The Minnesota Twins will make more moves this offseason, and we’ll likely see a trade or two before the start of Spring Training. One name that has been rumored to get traded is Luis Arraez, but here’s why the front office should keep their star hitter.

Arraez is so many things to this ballclub; he’s the engine that gets the offense going and is arguably the guy you want up to bat when the game is on the line. Last season, he had the best season of his career, and was voted into the All-Star Game and won the AL Batting Title.

Losing someone like that in your everyday lineup would drastically hurt the offense. He finished 2022 with a batting average of .316 and drove in 49 RBIs. He also had an on-base percentage of .375 and an OPS+ of 130.

Despite not being the best defender, Arraez can move around the diamond and fill in where it’s needed. For a team that faces a lot of injuries, he should be able to get a lot of ABs and defensive opportunities next season.

He finished last year with a wins above replacement of 4.4, which was tied for 52nd in baseball. He finished ahead of guys like Corey Seager, Corbin Burns, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Luis Castillo.

Arraez is only 25 and will be 26 in April. He’s also under team control until 2026 for relatively cheap money.

The Twins’ offense went missing far too many times last season, and it was Arraez who broke them out of their offensive slumps. This team can’t afford to lose a player like him, especially the fans.

There’s no denying that this team needs pitching, but they can improve in that area by moving Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler or top prospects. Polanco has been injury prone and will be turning 30 next season.

It’s not like Polo is a bad player; he’s just not the same guy we saw two years ago. Last season he hit 16 home runs and finished with a wins above replacement of 2.8. He’s going to have value on the trade market, it just won’t be as big as Arraez.

Defensively, the Twins won’t be as good with Arraez playing second base, but the offense would be hard to stop with him in the lineup everyday.

Could the Twins package Polanco, Brooks Lee, and maybe another prospect for a front-line starter? Maybe, but if the Twins want to keep one of their best players, then trading Polanco and prospects is the route they’ll have to take.