Randy Arozarena is headed to Seattle.
The Mariners reached an agreement to offload the Tampa Bay Rays star in a trade on Thursday night, the team announced.
On the other hand, the Rays will host minor leaguers Aidan Smith and RHP Brody Hopkins. The Rays will also welcome a third minor leaguer to be named at a later date.
Arozarena is in the middle of his fifth season with the Rays, although he is currently hitting a career-low .213 with 15 home runs and 36 RBI. The 29-year-old was named to his first All-Star game last season, finishing the season with 23 home runs and 22 steals while leading the Rays to the playoffs.
He burst onto the scene in the 2020 postseason, winning the ALCS MVP as the Rays reached the World Series and setting the MLB record for home runs in a single postseason, with 10. In his first season complete in 2021, Arozarena won the team’s AL Rookie. A year with 20 homers and a 129 OPS+.
Smith, whom the Mariners took in the fourth round of last year’s draft, has a .284 batting average with 42 RBI and nine home runs with their low-A affiliate this summer. The 20-year-old outfielder was the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect. 12, according to MLB.com. Hopkins, the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect. 22, holds a 4-3 record in 18 starts with their low-A team. The right-handed pitcher holds a 2.90 ERA in 83 2/3 innings on the mound.
Arozarena will join a Mariners team that is vying for their second playoff berth in the past 23 seasons. They currently hold a 53-51 record, good for second in the AL West, heading into a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox this weekend. The M’s are 3.5 games out of the final AL wild card spot.
After years of consistent playoff contention, the Tampa Bay Rays are having a down season by their standards. At 52-51, they are 9.5 games back in the AL East and four games out of the AL wild card picture.
The MLB trade deadline is 6pm ET Tuesday.
What does this trade mean for the Mariners, the Rays?
Seattle’s poor offense is a major factor in the team’s surprising 10-game losing streak to Houston, and it was no secret that the Mariners were trying to upgrade their roster at the deadline. it’s getting closer. Recent injuries to Julio Rodriguez and JP Crawford and an embarrassing home sweep at the hands of the Angels apparently kicked that opportunity into reality, as the M’s struck a deal with Tampa Bay to acquire one of the outfielders. who are more popular in the Arozarena league.
Seattle’s two frontcourts haven’t produced anything close to J-Rod, and even if he returns from his injury soon, it was a clear area that needed improvement ASAP. Arozarena has been one of the best players in baseball over the past two months and should help right away. That said, if the Mariners really want to feel good about staying in contention to win the AL West, this shouldn’t be the only player they get.
The prospect’s price tag may not seem like much on the surface, but the Rays pointed to two of the fastest-rising players in Seattle’s system to talk about this report. Smith is a right-handed hitter who received a $1.2 million signing bonus last year out of a high school in Texas and is having a great season as a Low-A rookie. Hopkins is a primarily athletic right-hander who was an elite player in college but has shot into the tower in pro ball and could start appearing regularly on top-100 lists as soon as this winter. He’s 22 years old and still in Low-A like Smith, but he could move quickly next year once his career is less closely monitored. The Rays will also get PTBNL in this deal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s another good prospect.
While Tampa Bay still appears to be in the screaming AL-wild-card mix, this trade shows a willingness to trade big and focus on the future, rather than trying to sneak into the postseason this year. Based on their differences and major issues, I’d say it’s a smart move for the Rays, and this deal could look good in a few years. – Jordan Shusterman
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