The Tampa Bay Rays traded outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners early Friday morning. Arozarena, who spent the last five years and the majority of his career in Tampa Bay, posted a heartfelt tribute to his time with the team on social media on Saturday.
Arozarena posted a video featuring some of his best highlights with the Rays with the caption, “Thank you @RaysBaseball @raysbeisbol for the memories!”
Arozarena had an excellent five-year stretch with the Rays and was one of the team's best players during that time. He helped lead the Rays to the World Series after he was called up in 2020, was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2021, an All-Star in 2023 and is considered one of the best postseason hitters in recent memory.
October is really where Arozarena became a Tampa Bay legend. In 33 career postseason games, Arozarena has hit .336/.414/.690 with 11 home runs and 17 RBI. His 2020 postseason run while leading the Rays to the World Series before eventually losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers was especially dominant. In 2020, he took the baseball world by storm and hit 10 home runs in 18 games.
Arozarena was a fan favorite in Tampa Bay, and it's clear that the feeling was mutual. In addition to his social media post, Arozarena stopped by Tropicana Field on Friday night during the Rays' 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds with his family. Arozarena watched a few innings and interacted with fans as he said goodbye to the team and the city.
Mariners bolster offense with Randy Arozarena acquisition
The Mariners, who are one game behind the surging Houston Astros in the AL West, desperately needed some offensive pop. Arozarena, who started out the season in a slump but has recently turned it around, gives them exactly that. Over his last 21 games, Arozarena is batting .290/.375/.579 with five home runs and is looking like the star player he's shown he can be.
Arozarena, who can play all three outfield positions, is expected to slot into one of the corner spots alongside Mariners star center fielder Julio Rodriguez and bat in the middle of the order.
Seattle wasn't done making trades after acquiring Arozarena. Later on Friday, they made a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays to trade for reliever Yimi Garcia. With the trade deadline on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. ET, there is still plenty of time for the Mariners to continue adding pieces as they try and take back the AL West from the Astros and fend off the Texas Rangers.
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