The Mariners have acquired Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade

Of course it would be the Mariners to sneak in late at night with a big trade, doing it under the radar with no one expecting it. Personally, I saw the alert pop up from MLBTR, and thought that it was a mis-submit from them on something that was supposed to be a rumor or proposal.

No so, as the Mariners have actually done it. They acquired Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays, and showed the world that they are serious about improving this lineup and actually making a push for the playoffs.

The Mariners acquired Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays

Arozarena has been struggling this year, and he hasn't been producing at the levels that people are used to. He's hitting just .211/.318/.394, but he still had 15 HR and 16 SB. It's worth noting that he's had bad luck this year with a .252 BABIP, but still has an average exit velocity of 90.5 mph and a hard hit rate of 42.3%. Also, he strikes out at a rate of 24.8%, just 2% above league average, which does help the Mariners. The 11.1% walk rate is big as well.

A big plus for the Mariners here is that he isn't a rental, and is under team control through the 2026 season. This means that the Mariners likely gave up a decent amount to get him for the next 2.5 seasons.

Jeff Passan let us all know what the Mariners gave up in the deal, and I have to admit that I'm happy with what they had to give up to get Arozarena.

Hopkins has been improving his prospect ranking this year, but still sat as the Mariners #23 prospect. He's a RHP who just threw 6 great innings earlier this week. Aidan Smith is the other player, and was the Mariners #12 prospect, a RH OF. Both are a ways away still, 2026 and 2027, respectively. It's good for the Mariners, as you could see them continue to make more moves to continue to acquire players at the deadline. More to come.