By Adeniyi Precious 
Yankees insider Joel Sherman just summed up the team’s weird predicament: Luis Arraez doesn’t really fit their plans, but they might have to go after him anyway.
On his Pinstripe Post podcast, Sherman pointed out that Arraez’s shaky defense doesn’t align with the Yankees’ offseason focus on tightening up the infield. He’s not taking over first base—that belongs to Paul Goldschmidt. Jazz Chisholm has flashy moments but struggled with the basics at third. Could Arraez handle second? Maybe, maybe not. And given his light-hitting, contact-first approach, does his bat even justify the risk?
Yet, here we are. The Yankees are running out of time, and their urgency isn’t far off from the Padres’. Meanwhile, Aaron Boone just called Marcus Stroman the most important pitcher on the roster last week (huh?). But after months of trade rumors, are the Yankees really going to let Stroman show up at spring training? Are they seriously heading into camp without another infield addition? Keeping Stroman doesn’t add up. Trading for Arraez doesn’t totally make sense either. But somehow, swapping them for each other might be the best move left.
Now, add another wrinkle: John Seidler was just approved as the Padres’ new chairperson, which might mean San Diego is about to clean house fast. That could push the Yankees to act.
Arraez has undeniable upside—batting champs don’t grow on trees. But bringing him in feels like a return to old habits, the same ones they supposedly left behind when they let Gleyber Torres walk.
Would Arraez be better than an internal competition? Probably. And given how the Stroman situation is playing out, this might be the only trade that actually makes sense at this point.