For the second time in two years, the Minnesota Twins are facing their old friend Luis Arraez and letting the emotions flow.
Arraez was traded by the Twins last January in a deal that sent Pablo Lopez and Jose Salas back to Minnesota. It was a win-win by every definition, as the Marlins got one of the best hitters in baseball while the Twins were able to finally acquire the ace they've been searching for since at least 2010.
There were losers in the trade, though, as Arraez was a fan favorite and beloved in the Twins' clubhouse. That was the heftiest cost of doing business, and it's a wound that still hasn't healed on any side of the deal.
Luis Arraez said he 'cried a lot' after the Twins traded him to Miami
Arraez has now faced the Twins twice since being traded, and each time it's been an emotional affair. Last year when Minnesota was in Miami, Arraez spent a ton of time with his old teammates and wasn't shy about how much love he still has for Twins fans.
Minnesota is out in San Diego facing the Padres this week, Arraez's new team after getting traded earlier in the year, and this time around he's getting even more honest about being dealt by the Twins back in 2023.
While speaking with the media ahead of the series, Arraez got candid and admitted that getting traded by the Twins devastated him.
“I cried a lot when (the Twins) traded me,” Arráez said, via The Athletic's Dan Hayes. “It was painful but it’s baseball. I understand. Baseball is a business. … It feels (like) a while because I played last year with Miami. I need to just stay focused. I don’t want to think about that. I want to still stay focused with my team right now.”
As if the whole ordeal wasn't already hard enough on Twins fans, Arraez dropped this on everyone.
The trade was necessary in the long run, as Lopez added something that Arraez could never provide had he stayed. Given how rough this past winter was in terms of trading another fan favorite -- Jorge Polanco -- but turning it into a salary dump, it's amazing to look back and see that Minnesota got so much in return.
Arraez offers more than just one of the best bats in the league, though. While he's a two-time batting champion, the love fans and players in Minnesota still have for him is proof of how much he means beyond just what happens on the diamond.
Padres fans are lucky to have him, and it's clear that Arraez has found a great place to call home. He'll never forget his first, though, and fans back in Minnesota will always have a special place in their hearts for him.
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