SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Luis Arraez took to life in Padres Land right away.

He became fast friends with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado during his two seasons in San Diego. He lockered near the two Padres stars he’d admired as an All-Star with the Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins.

Arraez had come to San Diego in May 2024, via a trade with the Marlins that brought the best singles hitter of this era to a high-payroll Padres club in win-now mode.

The Venezuelan promptly sparked a Padres offense that had seen Machado labor with a balky elbow. Arraez went on to win his third batting title and go to the playoffs in both Padres seasons, making it five postseason trips in his seven-year career.

Someone who often said he vibed off playing in the East Village, where a large crowd always shows up, Arraez mentioned a few behind-the-scenes memories Friday when asked for a few personal details from his San Diego tenure.

He first mentioned Machado. And poker games with teammates.

“I’m really close with Tatis,” he added. “He’s one of those guys you want to watch play every day. Has a lot of energy.”

Arraez wore Halloween colors as he talked Padres. He now plays for the San Francisco Giants, via the one-year contract he got at the start of spring training, and he plans on helping San Francisco earn its first playoff spot in five years. “If we enjoy playing together,” said Arraez, a big believer in baseball camaraderie, “we can do a lot of good things.”

Here’s what I think about the Padres and Arraez moving apart:

It was the best outcome for everyone.

Arraez’s best field spot, if there is one, is second base, where the Padres had no good reason to offer him a job.

The Giants were the rare team willing to give him the chance at second base, and they’re pairing him with Ron Washington, who may be the sport’s best infield coach.

Arraez said he has worked with Washington every day of spring training. “I wake up at 5 to get here early,” he said.

The Padres are set at second base with Jake Cronenworth, who, on top of being a more reliable defender, is due $12.3 million per year over the next five seasons.

Although Arraez said the Padres had interest in keeping him as a first baseman or designated hitter, neither the club nor he could have viewed that outcome as ideal.

A year after landing near MLB’s bottom in home runs, the Padres expect lefty first baseman/DH Gavin Sheets to hit more home runs than Arraez would have.

Arraez said that while he enjoyed playing first base, his stature made it harder for Padres infielders.

“I’m a little guy, I’m not a good target over there,” said the short-armed, 5-foot-10 infielder, who’s five inches shorter than Sheets. “I’m not a good target there. I’ll give (the job) to a lot of big dudes.”

Arguing further for Arraez leaving the Padres to join the Giants was the marketplace.

The Colorado Rockies weren’t interested in him, said Arraez, who, for his part, finds mile-high breathing difficult, but San Francisco was willing to guarantee him $12 million as a second baseman and lineup catalyst. The Padres had re-upped Sheets for just $4.5 million, and Phillies castoff Nick Castellanos became available for a mere $780,000, making it a cinch to see if the 6-foot-3 right fielder/slugger, a friend of Machado’s, can handle first base and approach his lofty career numbers against lefty pitching.

I’ll continue to make a point of watching Arraez.

It’s been fascinating to see him succeed as a finesse hitter in a power-hungry era.

Earning the nickname La Regadera — Spanish for Watering Can — Arraez has spayed hits around ballfields at rates well above this era’s norms.

Outfielders move forward, but Arraez still manages to find holes.

He has batted .332 against righties in his career. In 616 at-bats with runners in scoring position, he has hit .349.

But his ‘25 season dipped to a career low in several offensive measures, including the .292 batting average and .327 on-base rate.

Can the soon-to-be 29-year-old regain his stunning productivity of 2022 and 2023, when he overcame subpar power to post fine marks in runs created? When his below-average defense and baserunning didn’t keep him from amassing healthy totals in win shares, while drawing light salaries?

And will 2026 afford him a smoother health ride than in 2024, when he tried to cope with a thumb-ligament tear suffered in June? And in 2025, when he was concussed in April and continued to play despite bouts of dizziness that he said Friday didn’t vanish until December?

Giants manager Tony Vitello gave me a hint, saying the team and Arraez developed “five or six theories” about why Arraez’s offense plunged last year.

“I need to make adjustments,” Arraez explained.

For the rookie manager, a suggestion:

Mix things up with Arraez.

Have him bat less atop the lineup than he often has. Put him in a lineup spot that gets chances with runners in scoring position at a higher rate. And, like a casino would, play the odds by reducing his chances against lefties.

One more thing about Arraez, and it’ll mark me as hopelessly old-school: It must be tough for any team that parts with him to replace his personal skills.

Outgoing and upbeat, he is fluent in Spanish and English and connects well with a wide variety of teammates on a journey that runs up to nine-plus months.

“I feel this is my family already,” he said of the Giants.

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