In need of spark, Mariners land OF Randy Arozarena from Rays

The Seattle Mariners, starving for offense and in desperate need of a spark, have acquired All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays, the teams announced Thursday night.

Two lower-level minor leaguers, outfielder Aidan Smith and right-hander Brody Hopkins, will go to the Rays in the trade, as will a player to be named later.

Arozarena is in the midst of a down year, batting .211/.318/.394 with 15 home runs and 16 stolen bases in his first 100 games. But he was arguably the most coveted outfielder in this year's trade market for his dynamic abilities and propensity for elevating his play on the biggest stages, most notably during the 2020 American League Championship Series and the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

The Mariners are hoping Arozarena can bring a jolt to a team that has lost eight of its past nine games and has seen a once-sizable lead in the AL West slip away. The Mariners held a 10-game cushion on June 18 but now are a game behind the surging Houston Astros, with star center fielder Julio Rodriguez (sprained ankle) and cornerstone shortstop J.P. Crawford (fractured pinkie finger) on the injured list.

The Mariners have a .660 OPS this season, third lowest in the majors.

"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, 29, won't be a free agent until after the 2026 season and has an $8.1 million salary this year. He is expected to be the first of several players traded away by the Rays, who are only a game above .500 in a hotly contested AL East. They could also part with starter Zach Eflin, corner infielder  Isaac Paredes and closer Pete Fairbanks.

Hopkins was a two-way player in college who transitioned full time to pitching after going in the sixth round of last year's draft, posting a 2.90 ERA with 95 strikeouts and 40 walks in 83⅔ innings in Class A this season. Smith, a fourth-round pick out of high school last year, was batting .284/.402/.470 with nine homers and 28 stolen bases in 77 games at the same level.

Arozarena, who will likely settle in as the Mariners' every-day left fielder, followed a stirring run through the 2020 postseason by winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2021. Two years later, he made his first All-Star team. From 2021 to 2023, Arozarena slashed .264/.349/.443 with 63 homers and 74 stolen bases, accumulating 10 FanGraphs wins above replacement.

He had a brutal first two months to begin the 2024 season but has turned it on ever since, slashing .284/.397/.507 since the start of June.

The Mariners have gone in the opposite direction, fading while their rivals catch up. An Astros team that has made seven consecutive trips to the ALCS is an AL-best 28-16 since the start of June, and the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers have surged of late, winning five in a row to get just 2½ games back of first place.

The Mariners needed an answer.

It brought them to Arozarena.