"Laughingstock of baseball": Marlins fans enraged as trade rumors around Luis Arraez surface
Second baseman Luis Arraez might move out of the Miami Marlins ahead of Spring Training. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Marlins may be willing to entertain trade offers for Arraez, who won two consecutive batting champion awards.
This update didn't sit well with fans, however, who stormed to X, formerly Twitter, to express their frustration:
"Jesus, we take one step forward, then a million steps back. Smh," one fan said.
"Marlins are the laughingstock of baseball unfortunately," another user said.
Here are a few other fan reactions on X:
Many fans have been irked with the Marlins' offseason approach over the years, and some seem to be frustrated that the team doesn't retain its top talent when they get the chance.
Arraez has two years left on his contract with the Marlins and is projected to earn $10.8 million through arbitration next year.
Luis Arraez's MLB career
Hailing from San Felipe, Venezuela, Luis Arraez signed with the Minnesota Twins as an international free agent in November 2013. He was called to the majors a day before his MLB debut on May 18, 2019, against the Seattle Mariners. He started his career well with a double off Cory Gearrin.
He batted .334 in 326 at-bats over 92 games in 2019, with 36 walks and 29 strikeouts, finishing sixth in American League (AL) Rookie of the Year (2019) voting. In the following two seasons, he slashed .321/.364/.402 and .294/.357/.376, respectively.
He batted .316/.375/.420 in 547 at-bats in 2022. He was the batting champion of the 2022 season and also earned his first All-Star selection. The Twins traded Arráez to the Miami Marlins on Jan. 20, 2023, in exchange for Pablo López, José Salas and Byron Chourio.
In an 8-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on April 11, 2023, Arráez became the first player in Marlins history to bat for the cycle. Arraez batted .354 with 203 hits, 10 homers, 69 RBIs and 71 runs scored across 147 games in 2023. This led him to win consecutive batting titles on top of his second All-Star selection.