When the Miami Marlins acquired Luis Arraez from the Minnesota Twins in a four-player trade last January, the news hardly generated more than the usual agate type for player transactions.

After all, the Fish had just finished fourth in the National League East with a 69-93 record, 32 games off the pace of the front-running Atlanta Braves, and hadn’t won a pennant since 2003. The Twins weren’t much better, posting an 78-84 record that left them 14 games out in the American League Central and still seeking their first flag since 1991.

In fact, pitcher Pablo Lopez was widely considered the key man in the deal – a young starter who could return Minnesota to the top of their division.

Five months later, all that has changed.

Little Luis Arraez, a lefty-hitting infielder who went from Minnesota to Miami, as started so well in his new surroundings that the Marlins have become unexpected contenders and the compact Venezuelan could be headed to next month’s All-Star Game in Seattle.

He’s also bidding to become the first player in the Modern Era (since the advent of the American League in 1901) to win back-to-back batting crowns in opposite leagues.

He led the AL with a .316 mark last year but is actually doing better against National League pitching. In April, he became the first Marlin to hit for the cycle – no mean trick for a contact hitter who rarely connects for a long ball – and two months later was flirting with a .400 average, a level last reached by Hall of Famer Ted Williams in 1941.

The Twins were willing to part with the 26-year-old Venezuelan not only because he lacked power but also a position. His defense at both first and second was considered below big-league standards, suggesting he might have a future as a designated hitter.

Miami disagreed, with rookie manager Skip Schumaker instilling his players with a desire to win even while sharing the division with veteran, highly-paid clubs in Atlanta, New York, and Philadelphia.

“I’m excited for this team,” Arraez told reporters after the Marlins blasted the Blue Jays, 11-0, in a home game at loanDepot Park Monday night.

“I trusted this team when I came here for the first time. We’ve got starters, we’ve got relievers, and we’ve got a really good defense.”

Arraez and Comeback of the Year candidate Jorge Soler are two of the reasons the team vaulted to 11 games over .500 by mid-June. With Soler supplying the power, Arraez was often on base ahead of him.

When he went 5-for-5 against Toronto, it was the first time since 1922 that any player produced three five-hit games in a 15-game span. The last man to do that was Ty Cobb, owner of the best batting average in baseball history (.367).

Not surprisingly, all five Arraez hits were singles: in the first, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh innings. That made him the first player to reach 100 hits this season.

A relative bargain at $6,100,000, Arraez will become eligible for salary arbitration in 2024 but can’t test free agency before 2026. His salary ranks fifth among the frugal Fish, whose payroll of $92,575,000 ranks 23rd in the major leagues.

Comparisons to Williams, Tony Gwynn, George Brett, Rod Carew and other batting champions have already begun. Gwynn was hitting .394 in 1994 when a player strike stopped the season on Aug. 12 but Brett was still batting .400 after 134 games before finishing at .390. From May 30 to Sept. 30, he hit a cool .470.

Others who made a run at .400 included John Olerud (107 games), Larry Walker (97 games), Gwynn (92 games in 1997), Nomar Garciaparra (91 games), and Rod Carew (85 games in both 1977 and 1983).

After 73 games this season, Arraez was hitting .400 on the nose. Eight other players were at or above that level after the same number of games, with Andres Galarraga the highest (.420 in 1994). Only Arraez, Dave Winfield, George Sisler, and Cobb ever produced three five-hit games in a calendar month.

For the Marlins, who have won a pair of world championships as a wild-card entry but have never won a divisional title, the arrival of Arraez has been a breath of fresh air.

After enduring a hitless streak of 15 at-bats, he went 11-for-14 and pushed his average to the magic .400 mark. The last National Leaguer to finish at that level was Bill Terry, who hit .401 for the 1930 New York Giants.