The trade
Mariners get: OF Randy Arozarena
Rays get: OF Aidan Smith, RHP Brody Hopkins, Player to be named later.
Stephen J. Nesbitt: Arozarena, No. 8 on The Athletic’s trade deadline Big board, is a perfect add for the Mariners. His slash line is down this season — .211/.318/.394 — but don’t let that obscure his impact on a team starved for offense. Seattle hitters lead the league in strikeouts, are last in batting average (.216) and are ahead of only the Marlins and White Sox in OPS (.660). Arozarena, who won AL Rookie of the Year in 2021, has a career .787 OPS — 23 percent better than league average — and, crucially, doesn’t have a debilitating strikeout problem. He’s hitting the cover off the ball this summer. He’s closing in on a fourth consecutive 20-20 season. He has a 1.104 career postseason OPS. Yada yada. Point is, Seattle has its starting left fielder for the next two-plus seasons, and he’s a (streaky) difference-maker with the stick.
Anzeige
There are still holes in the Mariners lineup, especially with Julio Rodríguez and J.P. Crawford on the injured list, but adding Arozarena is a heck of a first step. Waking up to the trade news this morning, my initial reaction was there’s no way the Rays accelerated the Arozarena market without that PTBNL being someone of significance. Smith and Hopkins are ranked 14th and 15th, respectively, in the Mariners system by Baseball America. They’ve both put up big numbers so far this season in A-ball. They’re nice prospects acing their level. But PTBNL, man, I bet that guy can really play ball. Let me remind you that the Rays once traded Chris Archer for Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows and a PTBNL that was announced, a few weeks later, as Shane Baz, the Pirates’ first-round pick from the previous year. Does that mean this PTBNL is Colt Emerson, Seattle’s first-round pick last year? Absolutely not. Keith Law just ranked that dude the No. 5 prospect in baseball. But I’m betting the Rays’ return will look considerably better when the third player is announced, and the grade reflects that.
Mariners: A
Rays: B+
Tim Britton: Right on the cusp of playoff position — that’s prime Trade Your Closer territory for Jerry Dipoto — the Mariners have as much incentive as any team to go big this deadline. Their rotation might just be the best in the sport; it’s time it played with an offense worthy of it. Arozarena starts closing that gap. Few marriages of team and available player fit better than Seattle and Arozarena, who transforms what had been a below-average corner outfield group. While some sluggers have gone cold upon arrival in the Pacific Northwest, that’s far from the rule, and Arozarena has been at his best for a couple months now. He’ll slide right into the middle of the lineup now and through 2026, and Mariners fans hope to be treated to his characteristic postseason heroics at some point in there. The PTBNL is doing some moderate lifting in the return for Tampa Bay. Hopkins and Smith represent a good start to a return but not the whole package. Reading the profile on Hopkins and seeing “athletic” and “late bloomer” and “funky” makes you immediately think of “Ray.” Smith has a chance to provide some legit pop while sticking in center.
Mariners: A
Rays: B
GO DEEPER
Eno's take: Which Randy Arozarena are the Mariners going to get?
(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)