Source: Phillies acquire NL batting leader Luis Arraez from Giants before the trade deadline
Arraez is a contact-hitting, on-base machine. He’s leading the National League with a .324 average and has more walks (25) than strikeouts (21).
Luis Arraez is neither a right-handed hitter nor an outfielder. But he’s the Phillies’ solution to help the offense. The Phillies beat the trade deadline Monday by acquiring Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants, according to a major league source.
They will send breakout pitching prospect Ramon Marquez and minor league reliever Marty Gair to San Francisco, according to USA Today, although the teams haven’t announced the trade because players were still being informed.
Arraez, 29, has said he prefers to stay at second base, where he has improved defensively this season. In that case, the move for Arraez will force the Phillies to shuffle the defense. It’s unclear how they will do that.
But Arraez is a contact-hitting, on-base machine. He’s leading the National League with a .324 average and has more walks (25) than strikeouts (21). He has a .360 on-base percentage and figures to help set the table for Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
This is a developing story.
No matter what moves the Phillies make before the trade deadline Monday, they will have to fix some of their issues internally. Chief among them: Trea Turner's defense at shortstop. And that's where infield coach Bobby Dickerson comes in. Dickerson sat down with "Phillies Extra," The Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss Turner's struggles, the problems with analytics in measuring defense, his unique coaching style, and more. Watch here.
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