Giants Land Luis Arraez To Boost Infield Contact Hitting

After months of speculation, trade rumors, and a relentless search for a second baseman, the San Francisco Giants have finally landed their man. On Saturday, February 1, 2026, the Giants agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract with three-time batting champion Luis Arraez, pending a physical. The deal, first reported by ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, marks a significant move for a franchise determined to address glaring weaknesses in its lineup and defense ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

Arraez, 28, brings a reputation as one of baseball’s premier contact hitters. Over his seven-year career with the Twins, Marlins, and Padres, the Venezuelan infielder owns a sparkling .317 batting average, leading all active players in that category. He’s a three-time All-Star and claimed batting titles three years running from 2022 through 2024, hitting .328 over that dominant stretch. But while his bat-to-ball skills are legendary, Arraez’s profile is not without its quirks—his lack of power, low walk rate, and defensive struggles have been well documented.

Last season with the San Diego Padres, Arraez appeared in 154 games, batting .292 with a .719 OPS, eight home runs, and a career-low 3.1% strikeout rate. That strikeout rate was the best among all qualified major leaguers in 2025, a testament to his uncanny ability to put the ball in play. As one analyst put it, "Arráez, who won the batting title three years running from 2022 through 2024, is arguably the greatest pure contact hitter of this generation." According to CBS Sports, he “connected on nearly 95% of his swings,” a staggering number in today’s game of power and strikeouts.

For the Giants, the move is a clear response to their 2025 struggles at second base. The club’s second basemen combined for a paltry .217/.273/.343 slash line and just 14 home runs, ranking 26th in the majors with a .617 OPS at the position. Their team batting average of .235 was 25th in the league, and their 22.7% strikeout rate landed them 18th among all teams. President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey, himself a former batting champion, made it no secret that improving contact hitting and infield defense were top priorities this winter. Arraez’s arrival, along with the recent signing of outfielder Harrison Bader to a two-year, $20.5 million deal, signals a new direction for the Giants’ offense.

Yet, the signing is not without controversy. While Arraez’s contact skills are elite, his overall offensive production showed signs of decline in 2025. His OPS+ dipped to a career-low 99, just below league average, and his power numbers remain modest—he’s hit only 36 home runs in 3,533 career plate appearances, with a walk rate of just 6.5%. Advanced metrics paint a mixed picture: while Arraez ranked at the very top in whiff percentage, strikeout percentage, and squared-up rate, he was in the bottom percentile for hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and average exit velocity.

Defensively, the picture is even murkier. Arraez has not played second base full-time since 2023, spending most of last season at first base for San Diego. His Fielding Run Value and Outs Above Average have consistently ranked near the bottom of all major league infielders since 2023. In 2025, his Fielding Run Value was 248th out of 299 qualifying players at first base, and when he split time between first and second in 2024, he ranked 302nd out of 311. Since the start of 2023, his -35 Outs Above Average is the second-worst in the majors, trailing only CJ Abrams. Despite these numbers, the Giants plan to install Arraez as their everyday second baseman, moving 2025 starter Casey Schmitt into a utility role. There’s talk of mixing in Schmitt and Christian Koss to help mitigate defensive shortcomings, but the plan is clear: Arraez will get the lion’s share of playing time at second base.

The Giants’ pursuit of Arraez followed failed attempts to trade for other high-profile second basemen, including Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals, Nico Hoerner of the Cubs, and CJ Abrams of the Nationals. Ultimately, Arraez’s availability and willingness to sign a one-year deal—reportedly turning down multi-year offers to play his preferred position—made him the right fit for San Francisco’s needs and timeline. As reported by Bob Nightengale, Arraez “rejected a few multi-year deals for a chance to play second base, so he’ll be looking to reset his value before re-entering free agency next winter, while still in his 20s.”

Arraez’s addition is just one piece of a busy offseason for the Giants, who have added six players expected to play significant roles on their 26-man roster. Beyond Bader and Arraez, the club bolstered its pitching staff by signing lefty Sam Hentges and righty Jason Foley, both recovering from surgery, as well as starters Adrian Houser (two years, $22 million) and Tyler Mahle (one year, $10 million). These moves follow last year’s improvement in the Giants’ farm system, highlighted by the signing of top Venezuelan shortstop prospect Luis Hernandez to a $5 million bonus and holding the No. 4 pick in the upcoming amateur draft.

The Giants’ infield is now projected to feature Rafael Devers at first, Willy Adames at short, Matt Chapman at third, and Arraez at second, with Schmitt and Koss available as utility options. The expectation is that Arraez’s elite contact skills will help boost the club’s on-base numbers and reduce strikeouts, while Bader’s defense shores up the outfield. However, the lack of power and defensive limitations at second base remain concerns as the Giants look to keep pace in a National League West division still dominated by the reigning champion Dodgers, who made their own splashes by signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz.

As the Giants continue to balance the need for present-day competitiveness with the development of top prospects like Bryce Eldridge, Arraez’s signing buys them valuable time. If Eldridge needs more seasoning at Triple-A, the Giants have a veteran presence in Arraez to stabilize the lineup. Should Arraez return to his batting-title form, he could be a catalyst for a Giants offense in desperate need of consistency and contact at the top of the order.

There’s no question that the Giants’ offseason strategy—prioritizing depth and contact over splashy, long-term commitments—has set them apart from rivals like the Dodgers, Mets, and Cubs. Whether that approach results in a playoff push or leaves them searching for answers again next winter remains to be seen. For now, the spotlight is squarely on Luis Arraez, the ultimate contact hitter, as he dons the orange and black and prepares to take on the challenge of second base in San Francisco.