1 of 5 | Outfielder Randy Arozarena hit .211 through his first 100 games this season with the Tampa Bay Rays. File Photo by Steve Nesius/UPI | License Photo
The Seattle Mariners traded for former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, adding All-Star firepower to their ailing lineup, they announced Friday.
The Mariners agreed to send the Rays right-handed pitcher Brody Hopkins, outfielder Aidan Smith and a player to be named later as part of the deal. Advertisement
“Randy is a dynamic, high-energy all-around player who has excelled in the biggest moments on the biggest stages,” Mariners executive vice president and general manager Justin Hollander said in a news release.
“He’s going to be a great addition to our clubhouse and lineup.”
Arozarena hit .211 with 15 home runs, 37 RBIs and 16 stolen bases through his first 100 games this season. he owns a career .256 average with 86 homers over his first six seasons.
Arozarena hit .254 with a career-high 23 home runs, 83 RBIs and 22 stolen bases last season en route to his first All-Star selection.
He joined the Rays through a 2020 trade from the St. Louis Cardinals. Arozarena, 29, is eligible for arbitration this off-season. Advertisement
Hopkins and Smith are both minor leaguers. Smith, 20, was a fourth-round pick by the Mariners in the 2023 MLB Draft. He hit .284 with nine home runs, 42 RBIs and 28 stolen bases through 77 games this season for the Modesto Nuts, a Class-A affiliate of the Mariners. The outfielder hit .284 with one homer and five RBIs over 14 appearances last season for the Nuts. He was rated the No. 12 prospect in the Mariners’ system, according to MLB Pipeline.
Hopkins, 22, was a sixth-round pick by the Mariners in the 2023 MLB Draft. The outfielder and pitcher hit .288 with nine homers, 39 RBIs and nine steals last year at Winthrop. He went 4-3 with a 2.90 ERA over 18 starts this year for the Modesto Nuts.
Hopkins was the Mariners’ No. 22 prospect.
The Mariners (53-51), who once held a 10-game division lead, now sit in second place in the American League West, one game behind the Houston Astros (53-49).
They own the worst batting average (.216) and registered the fewest hits (730) in baseball, while totaling a league-high 1,066 strikeouts, through their first 104 games this season.
They also continue to be hit by injuries, resulting in the absences of key players Julio Rodriguez and J.P. Crawford. The Mariners lost eight of their last nine games, including being swept earlier this week by the Los Angeles Angels (45-57). Advertisement
They will face the Chicago White Sox (27-78) in the first game of a three-game series at 8:10 p.m. EDT Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.
