Luis Arraez was traded from the Minnesota Twins to the Miami Marlins in exchange for starting pitcher Pablo Lopez and prospects, Jose Salas and Byron Chourio. Not only was the Arraez trade a blockbuster, but it also made a pretty wild piece of MLB history in the process.
Luis Arraez is the first batting title winner to be traded the following offseason since Hall of Famer Rod Carew was dealt from the Twins to the then-California Angels back in 1978, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
That may not be the way Arraez, a career .314 hitter, wanted to make the record books alongside the great Rod Carew, but hey, history is history.
Of course, the Luis Arraez trade can’t compare to the Carew blockbuster, which was an entire movie’s worth of drama. Carew feuded with Twins owner Calvin Griffith for much of the year, with the club resorting to dealing the 18-time All-Star instead of getting nothing in return.
That is certainly not the case here with Arraez, who the Twins would have liked to keep on their roster.
But the need to reportedly “impress” the recently signed Carlos Correa proved greater- and the 2022 batting champion was traded for a talented pitcher in Pablo Lopez.
Now, Arraez, one of the better contact hitters in the sport, will look to boost a Marlins lineup that posted the third-worst batting average in the MLB last year.
While he won’t enjoy the protection he had in the mighty Twins batting order, Luis Arraez should still be a key cog for the Marlins.
And forever linked to Rod Carew in MLB history.
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