Luis Arraez makes Padres look like big winners of trade, while Marlins sink

The fire sale is underway in South Florida as the Miami Marlins traded Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres late on Friday night for a package of three prospects and a reliever.

It was a matter of when, not if, the fire sale would get started. The Marlins entered play on Saturday with a record of 9-25. Arraez seemed like a very realistic trade candidate, and he was indeed moved.

The return Miami got was decent, but it feels like it could've been better. Arraez showed how valuable he can be in his Padres debut while the Marlins showed the kind of team they are without the two-time batting champion.

Luis Arraez shows how valuable he is in Padres debut with big performance and Marlins embarrassing loss

Arraez led off at DH in Saturday's game for the Padres and immediately showed how elite of a table setter he is. On just the second pitch he saw as a Padre, he lined a leadoff double to begin the game. He'd score on a Manny Machado RBI single.

After a single in his second at-bat, Arraez singled once again in the top of the fourth to drive in a clutch two-out run to give the Padres a 3-0 lead. He'd lead off the seventh inning with a single and score another run. He had hits in each of his first four at-bats, and either scored or drove in a run in three of those four plate appearances. Not bad!

The Padres wound wind up winning the game 13-1 thanks in large part to Arraez's four-hit performance. He's far from a perfect player as he lacks power, speed, and the ability to play defense at a high level, but he can flat-out hit. He's a nice fit at the top of the order for San Diego and his elite on-base ability can lead to a lot of runs with talented players like Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth, and Manny Machado hitting after him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the deal, things have gone from bad to worse for the Marlins. They lost on Friday night right as Arraez was getting dealt. They had a day to let the deal simmer and they looked absolutely pathetic on Saturday in Oakland.

Facing an Oakland Athletics team that has gotten off to a nice start in 2024, the Marlins were embarrassed, losing 20-4. After they allowed a pair of runs to score in the second inning, the Marlins gave up ten runs in the third. Yes, ten runs in an inning given up against this Oakland lineup. Yes, the A's have been a pleasant surprise, but c'mon. This is embarrassing.

The Marlins waved the white flag emphatically by trading Arraez, and it showed in their play on Saturday. In Miami's defense, why even bother when your own President of Baseball Operations doesn't believe in you?

The Padres got a player who they hope can spark them to a playoff berth while Marlins fans unfortunately have to realize that they have 127 games left after Saturday's bludgeoning. The worst part is, it's only going to get worse before it might get better. They better hope those prospects pan out.