The Los Angeles Dodgers have been in the market for some more talent, and they’ve been focusing heavily on the upcoming trade deadline. One name that has consistently popped up for them has been Randy Arozarena.
One source mentioned this about the Dodgers’ interest, “The Dodgers are in on Arozarena. He would be a great fit there.” Now, trades don’t just happen if one team is interested. The Tampa Bay Rays would need to be equally interested in moving one of their better batters. Arozarena is currently earning $8.1 million throughout this season and is arbitration-eligible for another two seasons afterward. Looking back at the Rays’ history, they have garnered a reputation for moving on from players who are going into their arbitration years. There is a chance that Tampa Bay would be thinking about doing the same thing with Arozarena.
For the Dodgers, this would just be another great piece to an already-finished puzzle. Their roster looks incredibly talented from top to bottom, though they still don’t feel like they are in the perfect position to win a World Series. Adding somebody like Arozarena would immediately improve their chances further. And let’s not kid ourselves, the Dodgers don’t need much more of a boost to turn themselves into the betting favorites to win the World Series. In fact, some sportsbooks already have the Dodgers as the favorites. Any additional move without giving up too many assets could separate them further away from the rest of the league.
Unfortunately, Arozarena didn’t start this season very well, and it likely pushed down his trade value as of late. He was carrying batting averages of .158/.257/.312 heading into the month of June. Since then, his batting numbers have jumped up to averages of .286/.392/.514. If he can even stay somewhat close to his recent numbers, the Dodgers would be getting a massive offensive upgrade. If he slips back down to his early season struggles, Los Angeles might be inclined to stay away from a large asking price. All in all, though, Arozarena has been known as a very talented batter who’s consistently performed well at the plate. For many teams, that poor stretch at the beginning of the season can simply be thought of as a fluke.
So, let’s say that a trade does happen. We’ve already talked about how much it can improve and change the Dodgers season, but it would impact the Rays season as well. Tampa Bay isn’t out of playoff contention whatsoever at the moment. They are in ninth place in the American League, just one game behind the Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros. They’re very close to moving up the standings even further and could do so if they hold onto Arozarena. The real question is how much faith they have in their current group. If they believe that this team can overcome any doubts and win a World Series as constructed, then by no means would they have an incentive to trade Arozarena.
If the Dodgers believe that they don’t have enough firepower to win a World Series this season, then they might be thinking of building toward the future and gaining some assets while simultaneously saving some cap space. This is a question that many teams have to answer, as it usually applies to those bordering playoff contention. Do you want to be good enough to just make the playoffs, or do you want to win a World Series? That’s something the Rays will be thinking about heavily as we approach this trade deadline.
Another thing that should be mentioned, is that the Dodgers have simply not cared about the salary cap. They without a doubt have one of the most expensive rosters in league history and a trade for Arozarena would only make that situation worse. Los Angeles is currently set to be facing the highest tier of luxury tax penalties if they continue down this path, and that makes it seem like they’d owe a 110% tax on any contract that they would absorb, which could impact trade with Arozarena. Although, if their roster is any indication, the Dodgers franchise ownership doesn’t care about how much money they spend as long as they can bring themselves a World Series.
If you’re looking to gamble on this season, I will put a lot of faith in the Dodgers if they land Arozarena. As constructed, they appear to be a very good bet to win it all, even if they’re not performing as consistently as their roster might look on paper. If they add even more talent to it, then it’s hard to make much of an argument that any other team would beat them in a playoff series outside of maybe one or two. Simply put, this team would appear to be in the driver’s seat of the league.
As for the Rays, if they ship off Arozarena, you can bet that they wouldn’t be going all-in for a World Series this year. A trade would likely indicate that they feel they’re too far away from contending to hold onto Arozarena’s salary and would be better suited going after others at the deadline or free agents during the offseason.
The Dodgers have also been linked to a few other players for this upcoming trade deadline, which might not be surprising. They’ve been linked to Luis Robert Jr., Garrett Crochet, and Tarik Skubal. Los Angeles is keeping tabs on any key player that might be getting moved at the deadline, and they’re ready to do whatever it takes to acquire them. There aren’t many organizations that go all-in like what the Dodgers have done in the past couple of months, which goes to show how much they want to bring a World Series to their city. I would be keen on betting that the Dodgers will be able to pick up at least ONE new impact player at the trade deadline, even if it isn’t any of the aforementioned players.
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