MLB insider confirms defensive position for latest addition

On Saturday night, the SF Giants reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with three-time batting champion Luis Arráez. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Giants intend to play the veteran infielder at second base.

MLB insider confirms defensive position for latest addition

When the Giants made the deal, there was some confusion as to what position Arráez would play. There was a potential opening at second base. There also could be some at-bats at DH, depending on how the Giants plan to use Bryce Eldridge.

Arráez will return to second base, taking over for Casey Schmitt. Schmitt put together a quality season in 2025. He put up a .706 OPS with 12 home runs and 40 RBI in 348 plate appearances. He originally came up as a third baseman, but has shifted around the infield over the past couple of seasons.

Presumably, Schmitt would move into a bench role. Christian Koss and Tyler Fitzgerald will be among the players competing for a bench role as well.

Arráez came up as a versatile glove, and has experience all around the infield. This includes some time in left field as well. He has spent the bulk of his career at second base, but has seen more time at first base and DH over the past couple of years.

Some of that was due to need. The San Diego Padres had a plethora of infielders, including Jake Cronenworth, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts. They also had Ha-Seong-Kim playing around the infield for four seasons before he departed in free agency after the 2024 season.

This shifted Arráez over to first base and DH. This was not the only reason the Padres used him in that way. Based on the defensive metrics, the 28-year-old infielder has graded out as a poor glove.

Since Arráez made his debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2019, he has tallied -60 Outs Above Average (OAA), which is the worst mark in baseball. He has graded out as a below-average fielder at nearly every position he has played based on this metric. The one exception is that he actually graded out as a quality defender at shortstop when he played briefly there in 2019.

Second base is where Arráez has accumulated most of those defensive metrics. Throughout his career, he has recorded -6 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), -35 OAA, and -27 Fielding Run Value (FRV). Regardless of the metric you use, he has graded out as a poor defender at second base.

The Giants hope that new infield coach Ron Washington can work to improve Arráez's infield defense to acceptable levels.