One of the first major dominoes of the 2024 MLB trade deadline has fallen. On Thursday night, the Seattle Mariners acquired power-hitting outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. (Francys Romero was the first to report this major development.) The Mariners sense that the race for the AL West crown is wide open, and going for Arozarena increases their lineup's power production in a huge way in, perhaps, their way to reinvigorate the team's offense amid year-long struggles from their bats.
The Rays received minor-league outfielder Aidan Smith and right-handed pitcher Brody Hopkins, along with a player to be named later, from the Mariners in exchange for Arozarena, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Smith was ranked 12th in the Mariners' farm system, while Hopkins was 22nd, according to MLB.com.
Randy Arozarena hasn't quite reached the heights of his previous seasons, but he's been performing better as of late. On the season, he has hit 15 home runs and driven in 36 runs, with a slash line of .213/.319/.398.
The Rays are an above .500 team at the moment, but they are currently in fourth place in the AL East so it made sense for them to trade away some of their best players. Arozarena has been a huge part of the Rays lineup since 2020, helping them come to within two wins away of a World Series crown in 2020.
Meanwhile, the Mariners currently sit just one game behind the Houston Astros for the AL West division lead. Adding Arozarena gives the Mariners an upgrade at left field, with incumbent everyday left fielder Luke Raley struggling in 2024 to the tune of a .692 OPS. With Julio Rodriguez currently on the 10-day injured list, Arozarena should give Seattle's lineup the pop it needs to stay firmly within the playoff race.
Can Randy Arozarena breathe new life into the Mariners' offense?
Suffice to say, the Mariners' offense this season has been ghastly. At present, they rank 28th in the entire MLB in team OPS, with their offense being better than that of just the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox — teams that have combined for a 64-154 record this season. They also rank third-worst in the league in average runs scored per game with 3.75.
It's the Mariners lineup's inability to get on base that is preventing them from putting many runs on the board. Their .216 batting average as a collective is the worst in the MLB, while their on-base percentage of .298 ranks 27th. The concern is that Randy Arozarena doesn't exactly help cover for Seattle's biggest weakness. Instead, they doubled down on low average and high power, with the saving grace being that Arozarena can actually draw walks.
Arozarena is in the middle of his second-consecutive season in which his walk percentage is in double digits, so he should at least provide some value even when he's not tallying too many base hits.
But the best part about the Mariners' trade for Randy Arozarena is that he is under team control until 2026. They also did not have to give up a top-10 prospect, although Aidan Smith is rising fast through the minor-league ranks. Only 20 years old, Smith is slashing .284/.402/.470 in Single-A.
Nonetheless, acquiring a talented and cost-controlled outfielder with a track record of consistent power production without having to give up someone like Lazaro Montes or Colt Emerson is a major win for Seattle.
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