SAN DIEGO — At 11 a.m. Sunday morning, Luis Arraez hopped up the dugout steps at Petco Park and settled into his usual routine with infield instructor Ron Washington. He went through several minutes of drills designed to work on his hands and keeping the ball in front, and then he slapped hands with Washington and gave him a hug.
Those drills have been a daily thing for the two, and Arraez wasn’t going to skip a day, even with all that has been hanging over him in recent weeks. Neither was Robbie Ray. As Arraez fielded short hops, Ray played catch on the grass in left field, preparing for his next start.
The two were still with the team Sunday morning and at 5:15 p.m. when two team buses headed to the airport for a flight to Texas. With less than 24 hours until the 2026 MLB trade deadline, it’s been quiet for the Giants, who have yet to swing a trade and did not seem close before they left San Diego.
The Giants departed with pretty much the same group that arrived. There was some action, but not on the trade front. They suspended payment to Harrison Bader, called up Nate Furman, claimed old friend Buddy Kennedy off waivers — and also dropped three of four to the San Diego Padres.
They also watched as others made deals that did not exactly lead to a lot of confidence that Monday will bring back waves of young talent.
Members of the organization certainly noticed Sunday morning when the New York Mets flipped veteran Freddy Peralta to Tampa Bay for a package that consisted of the Rays’ No. 15, No. 26 and No. 27 prospects, per MLB Pipeline.
Peralta’s numbers look much worse on the surface, but his FIP is actually right in line with Ray’s, and he has a much lower expected ERA and a higher strikeout rate. While Ray is left-handed, Peralta is owed considerably less money the rest of the way.
Later in the day, the New York Yankees, a contender in need of a bat, sent four pitchers to the Washington Nationals for a Luis — but it was Garcia, not Arraez. That package was also relatively modest.
Despite the environment, the Giants are still almost certain to find new homes for Ray and Arraez by Monday’s 3 p.m. PT deadline. Ray acknowledged after his start against the Padres that he had started to think ahead, but Arraez said Sunday that it didn’t cross his mind much during the game.
“If San Francisco trades me, I’ll go do my job,” he said.
Arraez has more at stake over the next day than just about anyone. He wants to remain at second base and continue to prove that he’s worthy of a long-term deal this winter. There’s also the minor fact that a trade within the National League would allow him to continue chasing a fourth batting title.
The Giants never anticipated it ending this way when they signed Arraez in the offseason, but they’ve been so bad for so long that teammates have accepted the fate for weeks. Still, Monday won’t be easy.
“I’m going to be happy for them, obviously,” right-hander Landen Roupp said of Ray and Arraez. “But it’s going to suck losing guys like that.”
The cuts could go much deeper when all is said and done. Tyler Mahle can help someone’s rotation and also is a free agent at the end of the year. Heliot Ramos has a lot of admirers around the league, and at a time when there aren’t many impact bats available, the Giants are going to get calls right up until they make a decision one way or another.
Then there’s the bullpen, which is in a fascinating position. The group has not had a good year collectively, but individually, most of the pitchers are having solid seasons. The Giants have gotten calls on just about all of their relievers, per sources, and there are plenty of reasons to be aggressive in reshaping that group.
Randy Rodríguez is doing well in his rehab, José Buttó is on the way back and the staff is excited about the potential of adding Rowan Wick next spring. In an odd way, a bullpen that’s in need of help also might have too many experienced guys locked onto the roster this offseason. It would be smart to open avenues for younger pitchers and offseason additions.
That will all be decided before the Giants take the field again on Monday in Arlington. On Sunday, they tried to keep the focus on winning a game, but there was no hiding what’s coming. After the loss, manager Tony Vitello spoke passionately about Arraez, in particular. If that trade happens, it’s going to hurt.
“He just makes everybody’s day better,” Vitello said. “He made everybody’s day better here in San Diego. They had nothing but love for him the first time we were here, same thing (now). You can do whatever you want if you pay for your ticket, but I heard a guy boo when he came up to bat, probably because he played for the Padres for a year. Just one person, and I was like, ‘That person must be insane.’
“You can’t not enjoy (a baseball game) if he’s involved in it. He made everybody’s day better, whether you’re training staff, coaching staff, players, and that’s just not about getting hits. It starts when the sun comes up.”