Randy Arozarena could be eyeing a return to the AL East.
The Seattle Mariners All-Star outfielder Arozarena is “likely” to leave the team in free agency this offseason, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported this week. Divish further added that Arozarena would “probably” prefer to join an East Coast team and suggested that the Boston Red Sox could potentially cut a “huge check” for him.
Arozarena, 31, is currently enjoying one of his best all-around seasons. Through 146 games for Seattle this year, Arozarena is batting .281 with 25 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. He also leads the AL with 104 runs scored and made the third All-Star team of his career this season.
But Arozarena will be hitting the open market this winter as one of the standout options in a fairly weak free agent class. That could indeed inspire somebody like the Red Sox, a team that seems to be one impact bat away from true World Series contention, to take a big swing.
Arozarena did already play in Boston’s division too as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays from 2020-24. There, Arozarena was an All-Star, an AL Rookie of the Year, and a key contributor to Tampa Bay’s 2020 World Series team as the ALCS MVP.
We heard earlier this month that the Mariners were expected to part ways with Arozarena and some other notable figures after the season. Now it appears that Seattle’s loss could be Boston’s gain (provided that the Red Sox are willing to fork over some major cash for the Cuban).
