“CATCH THE BALL LUIS! HEY LUIS! CATCH THE BALL” HEY LUIS!”
Editor’s note: Everyone welcome Alex to the front page here at Twinkie Town.
After Jurickson Profar’s two out, two-run homerun put the Athletics up 3-1 in the 6th inning during Thursday night’s game, a heckler behind us let Luis Arraez know that part of it was his fault too. With only one out left to get in the 6th, a bloop single dropped just out of the reach of Arraez’s glove, and it would’ve kept Profar away from the plate and a home run out of the seats. We all know that Luis Arraez is no Buxton or Castro defensively, and that it’s his offensive skills that make him one of the Twins best young players in an organization full of great ones. Through 102 AB in 2019 (stats from before Saturday’s game,) the 22 year old is currently batting .382 with 17 RBI, and has a 1.1 WAR (15th best on the team, 9th best for batters). He is an underrated rising star in the MLB.
And that’s exactly why the Twins should trade him.
Alright, now I know some of you are probably thinking “who is this guy get him off this website,” and honestly, I would probably agree with you. Arreaz is one of the most electrifying players the Twins currently have (seriously, who else could make a walk exciting), and you can always rely on him for getting on base. But it is trade season, and you can’t have that without a few hypothetical situations.
With the Twins designating relievers Mejia, Magill and Meija for assignment in the last week, it is almost a certainty that the Twins will be trading for pitching help before the July 31st deadline. With reports saying the Twins top prospects Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, and Brusdar Graterol are off limits in trade talks, that leaves only a handful of other prospects available if the Twins are looking to land a starter and two relievers, which they might need if they make a push for their first pennant in 28 years. Even though the Twins have one of the deeper farm systems in the Major Leagues, the Twins may have to trade away some proven talent to gain to edge over teams like the Astros and Yankees.
Luis Arraez brings a lot to the table, but the stats that stand out the most are his alien-like AVG and OBP (.382 and .453 respectively). Here’s a look at some potential trade partners with the Twins and their team averages (targeted player in parentheses)...
San Francisco (Madison Bumgarner): .238 AVG and .303 OBP, 28th and 26th in the MLB
Toronto (Marcus Stroman): .231 AVG and .298 OBP, 30th and 29th
San Diego (Kirby Yates): .242 AVG and .308 OBP, 23rd and 25th
Detroit (Shane Greene and Matthew Boyd): .234 AVG and .293 OBP, 29th and 30th
Luis Arraez could bring an immediate impact to these clubs, and would be a promising piece to any team’s future. With uncertainty in how the Twins are going to acquire multiple players at the deadline, and with a Twins lineup that (when healthy) can roll out a 12 batter lineup any night of the week, Arraez could be the sacrifice the Twins have to make to let an October playoff push happen. In no way is this a hit at Arraez’s abilities as a player, but if the Twins were to trade away a player on the active roster, he might be the first to go.
Do you think trading away Arraez would be worth it to gain a star like MadBum or Yates, or would you rather save him for the future? If you have any suggestions, comments, concerns, or if I’m just wrong (I am), just let me know below!