Luis Arraez left a lasting impact — and helped the SF Giants strengthen their future

The trade deadline can be cruel at times. Baseball can be cruel at times. In a matter of days, the SF Giants have lost the two main bright spots who made this very disappointing season more enjoyable. One of them, Casey Schmitt, saw his season end unexpectedly and brutally. The other, Luis Arraez, did everything right — and that’s precisely why he was traded.

After weeks of speculation, Arraez eventually joins a contending team, as the Giants traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for their No. 4 prospect, Ramón Márquez, and reliever Marty Gair. Reliever Caleb Kilian was also included in the deal.

Luis Arraez made his impact felt in San Francisco

Despite all the uncertainty surrounding Arraez during the offseason, he ended up being a perfect fit. Not only because he leaves the club with the highest batting average in the National League at .324, but also because he and infield coach Ron Washington have turned his “bad defender” label into a “possible Gold Glove candidate” one. It didn’t just happen; hard work made it happen. From the early mornings in spring training to the daily work during the season, Arraez hasn’t stopped trying to shed that past image of himself and prove everyone wrong. And he’s done just that. Now, more than 100 games into the season, Arraez owns the eighth-highest Outs Above Average mark in the league at +11 and the second-highest at his position.

Offensively, he made some history in addition to boasting the lowest strikeout rate in baseball. He put together the fourth-longest streak of games without being held hitless in consecutive contests to begin a season since 1900, with his streak ending at 95 games against Kansas City a few weeks ago. His .330 batting average in the first half was the highest by a Giant before the All-Star break since Melky Cabrera hit .353 in 2012. But his impact went well beyond the diamond.

His presence will also be missed. In just a matter of months, he managed to spread his positivity and joy for the game throughout the locker room. Giants fans, teammates, coaches and staff members all wanted him to stay, but that’s not how the business of baseball works. Given his contractual situation, Arraez was too good to play on a team more than 10 games under .500, so he had to leave — maybe not forever, though. Arraez will be a free agent again next offseason. It’s purely hypothetical, but the Giants could go after him this winter and sign him to a multi-year contract if they can find a spot for him in this crowded infield.

Now, by staying in the National League, he’ll have an opportunity to win a fourth batting title with a fourth different team, something that has never been done before. Only one player has won batting titles with three different organizations: Arraez himself. Giants fans around the world will be rooting for him.

Giants lose a great story but gain a promising prospect

Caleb Kilian, drafted by the Giants in 2019, has now been traded at the deadline twice: first in 2021 as part of the Kris Bryant deal and now in 2026 as part of the Luis Arraez deal. After bouncing around Triple-A for three seasons, Kilian earned a spot on the Opening Day roster and has shown that he has the potential to be a reliable relief arm — as long as it’s not in the ninth inning.

The Giants tried to turn him into a closer, but the experiment failed miserably. In 19 1/3 innings in the final frame, Kilian posted an 8.84 ERA, with opposing hitters batting .314 against him. He was charged with three blown saves in 11 opportunities, posting a 13.97 ERA in those save situations. In the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, the 29-year-old pitched to a 0.82 ERA over 22 innings, holding opponents to a .139 batting average. He joins a Phillies team that owns the fifth-highest ERA in the three innings in which Kilian has thrived. He should be a great fit for them.

As for the return, the main player they acquired, Ramón Márquez, is widely considered a future top-100 prospect who could keep climbing up the rankings. At just 20 years old, Márquez has posted a 1.68 ERA and 0.81 WHIP over 59 innings between High-A and Low-A. He’ll bolster an already improved farm system following the recent arrivals of Jackson Flora, Carson Bolemon and Kaden Waechter.

But he wasn’t the only pitcher involved in the return. Marty Gair, 23, is also headed to San Francisco. Gair is a hard thrower whose fastball averages around 98 mph. He recorded 66 strikeouts in 36 minor-league innings this year, but he also has some command issues and injury concerns, as he has pitched just 63 innings since being drafted in 2023. The hope is that he can develop into a reliable bullpen arm.

The blueprint for this trade deadline was clear from the start: get as much pitching depth as possible. So far, so good. The front office has turned Tyler Mahle, Luis Arraez and Caleb Kilian into three pitching prospects: right-hander Anthony Molina from the Braves and Márquez and Gair from the Phillies. Left-hander Robbie Ray is still expected to be moved before today’s deadline and could fetch the organization even more pitching.

The trade deadline is always fun, but seeing good Giants leave hurts just as much.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow