Would Luis Arráez be a good fit for the Guardians? 

At face value, Luis Arráez should be considered one of the top players available in free agency this year. Not only is he a three-time batting champion, three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner, but his career batting average of .317 is the top mark among active hitters. 

Yet, when MLB Trade Rumors unveiled its list of the top 50 free agents in baseball, Arráez was slotted in at No. 34 right between swingmen pitchers Nick Martinez and Zack Littell. 

While Arráez brings a lot to the table in terms of his unparalleled contact ability, his value among baseball circles has become a debate given that he has almost no power (career ISO of .096) and is a marginal defender (at best) in the field. 

He finished last season with a strikeout rate of 3.1% and led the National League with 181 hits, but he also had a slugging percentage of just .392. 

In an era where power and defense reign supreme, he seems like a relic from olden days. But just because he’s not a perfect fit for some teams in baseball doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t provide value for the Guardians, even if he isn’t a perfect fit. 

Luis Arráez would be an intriguing addition to the Guardians’ lineup

It’s not hard to see how Arráez could fit into the Guardians’ lineup considering how much Cleveland’s front office values players who can generate contact and don’t strike out. 

The Guardians haven’t finished with a team strikeout rate over 22% since 2021, and Arráez’s presence in the lineup would be a welcome refresher as opposed to Gabriel Arias’ strikeout-heavy approach in the infield. 

But the obvious bugaboo is his defense and the fact that his offensive arsenal doesn’t offer much outside of that contact ability. 

That ISO of .096 is 81st among hitters who have tallied 3,000 plate appearances since the start of 2023, which put him behind hitters like Nicky Lopez, Myles Straw and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Not exactly the kind of company you want to keep. 

It also doesn’t help that Arráez hit a career-low .292 last season and finished the year with an OPS+ of 99. Arráez won back-to-back-to-back batting titles in 2022, ‘23 and ‘24 when he hit .316, .354 and .314, respectively, but the amount of value he provides at the plate takes a significant dip when he’s not hitting like one of the league’s best. 

That, coupled with his subpar defense at both second and first, will likely result in some front offices considering him untouchable. But he could be a valuable player — so long as he’s not the only addition. 

The Guardians biggest offseason need this year is power, which Arráez notably doesn’t have. But they also need some MLB-quality hitters to put in their lineup around José Ramírez, and Arráez is very much that. 

He could fit at the top of the lineup in front of Ramírez (imagine how many pitches Steven Kwan and Arráez would foul off), and could also fit at the bottom of the lineup to help turn things over to Ramírez and the rest of the boppers. 

Adding Arráez would mean the Guardians would also need to make some kind of other move to add some power to the lineup, but it could be a worthwhile dice roll for a team that desperately needs to add a spark to their lineup.