The San Diego Padres have found themselves in a precarious position after the passing of their owner, Peter Seidler, led to an intense legal battle between his widow and two brothers. The franchise is now in difficult financial straits, meaning numerous players could be on the trade block. Several of them would be of interest to the Angels, but not all are slam-dunk targets.
The Padres aren't packing it in completely, however. Despite rumblings of them listening to offers, all of the rumored players are impending free agents at the end of the season. For the Angels this means they must tread cautiously. Their farm system isn't robust enough to overpay for players who, while filling needs, may not stick around for the long haul.
The Angels should pursue Luis Arráez as an unorthodox second base solution
The Angels have a need at second base for 2025, but also have top prospect Christian Moore waiting in the wings. Moore could be ready to snag the opening-day job, but why rush him considering he only has 25 minor league games under his belt?
This is where Luis Arráez comes in. Coming off three consecutive batting titles, Arráez seems like a player who would have a robust market...but that's not exactly the case. Like the top remaining free-agent second base options, Arráez is far from a complete player. While the lefty-swinging contact savant owns a minuscule career strikeout rate of 6.8%, hitting singles is essentially all he does. His career has seen him put up a pedestrian walk rate of 6.9%, and he only has 28 career home runs in 686 games.
Defensively, he's a bad first baseman and an even worse second baseman who posted -7 outs above average last season in 339 innings at the keystone. On top of that, he'll make $14 million this season in what is his final year of arbitration.
Still, Arráez's elite contact skills and left-handed bat could bring something to the Angels lineup. Having him set the table for the likes of Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, and Taylor Ward could actually form a potent offense and negate some of Arráez's defensive shortcomings.
Ultimately, Arráez is a unique and fascinating player who the Angels wouldn't have to give up much to get. The Padres crave cost-controlled arms that can contribute at the big league level, and the Angels have a plethora of those guys to send back to San Diego.