Randy Arozarena, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
According to The Athletic's Matt Gelb, the Phillies could be looking to improve their outfield as Johan Rojas may start next season back in Philadelphia's minor league system. Nick Castellanos's name was in trade rumors a few weeks ago following the inconsistency he showed during the playoffs. However, the organization debunked these rumors as they view him as a key contributor for them during the next few seasons.
The Tampa Bay Rays are willing to listen to trade offers for star outfielder Randy Arozarena. One of GQ's 2023 Men of the Year had a solid season for Tampa Bay in some offensive categories. He set new career highs in runs (95), home runs (23), and walks (80) during 2023. His 83 RBI were six fewer than the 89 he totaled in 2022 and his 22 stolen bases were 10 fewer than his career-high of 32.
He has three full seasons in the majors following his breakout campaign during the 2020 postseason. During the playoffs in that COVID-19 pandemic-abbreviated season, Arozarena had 14 RBI in 20 contests. He had a slash line of .377/.442/.831 and his 10 home runs remain the most by a player in a single postseason.
October, welcome to Randyland. #WildCard pic.twitter.com/aYWiL0ZXKZ
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2023
What would the Rays be looking for in exchange for the 28-year-old outfielder? A lot. He still has three years of team control before he becomes a free agent following the 2026 season. Philadelphia's championship window is now and the organization wants to win a championship over that span. The charismatic Arozarena would presumably play a huge part on a Phillies World Series-winning squad, considering his success during the postseason for Tampa Bay.
The Rays would be interested in some of the Phillies' minor-league pitchers, such as Mick Abel. Philadelphia's second-ranked prospect had a 4.14 ERA in 22 starts at Double-A for the Reading Fightin Phils. He finished the season at Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Outfielder Justin Crawford played 69 games at Single-A with the Clearwater Threshers. He had a slash line of .344/.399/.478 before his promotion to the High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws. The 19-year-old's success continued as he had a .288/.366/.425 line in 18 contests. He could earn another promotion to Double-A during the 2024 season. He would garner interest from the Rays as well.
Rays outfielder Manuel Margot may also be in another uniform by the start of next season, as he has been in trade rumors. Would Tampa Bay be interested in acquiring Johan Rojas? Rojas impressed for the Phillies defensively once he made his Major League debut last season in the middle of July.
However, Rojas struggled mightily at the plate during the postseason with a slash line of .093/.114/.163. The 23-year-old is not guaranteed to begin 2024 with the Phillies and may start with the IronPigs to improve his offense.
Brandon Marsh is another young outfielder who has displayed his talent with Philadelphia since he was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels at the 2022 Trade Deadline. He is another good defensive player who also displayed his offensive talent with a slash line of .277/.372/.458 last season. In 38 at-bats during the 2023 playoffs, he had a .342/.405/.526 line. The availability of the young, energetic outfielder or Rojas would be brought up in return for a player of Arozarena's caliber.
A Phillies trade for Randy Arozarena could look like this:
Phillies receive: OF Randy Arozarena
Rays receive: OF Brandon Marsh OR Johan Rojas, OF Justin Crawford, RHP Mick Abel
NEXT: The top starting pitcher on the trade market.