Philadelphia Phillies Turned Down Deal for Arozarena Based on Asking Price

The Philadelphia Phillies could have landed one of the biggest stars on the market, but they reportedly turned down the deal based on the asking price.

Jun 5, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) looks on against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at loanDepot Park / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

With the Philadelphia Phillies searching for an outfielder ahead of the trade deadline, multiple names were linked as possibilities they might be interested in pursuing.

Many blockbuster packages were hypothesized that would have been a headliner move for Dave Dombrowski and his front office. Knowing the president of baseball operations has been aggressive in the past probably fueled many of these trade ideas.

On Friday, though, the Phillies made a much less notable move when they brought in Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles, something that didn't live up to the billing on what they might do.

Dombrowski talked about why they decided to bring in the 2023 All-Star, mentioning he had been on the team's radar for the past two years as they tried to make a deal for him. While fans might have been hoping for more, Hays should bring an upgraded bat to the lineup and plug a major hole that was needed by being a solid hitter against left-handed pitching.

Still, when it was announced that Randy Arozarena had been sent to the Seattle Mariners for a modest package considering the type of player he is with multiple years of club control remaining, many wondered if Philadelphia had attempted to land the former AL Rookie of the Year.

According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, they did try to trade for the star player, but walked away based on the asking price.

"They had talked with Tampa Bay about Randy Arozarena , major-league sources said, but balked when the Rays asked for a top prospect," he reports.

Who the Rays wanted in return is unknown at this time, but considering the Mariners were able to get him by shipping out three prospects, one who was ranked No. 12 in their farm system and another who was No. 22, it only raises more questions about who Dombrowski didn't want to give up.

They love Aidan Miller and don't seem ready to trade away Andrew Painter or Mick Abel, so shipping out any of those three seem to be a non-starter. Justin Crawford is likely in that category as well.

Whatever the asking price was, the Phillies clearly felt it was too high and decided to turn their attention to Hays, someone they were able to land without giving up prospect capital.