Bring. Him. Home?

There probably isn’t a single team in MLB who would say they don’t need Luis Arraez, who slashed .354/.393/.469 in 2023. With two years of team control left, he might not cost quite what the Marlins gave up to acquire him last season, but his price remains high. Now that the Marlins appear willing to part with him, is there any scenario in which the Twins bring him back?

When the Twins dealt Arráez last offseason, they were betting on him being a first baseman or DH, as his health had started to limit his range in the field. The Marlins thought of Arráez as at least a part-time second baseman, which is why they thought he was valuable enough to give up Pablo Lopez (plus two prospects) to acquire him. The Marlins followed through on their plan, but it didn’t pan out as expected.

Arraez had a positive Defensive Runs Saved at second base, but his Outs Above Average showed the Twins were correct to be concerned about his declining range. He played a career-high 1,124 innings at second base in 2023 and posted -10 OAA. For reference, Edouard Julien put up -3 OAA in about half as many innings at the position. The Marlins have probably arrived at the same conclusion the Twins reached a year earlier, hoping an offer presents them with more value than moving Arráez to first base moving forward.

The Twins and Arráez are an interesting fit at this point. Their low-contact, power-focused lineup makes him a solid complementary piece, as many fans pointed out while the strikeouts piled up in 2023. The Twins could certainly use help at first base, with Alex Kirilloff struggling against southpaws to start his career and having repeated injury concerns. Unfortunately, Arráez is another left-handed bat with platoon issues, and has plenty of health concerns of his own. 

It’s more likely that the Twins will look for a cheap, right-handed platoon bat to pair with Kirilloff, rather than pay what will still be a high price for Arráez in trade. In the wake of his second consecutive batting title, La Regadera is in line to make more than $11 million, which could be prohibitive given the Twins' payroll plans. Regarding the fit on the currently constructed roster, Arraez is tough to slot in regularly.

The Twins, of course, have been known to get creative on the trade market in the past. A team could call up the Twins and coax them into parting with someone like Kirilloff, or even Kepler--the latter of which would solve the money problem for them. Catcher is a glaring weakness for the Marlins, with Nick Fortes penciled in to start and the utterly fungible Christian Bethancourt signed to be the backup. Might they take on Christian Vázquez, to help balance the money exchanged, if the Twins offered an impressive offensive player under long-term team control? Could Arráez fit into a framework in which the Twins acquire one of the Fish's available starting pitchers, like Jesús Luzardo or Edward Cabrera?

As the season nears, Kiriloff's shoulder injury continues to give him trouble. As quiet as this winter has been, history says there could be some shakeups before Opening Day. 

A reunion with Luis Arraez is a fun idea, but in all likelihood, the Twins won’t see adding him back as a priority. Their most significant needs continue to be pitching, center field, and potentially a right-handed hitter, and they have no shortage of impact left-handed hitters in the lineup.

It’s hard to resist one of the most unique hitters of this era of baseball if he’s available. Is there any fit for Luis Arraez on the current roster? Should the Twins pay the price to bring him back to Minnesota? Let us know below!