Seattle Mariners Outfielder Randy Arozarena Named as Potential X-Factor For 2025 Season
The biggest question going into spring training is how much better the Seattle Mariners offense can be compared to 2024.
The Mariners lineup went through several different variations in an effort to find consistency. The group led the league in strikeouts (1,625), but the offense found a combination that worked in the last month and a half of the season.
The trade acquisition additions of outfielder Randy Arozarena and infielder Justin Turner, and the hirings of manager Dan Wilson and hitting coach (now senior director of hitting strategy) Edgar Martinez), helped Seattle finish with a 21-13 record in its final 34 games.
And Seattle Sports editor Brent Stecker thinks Arozarena can be the x-factor for the Mariners in 2025.
Stecker wrote an article for Seattlesports.com and mentioned some the former Tampa Bay Ray outfielder's elite moments that highlight the kind of player he can be.
Stecker invoked videos of Arozarena's 2020 American League pennant-winning run with the Rays where he hit .377 with 10 home runs and 14 RBIs in 20 playoff games.
Stecker also mentioned Arozarena's 2023 World Baseball Classic run, where he helped lead Mexico to the semifinals with a .450 average and 1.507 OPS.
Randy Arozarena loves the big stage. #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/i2BQ0CmsTx
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 11, 2023
Stecker also recognized the down year Arozarena had in 2024. The former American League Championship Series MVP finished 2024 with a .219 average with 20 homers, 60 RBIs and 20 steals. His numbers did improve when he was traded to Seattle from Tampa Bay (.211 average to .231 average; .712 OPS to .733). But it wasn't the level most are accustomed to seeing from Arozarena.
But Stecker had an outlook on Arozarena's down year that could be favorable for his potential in 2025:
"Maybe the problem was that the Rays weren’t as good last year as they had been in the years prior. This is a guy who lives for the big moments, who supplies the juice when it’s needed. And it was clear going into 2024 that Tampa Bay was taking a step back after reaching five straight postseasons. Maybe that got to him, and he had trouble getting back into the groove."
The article closed out with Stecker saying that "if Julio (Rodriguez) can be the straw, Randy can be the juice." If those two, and right fielder Victor Robles, can maintain solid performance over a whole year or have timely stretches, then the Mariners will be in a good place in 2025.
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