Phillies land Luis Arraez, reliever Caleb Kilian in trade with Giants: Sources

The Philadelphia Phillies turned to an outside-the-box-solution to upgrade their offense by landing veteran second baseman Luis Arraez in a deadline day trade Monday with the San Francisco Giants. It’s a move that brings a former batting champion into the lineup, but one that will prompt an infield realignment.

The Phillies, according to league sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not completed, will also receive righty reliever Caleb Kilian. They are sending pitching prospects Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair to the Giants.

Arraez, 29, entered this season as a .317 lifetime hitter and he’s contending for what would be his fourth batting title while playing in an era of hit suppression and plummeting averages. There’s no doubt he’s an outlier in today’s game. Yet it’s more difficult to determine the true value of his offensive skills, which is why the Giants were able to sign him to a modest one-year, $12 million contract this offseason.

It was San Francisco’s best move in an otherwise unsuccessful winter. Arraez has been a shining light in a dismal season and he’s rebuilt his defensive reputation at second base while ranking near the top of the list for all defenders in Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value. He’s become an instant fan favorite with his feisty and competitive at-bats, too.

As an impending free agent, though, there wasn’t much doubt that the Giants would seek to move him prior to the trade deadline. Arraez’s elite bat-to-ball skills figured to be in high demand among contending clubs, especially after teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers used high-contact lineups to churn through postseason opponents last October.

Arraez has the slowest average bat speed in the league, but that’s by design. His ultra-short swing allows him to wait till the last instant to make a swing decision, and then he keeps his bat in the zone for as long as it takes to make contact. He won’t draw walks, and nobody in the game is more geared to swing with two strikes — amazingly, he had just two called strikeouts in 675 plate appearances last season — but he’s the rare hitter who lacks power but is otherwise someone you want at the plate in an RBI situation.

This story will be updated.