Consider Phillies' trade for Luis Arraez aggressive and necessary. How will he fit on defense?

The market’s top rental bat is reportedly off the board. Contact wizard Luis Arraez is heading from San Francisco to Philadelphia, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The 29-year-old Venezuelan has been one of the game’s most unique position players for a while now. He strikes out and whiffs less often than anyone, but also barrels the ball up less than anyone. Call him a throwback, call him an old soul, call him overrated, but Arraez is a phenomenal change of pace for a Phillies lineup that strikes out far too often.

Since the beginning of time, it seems, the Phillies and their president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski have been searching for a right-handed outfielder come deadline time. Arraez, a lefty infielder, is neither of those things, but he’s good enough with the stick that the defensive fit is a secondary concern.

But it’s still an area Dombrowski and skipper Don Mattingly need to get sorted. For the last few seasons, Philly has had a static infield alignment of Bryce Harper at first, Bryson Stott at second, Trea Turner at short and Alec Bohm at third. Kyle Schwarber‘s presence keeps the DH spot clogged up with home runs. Arraez has been adamant about staying at second base ahead of another trip to free agency this winter. So how does he slot in? There are a bevy of options.

Harper, as recently as last week, expressed a willingness to move back to the outfield, where he spent the early years of his career. That would push Bohm to first, Stott to third and give Arraez the everyday second base job. Bohm could also move to the bench, or get dealt elsewhere before Monday’s 6 p.m. deadline. Another path, as reported by The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, would be trying the fleet-footed Stott in the outfield.

It wasn’t that long ago — literally last winter — that Arraez was considered a below average first baseman. But he signed with the Giants, in part, to prove that he could still handle the keystone, which he has. Still, it’s worth noting he’s graded out closer to average over the last few months following an elite defensive April.

No matter how the Phils shuffle the cards, Arraez represents a significant addition, the kind that fans have been clamoring for all year. Dombrowski was aggressive last deadline, swinging a huge trade for lockdown closer Jhoan Duran. But his in-season offensive additions have usually been more supplementary than dynamic. Arraez is a different story.

Getting Kaleb Kilian, a useful righty reliever with a four-pitch mix, is a nice little cherry on top in the overall deal. Philly’s bullpen has been desperate for reinforcements. Killian should help.

Of the two prospects headed to San Francisco, Ramon Marquez is the main attraction. He’s enjoyed a nice breakout season split between Low-A and High-A. Marquez struggles to spin the ball, but has generally been effective with a strong fastball change combo. He projects as a reliable back-end starter.