The San Diego Padres letting Luis Arraez walk out into free agency doesn’t automatically mean they’re out on their All-Star first baseman. In a lot of ways, it actually looks like they’re trying to let the market do the dirty work for them.
There have been mixed signals from the start. A.J. Preller has publicly kept the door open to a reunion, but parallel reporting has suggested the front office is prepared to let Arraez move on if the price isn’t right, especially with holes in the rotation and limited flexibility. That doesn’t scream indifference — it sounds more like a team that likes the player, just not at any cost.