The Yankees are interested in Luis Arráez and Gavin Lux

The Yankees have already had a busy offseason, but they’re not done yet. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports he has had discussions with the Padres on the matter Luis Arráez and the Dodgers around Gavin Luxwith the possibility of taking the second base job in the Bronx. Jon Morosi of MLB Network says the Mariners, who are known to be looking for internal upgrades, also checked out Lux.

For the Yanks, their infield took a pair of hits late in the 2024 season, with Antonio Rizzo AND Gleyber Torres both hit free agency, leaving holes at first and second base. They have since taken care of them first by signing Paul Goldschmidtbut another internal update would make sense.

The versatility of Jazz Chisholm Jr. it gives them some flexibility. He played mostly third base after being acquired last year, but has plenty of experience at the keystone, meaning the Yanks could add a second or third baseman, with Chisholm taking over at any position is not addressed. They have been linked to the free agent Alex Bregmann and commercial candidate Nolan Arenado as potential additions at third base, but appear to be exploring candidates at second base as well.

Arráez is a logical trade candidate from San Diego’s perspective and something they have reportedly considered. RosterResource currently projects the Padres to have a payroll of $210 million this year, well above last year’s figure of $169 million. While a payroll increase is reportedly possible, it has been suggested that they need to bring 2025 spending closer to 2024 levels. They are also expected to be just above the competitive balance tax and will likely want to go below below if they intend to cut wages.

However, many of their players are difficult to move for contractual reasons. Many have no-trade clauses or heavy guarantees remaining or both. They also have a number of roster spots that could use upgrades.

Last winter, a similar set of circumstances led the Friars to separate Juan Soto AND Trent Grishamsending them to the Yankees. The five players received in exchange allowed them to consolidate their depth in different areas, while at the same time offloading significant salary commitments.

Arráez, 28 in April, could perhaps follow the same path this year. Like Soto last offseason, he is currently a year away from free agency and poised to earn a sizable salary in his final season in control of the club. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Arráez will make $14.6 million in 2025. That’s about half of what Soto was projected to make in 2024, but it’s still a sizable chunk of change for a team with budget constraints.

Even if the projected salary is significantly lower, Arráez will still have much less appeal as a trade candidate than Soto. Despite his elite bat-to-ball skills, Arráez is a limited player. He doesn’t take walks or add much power and isn’t even a defensive asset. Despite three consecutive batting titles, his career batting line of .323/.372/.418 amounts to a WRC+ of 120, indicating that his overall offensive contributions have been about 20% above average. Soto, on the other hand, has a .285/.421/.532 line and 158 career wRC+.

The aforementioned defensive limitations are also something the Yankees will have to consider with Arráez. The Twins started using him more at first base in 2022 before trading him to the Marlins. With Fish in 2023, Arráez had his biggest body of work at second and produced four defensive runs saved but also -11 putouts above average. The Padres acquired him at the start of the 2024 season and only put him over the top for 58 innings the rest of the way.

The Yankees would have to weigh his defensive limitations with the lure of putting his bat in the lineup, while also factoring in money. RosterResource projects its competitive balance fiscal number this year at $303 million, which is already above the fourth and final level. As the third-largest payer at that level, the Yankees face a 110% tax on any additional spending and would therefore have to pay about $30 million to hire Arráez this year. Of course, the Padres would also like something in return, although cost savings may be their top priority right now.

As for Lux, it’s unclear whether the 27-year-old is available, but it’s understandable why the Yanks would pick up the phone and check, as the Dodgers appear to be overloaded with center field options. They are planning to have Mookie Betts act as their everyday shortstop and have committed to that path by signing Teoscar Hernández AND Michele Conforto to fill their corner jobs in the outfield, with guys like Andy Pages AND Dalton running even in the fray.

With Tommy Edman apparently ticketed for center court work, which leaves them with Betts at short and Lux ​​at second, with Miguel Rojas AND Chris Taylor hanging around like bench/utility guys. They added additional depth by signing Hyeseong Kim a few days ago. The club reportedly still plans to use Betts and Lux ​​as primarily center infielders, but perhaps signing Kim increases the chances of the Yankees getting leverage on Lux.

If they succeeded, they would get something of an unknown quantity. Lux has had an up-and-down career so far, but with some encouraging upward arrows. Through the end of the 2021 season, he had a tepid batting line of .233/.314/.368, resulting in an 86 wRC+. He took a notable step forward in 2022, slashing .276/.346/.399 for a 113 wRC+, but then missed all of 2023 with a torn ACL.

His 2024 season was a step back, in some ways, even though he finished strong. He hit .251/.320/.383 for a WRC+ of 100 overall for the season, but a dismal .213/.267/.295 in the first half and a robust .304/.390/.508 in the first time. second, leading to WRC+ scores of 60 and 152 respectively in those times. His batting average on balls in play jumped over 100 points from the first half to the second, so that may not be entirely sustainable, but he also improved in terms of the quality of his batted balls. On defense, reviews are mixed. Both DRS and OAA gave Lux a failing grade at second base in 2024, but both place him in positive territory for his career overall.

Financially, Lux is more attractive than Arráez. Thanks to an inconsistent career and missing a full season, Lux is projected to make just $2.7 million next year, with an extra year of club control on top of that. Given the Yankees’ CBT situation, he would be much more attractive, but he’s also valuable to the Dodgers for the same reason. Given that the Dodgers don’t seem particularly motivated to let Lux go, the Yankees should send something of real value the other way.

For the Mariners, their internal needs are well known. They lost Justin Turner to free agency, declined an option to Jorge Polacco and not subject to tender Josh Rojas. Except for the shortstop JP CrawfordVery little was decided in Seattle. They have some internal options, like Luca Raley for first base. He would need a right-handed platoon partner, which could come in the form of bringing Turner back. Second, they reportedly have some willingness to ride Dylan Moore AND Ryan Bliss up to the perspective Cole Young he’s ready to take over.

That made it seem more likely that the club would add at third base, although adding a second baseman is still a consideration. The M’s were connected to Cubs second base Nico Hoerner earlier this winter, for example, and they seem open to Lux as well. Lux has some experience at third base, but only six innings in the majors, so he would be a much more logical fit at the capstone.

His low projected salary is certainly attractive to the Mariners, albeit for different reasons than the Yankees. Seattle reportedly has around $15 million to play with this offseason, a fairly tight budget Luis Castello the rumors have been circulating for a while. A trade for Castillo would weaken the rotation but open up more spending power, perhaps to pursue a player like Bregman or Arenado, although a trade for Lux might be an easier solution. This would allow the M’s to keep their strong rotation intact, though perhaps they would have to give the Dodgers significant potential capital to move Lux up the coast.