The Yankees have “continued to discuss” a trade with the Padres for infielder Luis Arraez, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.
In addition to Arraez, the Yanks have reached out to the Dodgers about infielder Gavin Lux, per Passan.
New York’s infield situation is unsettled, with Paul Goldschmidt set to play first base and Anthony Volpe at shortstop, but second base and third base an open question.
One of those spots will likely be filled by Jazz Chisholm Jr., and DJ LeMahieu and Oswaldo Cabrera are among other internal options.
Arraez, who is entering his age-28 season, is set to make roughly $14 million in 2025 before becoming a free agent after the year.
He has been one of the best hitters in baseball — in terms of batting average — since entering the league in 2019.
Arraez hit .314 last season for the Padres and Marlins after leading the league with a .354 batting average in 2023.
Overall in 2024, Arraez slashed .314/.346/.392 in 672 plate appearances over 150 games.
Power is not really in his arsenal (he’s hit just 28 home runs during his six-year big league career), but Arraez has been a menace at the top of every lineup he’s been a part of.
As far as Lux, he could possibly be deemed expendable by the loaded Dodgers.
Entering his age-27 season, Lux is coming off a year where he hit .251/.320/.383 with 10 home runs in 139 games.
Lux had a .745 OPS for the Dodgers in 2022 and missed the entire 2023 season due to injury.
He is primarily a second baseman, but also has experience playing shortstop and all three outfield spots.
Lux will earn close to $3 million this season via arbitration and is arbitration-eligible for a final time in 2026.
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