Randy Arozarena bids farewell to Rays fans, watches game before Mariners career beginning
Late Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Rays decided to part ways with Randy Arozarena. He was acquired by the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Aidan Smith, pitcher Brody Hopkins and a player to be named later.
While he was still in town, Arozarena spent his Friday night in the stands at Tropicana Field for a few innings and watched his former club, before packing up and leaving to join Seattle. The star outfielder was with his family.
Arozarena is not expected to join the Mariners until Saturday, as they take on the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. He will help Seattle stay on top of the AL West.
The Mariners could make more moves following the Randy Arozarena trade
There is no denying that the Mariners have to step up their offense if they want to be a serious contender. In the month of July, only the Chicago White Sox have scored fewer runs.
The need for a bat has dramatically risen over the last few days with news of Julio Rodriguez heading to the IL with a high ankle sprain. With Arozarena now on board, they have somebody to help.
Through 100 games, he has hit .211/.318/.394 with 15 home runs and 37 runs batted in. It would not be too surprising to see those numbers rise with the change in scenery.
However, Seattle may not stop there. They are reportedly still looking to make moves ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline on Tuesday, July 30.
According to the Seattle Times' Adam June, the club is in talks with the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire Vladimir Guerrero Jr. However, Toronto is not too keen on moving on from their superstar slugger.
Guerrero Jr. would be an excellent fit if Toronto did decide to trade him. Through 101 games, he has hit .296/.365/.487 with 18 home runs and 62 runs batted in for a struggling club.
June also mentioned that Seattle's previous targets, Luis Robert Jr. and Brent Rooker, are likely off the table. Oakland rarely trades in the division, and Chicago's asking price is quite high for Robert Jr.
It will be interesting to see what Seattle's plans would be with the trade deadline quickly approaching.