After Casey Schmitt injury, SF Giants could reopen a door with Luis Arraez

The Casey Schmitt injury stinks for a lot of reasons, but the SF Giants could view it as an opportunity to reevaluate Luis Arraez’s future with the team. It’s been assumed for months now that the Giants will trade Arraez but maybe that calculus changes now.

Schmitt is likely done for the year after tearing his meniscus, but that is better than if he had torn his ACL or some other ligament in his knee. The expectation is he should be back by the start of 2027.

This is the second season in a row where Schmitt will miss significant time. Last year it was due to a wrist injury that required offseason surgery to fully fix and now it’s the knee.

Schmitt feels like he certainly could be the team’s second baseman in 2027 and beyond but there are flaws in his game like his low walk rate. Maybe the Giants don’t trade him now right after his injury but they decide in the offseason that they’d be better off moving him for pitching. Then who plays second base?

Arraez likely will be gone by the August 3 trade deadline, but San Francisco Chronicle reporter Susan Slusser threw out a hypothetical scenario in which the Giants keep Arraez and they give him a qualifying offer after the season.

That way, even if Arraez declines the offer and signs with another team the Giants will receive draft compensation for losing him.

Giants should keep all options on the table with Luis Arraez

There’s no guarantee that the Giants are going to get a great return for Arraez since he is a rental and not every team values his skills that highly especially since he doesn’t hit for power. But with the way he's turned the narrative about his defense around teams know they are getting more than just a premier contact bat.

Maybe an extension could potentially still be in the cards if the Giants want him around for a few years. Or maybe they trade him now but try to re-sign him in the offseason and trade Schmitt.

It should be noted Schmitt is the cheaper of the two options. He will be arbitration-eligible and should get a contract in the $5 million range while Arraez would make roughly $22 million by accepting a qualifying offer.

There are lots of avenues opened up by the Schmitt injury. The most likely outcome is still that Arraez gets dealt soon but the range of possibilities is a bit wider now.

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