Tampa Bay Rays slugger Randy Arozarena sent Los Angeles Dodgers fans into a frenzy Tuesday with his recent Instagram post featuring Shohei Ohtani.
On Tuesday night, Arozarena uploaded a couple of photos of him together with the newest Dodgers star during the World Baseball Classic held earlier this year.
Randy Arozarena just posted this on Instagram
Let the speculation BEGIN pic.twitter.com/EQv7b2NLP6
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) December 13, 2023
The post sparked immediate speculation about whether it was a subtle hint that the 28-year-old outfielder was headed for the Dodgers.
Randy Arozarena’s personality would explain both a randomly timed IG post with Ohtani and also a picture with him to pseudo break the news that he is in fact about to be Dodger, so here we are
— David Rosenthal (@_therealdrose) December 13, 2023
Soooo uh, Randy Arozarena to the Dodgers? pic.twitter.com/TDljnlhwxV
— Mason Hall (@masonlikesgolf) December 13, 2023
How am I supposed to get off my phone at a reasonable hour when Randy Arozarena is posting a picture of him and Ohtani w/ Dodgers & Rays trade rumors going on
— Kershiser (@Kershiser77) December 13, 2023
The Dodgers were already linked to Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow. The 30-year-old right-hander was considered a “prominent Dodgers trade target” over the past week, according to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya.
Could the Dodgers be trying to spin a deal that nets them both Arozarena and Glasnow?
Arozarena hit .254 last season with 23 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. But the Rays star has made a name for himself in the postseason.
Arozarena has a career playoff batting average of .336 with 11 home runs, 17 RBIs and an OPS of 1.104 across 33 postseason games. Dodgers fans probably haven’t forgotten him hitting .364 with an OPS of 1.234 in 6 World Series games against their team in 2020.
Glasnow would be a welcome addition to a relatively light Dodgers rotation. He’s dealt with a few injuries throughout his time with the Rays but he’s been electric when healthy. Glasnow has an ERA of 3.20 and a win rate of 62.8% in 71 starts for Tampa Bay.
The Dodgers have committed a gargantuan amount of money to Ohtani. But the unique deferrals built into the two-way star’s new deal were designed exactly for the purpose of acquiring impact players like Glasnow and Arozarena.
Arozarena earned $4.15 million from the Rays last season. According to Spotrac, he is projected to earn $7 million next season and remains under team control until 2026.
Glasnow has a much higher price tag. He’s slated to make a cool $25 million from the Rays next season.
