Guardians Have More Reasons Than Ever To Trade For Former All-Star

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena has been turning his season around and is giving the Cleveland Guardians a big reason to trade for him before the deadline.

Jul 20, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) hits a two run home run against the New York Yankees during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians are obviously in need of starting pitching, and this is the primary need they will attempt to address before the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

However, that isn't the only hole that needs patching in Cleveland.

The Guardians are also in need of another power bat, and a perfect candidate is currently playing for the Tampa Bay Rays: Randy Arozarena, who the squad has already been linked to.

Arozarena got off to a miserable start this season, slashing just .143/.220/.241 in March and April and then .178/.299/.400 in May.

However, since then, the 29-year-old has been on a tear.

Arozarena slashed .291/.424/.468 in June, and through the first three weeks of July, the outfielder is slashing .296/.356/.574. He also hit two home runs in the Rays' Saturday win over the New York Yankees.

On the season overall, Arozarena has totaled 14 homers and 34 RBI.

Tampa Bay seems willing to listen to trade offers for Arozarena, and the Guardians would be remiss if they didn't at least explore the possibility of acquiring him.

Arozarena isn't the greatest hitter in the world, but he owns a very respectable lifetime .781 OPS and made the All-Star team last season courtesy of a .254/.364/.425 slash line.

Currently, Cleveland only has two hitters with double-figure homers: Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor. Steven Kwan has nine.

Arozarena would instantly provide some much-needed pop to a Guardians offense that ranks a rather modest 12th in OPS this year.

The catch is that Arozarena is under team control through 2026, allowing the Rays to be somewhat picky with what they receive in return. They absolutely do not have to trade him this season.

On the flip side, Cleveland suddenly has a very deep farm system after an impressive MLB Draft, so the Guardians have some minor-league depth they can trade from.

Is Arozarena the sexiest pick? No, but he may be one of the best realistic options available for a Cleveland squad that is not known for making midseason splashes.