*Photo from Seattle Sports - My Northwest*
The hot stove is firing up across the league. The Seattle Mariners have acquired OF Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for OF Aidan Smith, RHP Brody Hopkins, and a player to be named later, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Both teams have confirmed the trade.
Arozarena's bat will fill a big need in the Mariners lineup. The Mariners have lost their 10 game lead on the AL West in a month's span as their offensive struggles have been thrust into the spotlight. Arozarena will be under team control through for both the 2025 and 2026 seasons. He can then become a free agent and test the open market.
Seattle GM Justin Hollander said of Arozarena "Randy is a dynamic, high-energy all-around player who has excelled in the biggest moments on the biggest stages. He’s going to be a great addition to our clubhouse and lineup."
On the season, Arozarena has a .211/.318/.394 slash line with a .712 OPS and 105 OPS+ to go with 19 doubles, 15 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and 37 RBI's in 100 games. Since June 1, he has hit .290 with a .517 slugging percentage and .920 OPS, a rapid return to form for the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year.
During the 2020 playoffs, Arozarena put together one of the most historic playoff runs in baseball history, hitting 10 home runs in 20 games as the Rays got all the way to the World Series, where they lost in 6 games. From 2021 to 2023, he hit at least 20 home runs each year and is on pace to hit that benchmark again this year.
Arozarena has played for the Rays and St. Louis Cardinals in 4 full seasons and parts of two more. He has a lifetime .256/.345/.441 slash line with a 123 OPS+, hitting 86 home runs and 114 doubles to go with 291 RBI's and 96 stolen bases 587 regular season games. He has a .336/.414/.690 slash line to go with 11 home runs and 5 doubles in 33 playoff games.
In return, the Rays get two top 25 prospects in the Mariners system according to MLB Pipeline in Smith and Hopkins. Smith has played all 3 outfield positions this season and was a 4th round draft pick of the Mariners in 2023. Hopkins was both a pitcher and hitter in college but has been exclusively a pitcher since being drafted by the Mariners in the 6th round of last year's draft.
Smith was the 12th ranked Mariners prospect at the time of the trade. Playing for the Low A Modesto Nuts, Smith has a .284/.402/.470 slash line with a .872 OPS, hitting 26 doubles and 9 home runs while driving in 42 runs in 77 games.
At the time of the trade, Hopkins was the 22nd ranked Mariners prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Like Smith, Hopkins has spent all season in Modesto. He has a 2.90 ERA and 1.22 WHIP to his name, averaging 10.2 strikeouts per 9 innings while making 18 starts and throwing 83 2/3 innings.
The trade marks the 16th time the Mariners and Rays have made a trade since Jerry Dipoto took over in Seattle in 2015. The Mariners are 53-51 and one game back of the AL West lead, while the Rays are 52-51 and are 9 1/2 games back of the AL East lead and 4 games back of a wild card spot.
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