Batting champ Arraez wants to play with Padres 'for a long time'
Three-time batting champion Luis Arraez enjoyed his first season with the San Diego Padres so much that he'd like to continue his career with the franchise.
"I don't want to think about a trade. I just want to play for the San Diego Padres next year," Arraez said following the Padres' season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, according to 97.3's Annie Heilbrunn.
"I want to stay here. But everybody knows this is business. I understand the business, but I want to stay here for a long time."
Arraez became a fixture in the Padres' lineup after they acquired him from the Miami Marlins in May. The 27-year-old slashed .318/.346/.398 en route to his third consecutive batting title. He's drawn comparisons to Padres legend Tony Gwynn in the process.
"It's a little bit unfair to (Arraez) to have that comparison, but I will say it's kind of his own doing," Tony Gwynn Jr. said of Arraez during a Baseball on Fanatics View interview last July.
"Through the first five years of their careers, their numbers look very similar. ... I think he's earned the right to have that comparison."
Arraez earned $10.6 million this season and is arbitration-eligible in 2025. He becomes a free agent in 2026.