Prior to the start of Sunday’s ball game in Miami, the Tampa Bay Rays traded José “Cafecito” Martínez to the Chicago Cubs for two players to be named later or cash considerations in exchange. They have recalled Randy Arozarena from the alternate training site to take Martínez’s place on the roster.
The Rays acquired Martínez from St. Louis over the offseason in a trade that sent Matthew Liberatore to the Cardinals and also brought outfielder Randy Arozarena. He played a little bit of first base with Tampa Bay, although he will likely be the primary DH in Chicago. With Martínez gone, the Rays will lean heavily on Yoshi Tsutsugo and Ji-Man Choi at first base/DH.
Meanwhile, pending any other position player trades, Tampa Bay’s outfield now becomes clear.
Versus RHP: Yoshi Tsutsugo or Austin Meadows LF, Kevin Kiermaier CF, Brett Phillips RF
Versus LHP: Randy Arozarena LF, Manuel Margot CF, Hunter Renfroe RF
As I wrote previously about Arozarena, looks to take over the platoon role (see below) in the outfield. He enters having collected some strong hitting numbers in Cuba, the minor leagues, and in his brief 19-game/23-plate appearance cameo with St. Louis last season (and three more plate appearances in the National League Division Series).
A 2016 international signing, Arozarena has accrued an impressive .292 BA/.377 OBP/.477 SLG/.855 OPS line across 1302 minor league plate appearances, with 38 home runs.
Dominik Vega (DRaysBay) took a look at Arozarena following news of the trade, writing, “Arozarena’s MLB exit velocity in 2019 averaged 90.7 mph, but with only 16 batted balls, that number should not be taken at face value. Instead, his 15 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019 should do the talking. While not known as a prospect with power, Arozarena has shown the ability to hit line drives and stretch them into extra-base-hits while in the minors.”
When he does hit the ball in the air, Arozarena has shown some sneaky raw power to his pull side, and he hit all 12 of his home runs to left field in 2018.
— MLB Pipeline
Since 2017, Arozarena has a career OPS of 1.004 against lefties in the minors, spanning over 300 PAs. The Cardinals’ outfield is full of young players and finding Arozarena time was going to be difficult for them in 2020, making him expendable.
A strong spring put Arozarena in mind with the big league staff, and the team has long viewed him as a fourth or fifth outfielder in the majors. Now they’re seeing even more.
— Derrick Goold, BaseballAmerica
Even with concerns about Arozarena’s aggressiveness at the plate and on the base paths, he has the ability to make swift adjustments in the box which clearly has shown to bear fruit at every level. His plate approach, paired with an elite 29.4 feet per second speed, makes him an apt centerfield option on days when Kevin Kiermaier needs some time off his feet.