround in order to make a long-term deal into reality even if the interest is mutual, of course, not least of which would be Arraezs status as one of the leagues most difficult to value players. Lorenzo Cain Jersey