Mariners land LF Randy Arozarena in deal with Rays

Randy Arozarena is headed to Seattle.

The Mariners struck a deal to land the Tampa Bay Rays star in a trade Thursday night, the team announced.

In return, the Rays will receive minor leaguers OF Aidan Smith and RHP Brody Hopkins. The Rays will also receive a third minor-league player to be named later.

Arozarena is in the middle of his fifth season with the Rays, though he’s currently hitting a career-low .213 with 15 home runs and 36 RBI. The 29-year-old outfielder 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 on the scene in the 2020 postseason, winning 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 full season in 2021, Arozarena won AL Rookie of the 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. 12 prospect, according to MLB.com. Hopkins, the Mariners’ No. 22 prospect, 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 fighting to clinch what would be their second playoff berth in the past 23 seasons. They currently hold a 53-51 record, good for second in the AL West, headed 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 6 p.m. ET Tuesday.

What does this trade mean for the Mariners, Rays?

Seattle’s atrocious offense is the primary culprit behind the team blowing a 10-game division lead to Houston in stunning fashion, and it was no secret that the Mariners would attempt to upgrade their lineup with the deadline approaching. Recent injuries to Julio Rodriguez and JP Crawford and an embarrassing sweep at home at the hands of the Angels apparently kicked that possibility into reality, as the M’s swung a deal with Tampa Bay to acquire one of the more recognizable outfielders in the league in Arozarena.

Both corner outfield spots in Seattle have been abysmally unproductive alongside J-Rod, and even if he comes back from his ankle injury soon, this was an obvious spot in need of an upgrade ASAP. Arozarena has been one of the best hitters in baseball over the past two months and should help immediately. That said, if the Mariners really want to feel good about staying in the mix to win the AL West, this should not be the only hitter they acquire.

The prospect cost may not look substantial on the surface, but the Rays correctly identified two fast-rising players in Seattle’s system to headline this return. Smith is a right-handed-hitting center-field prospect who received a $1.2 million signing bonus a year ago out of a Texas high school and is having an excellent season as a teenager in Low-A. Hopkins is an ultra-athletic right-handed pitcher who was primarily a position player in college but has blossomed on the mound in pro ball and could start to appear regularly in top-100 lists as soon as this winter. He’s 22 and still in Low-A like Smith, but he could move quickly next year once his workload isn’t being managed so closely. The Rays will also receive a PTBNL in this deal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s another decent prospect.

While Tampa Bay is seemingly still within shouting distance of the AL wild-card mix, this trade signifies a willingness to sell more significantly and focus on the future, instead of trying to sneak into the postseason this year. Based on their run differential and pitching woes, I’d say that’s a smart assessment by the Rays, and this deal could look great in a few years. — Jordan Shusterman