What if the right-handed bat the Red Sox require is already in the division and destroying the Yankees?It’s rare to see intra-division transactions during the MLB Trade Deadline, but the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays could be a match. The former, which has the third AL Wild Card berth entering play on Sunday and is in the heart of the playoff hunt, is interested in adding a right-handed bat to the middle of the lineup as an offensive enhancement. Meanwhile, the Rays may be trading many players in that mold. According to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, Tampa Bay is open to “listening on [Randy] Arozarena], [Yandy] Diaz, or [Isaac] Paredes in the right deal.” All three players would fit into the lineup, and some have already named Diaz as the best option for Boston, on a cheap deal with control through 2025 and a 2026 option who could platoon with Masataka Yoshida at DH and play first base while the Red Sox wait for Triston Casas to return. However, if the Red Sox wanted to further shake up the league and the AL playoff battle, how about Randy Arozarena? While Boston has an abundance of outfield depth, Arozarena may platoon with Yoshida; he’s under club control until 2026.
He’s also giving Craig Breslow an audition tape against the rival Yankees coming off the All-Star break. Could the Red Sox target Randy Arozarena in a trade at the deadline?
In the series opener against the Rays, Arozarena was 1-for-4 with a double. But he then took it to the Yankees in Tampa’s second game, a 9-1 victory, leading the way with two home runs, a double, and three RBI on a 4-for-5 day at the office. He wasn’t done there, either, as he added another homer on Sunday to extend the Rays’ lead.
What’s more, despite the club control for two seasons after this one, Arozarena’s price has never been more affordable with the outfielder entering Sunday hitting just .212 with a .705 OPS. However, the underlying numbers suggest he’s about to have a monster second half to rebound from an awful start. After hitting .112 and .178 in April and June, respectively, Arozarena showed real signs of life with a .291/.424/.468 slash line in June and has followed that up by slashing .296/.356/.574 in July entering Sunday. He’s cut down on the strikeouts, is still hitting for power, and looks exactly like the player we’ve seen as a star in Tampa Bay for years.
Furthermore, if any manager is better suited to handling additional outfield depth, it is Alex Cora. He excels at navigating and adjusting the lineup for matchups, something Arozarena may help with. He could platoon “Some m**********r named Randy” with Yoshida at designated hitter, rest Wilyer Abreu against righties, rest other outfielders, and so on.
Would the Red Sox want to pay heavily on a long-term outfield option like Arozarena? Potentially, especially because Tyler O’Neill is not under contract after this year. This might be a move that helps the team win both now and in the future.
To be sure, Diaz would make a ton of sense for the Red Sox too and Boston fans should absolutely be happy if that trade was made. However, Arozarena is the flashier move and, perhaps, one that might actually make more sense long term — and for torturing the Yankees alongside Rafael Devers, the resident Yankee killer.
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