"Truly an embarrassing way of doing business" - Marlins fans upset as team wins $10,600,000 arbitration case against batting champion Luis Arraez
Miami Marlins star Luis Arraez is coming off another impressive season. In 2023, he appeared in a career-high 147 games, hitting a league-leading .354 batting average with 10 home runs and 69 RBIs.
However, Arraez lost his arbitration case on Tuesday. The slugger was looking for a salary of $12 million for the 2024 season but will receive $10.6 million, per El ExtraBase's Daniel Alvarez-Montes.
There is no denying that Arraez is one of the best hitters in the league. However, other parts of his game are less impressive; Miami could see that as a concern. For starters, he does not have a lot of power.
Arraez's defense is also an area that scouts have questioned. While he was a better defender last season than in years past, he still finished the year with a -10 Outs Above Average.
Following the news of Arraez losing his arbitration case, fans took to social media to voice their opinions on the subject.
"Truly an embarrassing way of doing business great start Bendix," one fan posted.
"I used to root for the team in arbitration, but with the Marlins, I’d rather the player get as much as they can as the team won’t reinvest the money from savings," another fan posted.
Marlins fans are agitated about the team's cheap mindset. They believe Luis Arraez is certainly worth the $12 million he asked for.
Arraez is eligible for arbitration once more next season. After that, he is slated to become a free agent.
With Luis Arraez signed, where do the Marlins go from here?
With Luis Arraez ready to go for the upcoming season, the Marlins' front office can turn its attention to other areas of need. One of the directions the team can go is making a trade before opening day.
Recently, the Pittsburgh Pirates engaged with Miami in a possible trade. Pittsburgh is still searching for some arms it can add to the rotation, and Miami has plenty of them.
Miami has already entertained possible trades for Edward Cabrera, Jesus Luzardo and Braxton Garrett. Cabrera seems the likeliest to be moved of the three pitchers mentioned.
Miami would likely look to get an infielder in return if it were to do business with the Pirates. Ji Hwan Bae or Nick Gonzalez could be of interest to the front office.
Miami still has some work to do ahead of opening day. Expect it to be a busy team over the next few weeks.