TAMPA, Fla. — With the Rays hanging around .500 for most of the season, the Tampa Bay Rays have officially signaled to the baseball world they will be sellers in 2024.
Early Friday morning, multiple reports indicated Arozarena was traded for three Seattle prospects.
The Rays then made it official.
According to MLB.com, Aidan Smith was Seattle's No. 12 ranked prospect and Brody Hopkins was ranked No. 22. Both players were with single-A Modesto. There is also a player to be named later.
Arozarena started the 2024 campaign in horrendous fashion. He hit .112 in April. He then hit .178 in May. Since June 1, he has turned his season around. His average has jumped 53 points and he is up to 15 home runs this season. His career-high is 23 homers set last year.
Arozarena was a beloved figure for the fan base and franchise. Not only was his affable attitude a constant, sparking Randy Land nights on Friday inside Tropicana Field, but he also had one of the best postseasons in Major League Baseball history hitting 10 home runs in 20 games. That stretch helped the Rays reach their second World Series.
Arozarena still had two years of team control left, but with his salary likely increasing north of $10 million next year, and his agent Scott Boras, this should not be too surprising of a move considering Tampa Bay's history.
10 Tampa Bay sports director Evan Closky describes his reactions to the trade in the post below:
The Tampa Bay Rays play the Mariners in Seattle on August 26. Arozarena will almost certainly not return to Tropicana Field until 2025.
As for the 2024 team, the Rays have outfielders Jose Siri, Richie Palacios, Jonny DeLuca and Josh Lowe. The squad will most likely need to bring up someone from Triple-A to add more depth. Options include Ronny Simon, Jake Mangum, Kameron Misner and Tristan Peters.