Mariners land Arozarena from Rays for 2 prospects

The Seattle Mariners acquired outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor-league outfielder Aidan Smith, right-handed pitching prospect Brody Hopkins, and a player to be named later, the teams announced Friday.

Arozarena hit 15 home runs and stole 16 bases over 100 games for the Rays this season despite posting an uncharacteristic .211/.318/.394 slash line. The 2021 AL Rookie of the Year owns a 123 OPS+ across six MLB seasons.

The 29-year-old memorably powered the Rays to a World Series berth in 2020 with a legendary postseason run during which he earned ALCS MVP honors. Tampa Bay wound up losing the Fall Classic to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"Randy is a dynamic, high-energy all-around player who has excelled in the biggest moments on the biggest stages," Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said in a statement. "He’s going to be a great addition to our clubhouse and lineup."

Arozarena has two seasons of arbitration remaining and isn't eligible to test free agency until after the 2026 campaign.

Smith, 20, was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The outfielder is hitting .284/.402/.470 with nine homers and 28 steals over 77 games while stationed at Single-A Modesto.

Hopkins, 22, was also a product of last year's draft, going in the sixth round out of college. The right-hander possesses a 2.90 ERA and 4.07 FIP in 83 2/3 innings pitched while making 18 starts at Single-A.

Baseball America ranked Smith and Hopkins as the No. 14 and No. 15 prospect in the Mariners' system, respectively.

Arozarena should significantly boost Seattle's lineup, which has struggled for much of 2024 and is currently without superstar Julio Rodríguez and shortstop J.P. Crawford.

The Mariners are currently 53-51, one game back of the Houston Astros for the AL West lead and 3.5 games back of the final AL wild-card spot.

The Rays, meanwhile, are only marginally worse at 52-51. However, they sit 9.5 games back of the division-leading Baltimore Orioles and four behind in the wild-card hunt.