MLB trade deadline season officially arrived on Thursday night, July 25 as the Seattle Mariners acquired leftfielder Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays. Seattle will send prospects Aidan Smith and Brody Hopkins, and a player-to-be-named-later to Tampa.
The Mariners enter play on July 26 one game behind the Houston Astros in the American League West and 3.5 games out of an American League Wild Card spot. Their biggest weakness was — and still is — their offense. Arozarena is the first step toward correcting that.
“Randy is a dynamic, high-energy all-around player who has excelled in the biggest moments on the biggest stages,” Mariners GM Justin Hollander said in a statement. “He’s going to be a great addition to our clubhouse and lineup.”
Arozarena is in a down year, there’s no denying that. He’s hitting .211, 45 points below his career average, and has seen dips in his on-base percentage (.318) and slugging percentage (.394).
That’s not a reason to panic. Arozarena still has 15 home runs, which instantly puts him second on the team in that category. His .712 OPS is also an improvement from the .661 mark Mariners leftfielders have posted this season. His 16 stolen bases are the second-most of any active Mariner now that Julio Rodriguez is on the 10-day Injured List.
The Mariners Need to Keep Dealing
Arozarena is a start. He alone, however, can’t fix a Seattle offense that ranks last in the Majors in batting average (.216) and 28th in OPS (.660). Thankfully for the Mariners, they have plenty of pieces to deal.
Seattle acquired Arozarena without trading any of their six MLB.com top 100 prospects. With holes in the infield and outfield — especially without Rodriguez — they’ll likely have to deal a couple of them to truly go all-in on 2024. And by dealing two prospects for Arozarena, the Mariners signaled they’re willing to do that.
Unless you count utility man Dylan Moore, nobody in the Mariners’ infield has an OPS+ above 93. And with JP Crawford also injured, Seattle needs more infield help. Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet reports that the Toronto Blue Jays are hoping to contend in 2025, so a team would have to blow them away with an offer for someone like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Mariners have the pieces to do that.
More realistically, Marlins outfielder and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. could be a great fit for the Mariners. Jorge Polanco isn’t producing at second (.200 BA, 72 OPS+) , so Chisholm (.248, 100) could slide in easily there.
Seattle has also been tied to Jonathan India of the Cincinnati Reds and could get additional help at DH with Brent Rooker.
The Mariners’ Remaining Prospect Cache
Smith and Hopkins ranked as Seattle’s 12th- and 22nd-best prospects respectively, per MLB Pipeline. That leaves their six top-100 prospects: Cole Young, Harry Ford, Colt Emerson, Lazaro Montes, Felnin Celesten, and Tyler Locklear all intact.
Young and Ford are both in Double-A and could be Major League ready as soon as late this season. MLB Pipeline ranks them 22nd and 23rd in baseball and either one can be the centerpiece to a monster deal.
For context, one mock trade proposal from Mariners site Sodo Mojo has the team landing Isaac Paredes, also from the Rays, for four prospects, led by Ford.
Locklear (No. 99) is currently in the Majors, called up to replace the DFA’d Ty France. He hasn’t hit much in 38 at bats but profiles as a future power hitter with a good eye and the ability to hit to all fields. He could be attractive to a selling team like the Marlins, who may trade their current first baseman (Josh Bell) to another contender.
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Randy Arozarena Trade Leaves Mariners Plenty of Room to Maneuver