The Philadelphia Phillies are giving their offense a boost before the MLB trade deadline. On Monday, the Phillies struck a deal with the San Francisco Giants to acquire three-time batting champion and second baseman Luis Arraez, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported.
Meanwhile, Bob Nightengale of USA Today provided additional details about the trade, with reliever Caleb Kilian going with Arraez to the Phillies, who are sending starter Ramon Marquez and their No. 4 prospect and reliever Marty Gair to San Francisco.
The 29-year-old Arraez’s time in the Bay Area proved to be short. With the Giants struggling mightily to win games and falling way back in the playoff race, they decided to part ways with one of their best trade assets in the Venezuelan infielder.
Arraez signed a 1-year, $12 million contract with San Francisco in January and in 105 games played with the Giants, hit .324/.360/.440 with 4 home runs and 43 RBIs. He also recorded 7 triples with San Francisco, already the most he’s ever had in a season in the majors.
The Phillies have plenty of options in the infield, but he is expected to continue playing second base in Philadelphia, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. That could force Bryson Stott to move to another position while also affecting the roles of Alec Bohm and Bryce Harper.
Arraez arrives in Philadelphia with the Phillies looking to bolster their chances to make the playoffs. They entered Monday with a 59-53 record, eight games behind the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves and good for the third and final wild card spot in the NL.
