Randy Arozarena has been traded to the Seattle Mariners as the Tampa Bay Rays part with another franchise cornerstone.
In exchange, the Rays will receive outfielder Aidan Smith, right-handed pitcher Brody Hopkins and a player to be named later.
The move should provide a boost to a Mariners team that features elite pitching and poor offence. A recent slow stretch has seen the Mariners fall back to the pack, and they will now be battling with the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers for the division crown after leading most of the season.
“Randy is a dynamic, high-energy all-around player who has excelled in the biggest moments on the biggest stages,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said in a statement. “He’s going to be a great addition to our clubhouse and lineup.”
Arozarena, a slugging outfielder, will help Seattle patch a hole in its lineup left by Teoscar Hernandez, who joined the Dodgers in the off-season.
However, the Cuban is in the midst of his quietest season yet. Through 99 games, Arozarena is hitting just .213/.319/.398 with 15 home runs and a .717 OPS as Tampa’s primary cleanup hitter. And after cracking the 80 RBI mark in each of the past two seasons, Arozarena has just 36 so far in 2024.
That shouldn’t matter for the Mariners, though, as Seattle has been starving for offence all season. The Mariners currently sit last in the majors with a .216 batting average as a team, and their 390 runs scored ranks 28th. Despite that, thanks to an elite pitching staff that has combined for an MLB-best 3.41 ERA, Seattle has a 53-51 record and is one game back of the Astros in the AL West.
If Seattle can reach the post-season, Arozarena has shown his star shines brightest in October.
The 29-year-old was the ALCS MVP in 2020, helping the Rays win the pennant when he had four home runs and nine hits in a seven-game series win.
Arozarena became the first and only player with 10 home runs in the MLB post-season that year, vaulting his name alongside some of the game’s best clutch performers and leading the Rays to their second AL pennant in franchise history.
Smith, 20, is Seattle’s No. 12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and currently playing outfield at the single-A level. Hopkins, 22, is Seattle’s No. 22 prospect and is pitching at double-A this season.
Arozarena is arbitration-eligible this off-season and scheduled to become a free agent in 2027.
The Rays are fourth in the AL East with a 51-51 record and are on track to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
