Inside The Phillies

Would Philadelphia Phillies Trade for Tampa Bay Rays Star Make Sense?

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to add to their outfield at the MLB trade deadline, could the Tampa Bay Rays star be the right move?

Dylan Sanders

Jun 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) hits a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at PNC Park.
Jun 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) hits a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at PNC Park. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best rosters in all of MLB, but are still looking to add players at the trade deadline.

As Levi Weaver of The Athletic put together a list of players with intriguing trade value, Tampa Bay Rays star Randy Arozarena came up. The former AL Rookie of the Year winner could end up being a perfect trade piece for Philadelphia.

"His numbers are down this year.Way down. Coming into 2024," said Weaver. "So, the Rays may opt not to sell low during a slump. But buyers who are considering the investment will surely note that Arozarena has been at his best in big moments."

The Cuba native is definitely in the middle of the weakest season of his career, slashing just .196/.307/.356.

While that is certainly not what anyone wants to see, he has started to turn a corner this season and looks closer to his former self. For the month of June, he slashed .291/.424/.468.

The strikeouts were cut almost in half and he was just getting on-base at a much higher clip.

Along with improvements, in the season, the 29-year-old has become known as a postseason player. He has a career slashing line of .333/.414/.690 after the regular season concludes. Any team that hopes to contend will find that experience invaluable.

The Phillies biggest need heading into the deadline is clearly adding another bat to their struggling outfield.

Philadelphia's current lineup in the outfield consists of Brandon Marsh, Nick Castellanos and Johan Rojas. Cristian Pache and Whit Merrifield add options off the bench but don't have much postseason starter upside to them.

Rojas is the main bat in the lineup that the Phillies need to worry about replacing. Though a wonderful stint back in Triple-A gave hope that he had found his bat once again, things haven't looked much better as of late.

He's slashing .234/.273/.298 this year. He's a great defender and very young, but might not be ready for a playoff lineup.

Arozarena makes a lot of sense as the guy to supplement their lineup. The move would allow Marsh to move back into his most comfortable position of center field. Though, Castellanos has been better as of late, Arozarena would allow for a bat to use over the next couple of years if the veteran starts to decline once again as he's under team control through the 2026 season.

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Dylan Sanders

DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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