The Padres avoided arbitration with five players before the deadline on Thursday, including Luis Arraez and Dylan Cease.
Correct. According to a source who spoke to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Michael King was unable to come to an agreement with San Diego before to the deadline and would discuss pay estimates with the team.
Purchase tickets for the 2025 Padres season.
According to Feinsand, the Padres made the following agreements:
$14 million for Arraez and $13.75 million for Cease
About $4.8 million for Jason Adam
• One million dollars for Luis Campusano
According to a report by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego also reached an agreement with left-hander Adrian Morejon on a $2 million one-year contract.
What is arbitration of salaries? Utilityman Tyler Wade, who is also in his arbitration years, agreed to a one-year contract with a 2026 club option prior to the tender deadline in November of last year.
Last May 4, Arraez was moved from the Marlins to the Padres. He has won three batting titles with three different teams in the last three years. With 200 hits in 2024, he led the National League and slashed.314/.346/.392 in 150 games.
During a run at history last summer, the three-time All-Star infielder recorded the greatest stretch of consecutive plate appearances without striking out (141), which hasn’t happened since Juan Pierre (147) in 2004.
The longest streaks of plate appearances without a strikeout (since the expansion era began in 1961):
• Dave Cash, 223 (Phillies, 1976).
• Nellie Fox, White Sox, 1962, 185
• Bill Buckner, Dodgers, 1972, 184
• Greg Gross, 173 (Phillies, 1979–80)
• Tony Gwynn, Padres (1995), 170
In 2024, Arraez made 672 plate appearances and struck out just 29 times, 22 fewer than the second-lowest total in the Majors (51 strikeouts by Steven Kwan of the Guardians).
For the last time, Arraez was eligible for arbitration going into his age-28 season. Given his comparatively cheap deal and the fact that he will be a free agency at the end of the season, he has been viewed as a possible trade possibility.
Despite his constant ability to make contact, Arraez’s skill set might be controversial due to his lack of strength, speed, and defensive prowess. Although he only recorded 24 walks in 2024 compared to 29 strikeouts, his ability to extend any lineup can be aided by his lack of swing-and-miss at the plate.
Additionally, Cease was traded from the White Sox to the Padres shortly before his new team left Spring Training to begin the 2024 season in Seoul, South Korea.
In his debut season with San Diego, Cease put together a memorable year. After going 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA in 33 starts, he placed fourth in the NL Cy Young Award voting and pitched the second no-hitter in Padres history against the Nationals in July.
Adam was a lockdown acquisition from the Rays prior to the Trade Deadline, allowing just three runs in 26 2/3 innings with the Padres, and Morejon had his first totally healthy season in the Major Leagues, earning a 2.83 ERA over 60 appearances (63 2/3 innings). Through 2026, both remain under club control.
King had a terrific first season as a Major League starter after joining San Diego as part of Juan Soto’s five-player comeback in December 2023. He went 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA in 31 games (30 starts) and established a career high with 173 2/3 innings, demonstrating that the Soto trade was actually advantageous to both the Yankees and the Padres.
It is still conceivable for King and the Padres to agree on a new contract before the arbitration hearing, which will be arranged when the two parties exchange statistics.
Leave a Reply