Despite losing two out of three to the Washington Nationals and dropping four of their last six games, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still in a good spot with a 10-4 record.
However, that doesn’t mean the front office will not look to upgrade the team in some areas on the field.
The Dodgers have former Korea Baseball Organization star Hyeseong Kim getting reps at second base, shortstop, and center field at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Tommy Edman is also a versatile defender, able to play the same three positions as Kim, if not more.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report believes a trade with the San Diego Padres for Luis Arraez could make sense if the Dodgers are not sold on using Kim or Edman as their starting second baseman.
“The lowest hanging fruit is arguably whichever of 2B/CF is easier to upgrade, with Tommy Edman becoming fully entrenched as the starter at the other,” Miller wrote on Thursday. “And with several other contenders likely to be in the market for a center fielder, second base is probably the answer.”
Arraez would only improve an already stacked Dodgers lineup, but the Padres might be hesitant to trade him to their National League West rival.
San Diego would especially regret shipping Arraez to Los Angeles if he hit well in the NLDS or NLCS against his former team.
Arraez is hitting .283 with a .693 OPS through the Padres’ 13 games in 2025 and has solidified himself as one of the best contact hitters in baseball.
He’s also exclusively been used at first base this season with the Padres, but has 345 games of experience at second base in his seven-year career.
The 28-year-old is not known as a good defender.
At second base, he has accumulated -34 outs above average in his career. In 2024, Arraez went on a 141 plate appearance streak without striking out.
According to MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell, it was the longest streak since outfielder Juan Pierre reached 147 in 2004.
Arraez will be a free agent at the end of the season, so his Dodgers tenure might be short if the two organizations agree to a trade.
