October 08, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Luis Arráez brought a different brand of hitting to Philadelphia this summer.
He was only here for two months — and he was an extremely unconventional choice to be the cleanup hitter.
The circumstances of Luis Arráez' acquisition at the trade deadline this past summer were kind of crazy.
Badly needing pitching help, and an outfielder who could wield a productive bat, the Phillies added the multi-time batting champion at the deadline and shook the entire lineup.
Arráez moved Bryston Stott from second to third, Alec Bohm from third to first, and Bryce Harper from first to right field.
As a result, the Phillies were in fact slightly better after the deadline, winning at a .587 clip with him (it was .526 before him).
Unfortunately, after playing 40 games in the regular season, Arráez rolled his ankle and wasn't able to help the Phillies clinch at the end of September, nor was he able to suit up in the postseason as the Phillies fell in three games to the Braves in the Wild Card.
Arráez will be a free agent when the offseason officially begins in November. Should the Phillies try and bring him back?
MORE STAY OR GO: Dave Dombrowski | Don Mattingly | Alec Bohm
He's their best hitter (for average)
The track record speaks for itself. He had a .278 average in Philly, which was his worst batting average with any team ever. And it still led the Phillies. His career average of .316 is not only the highest of any active MLB player (with a minimum of 3,000 plate appearances), he's one of just two hitters in the majors who have a career mark above .300.
Arráez won three NL batting titles in a row from 2022-2024. Last year he led the NL in total hits. He's just a reliable bat. The Phillies haven't had many of those recently.
He lifts the entire offense
In addition to their elevated win percentage, the offense as a whole was much better after the trade deadline passed. Here's a look at their hitting after and before the Arráez trade:
| Stat | After | Before |
| W-L | 27-19 | 61-55 |
| BA | .260 | .236 |
| Runs per gm | 4.87 | 4.31 |
| OBP | .328 | 3.04 |
He does not strike out
The Phillies have some home run hitters, including the NL co-leader in Kyle Schwarber, on the roster. They have guys who drive in runs. They have the strikeout king, too, in Schwarber. They have hitters who are patient like Bryson Stott and fast, like Trea Turner and Justin Crawford. But there's no one in the league quite like Arráez. He struck out just 28 times all season — and just seven with the Phillies. Seven!
It's actually kind of comical how infrequently he's rung up. Arráez struck out once every 21.3 at-bats in 2026. The next best player in the NL was Nico Hoerner at 10.8. Putting the ball in play every time seems to be a pretty solid recipe for success as a hitter.
He doesn't walk
A very interesting corollary to Arráez and his ability to avoid striking out is his lack of walks. He had just nine with the Phillies over his 40 games and just 39 total in 2025. Harper led the majors with 107 of them. This deficiency actually does impact his on-base percentage quite a bit.
While he led the team in batting average, he was behind Harper, Schwarber, Alec Bohm, and tied with Crawford in on-base percentage on the team. It's just not what he does. Which is one of the reasons why other hitters with worse batting averages are often valued more than him. Just like Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill obsessed over in Moneyball — it doesn't matter how you get on base, just that you do.
He doesn't hit home runs
Arráez hit two homers as a Phillie. He hit six all year and his career total of 42 is lower than what Schwarber hit by himself in 2026.
The Phillies play in a hitter-friendly park, and it was pretty odd having Arráez bat cleanup with sluggers like Harper and Schwarber ahead of him. One of the reasons he was such a good fit with the Padres in San Diego was their pitcher-friendly park. It's not unreasonable for the Phillies to look for a hitter with pop and value him a bit more for play in Citizens Bank Park.
He's turning 30
The Phillies have 15 players currently aged 30 or older either under contract or under team control heading into 2027. Arráez would be 16 (he turns 30 in early April), and Alec Bohm would be 17.
The Phillies' window looks like it's closing, and it'll close even more quickly if they continue to sign players over 30 to long-term contracts. Would Arráez sign a one- or two-year deal? It's harder to know now than ever with the labor uncertainty ahead. But the Phillies definitely do not want to have yet another infielder under contract until their late 30s (or even 40s!).
What do you think, should the Phillies make Luis Arráez their long-term second baseman?
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