For the Dodgers, the litany of injuries that has piled up over the course of the 2024 MLB season has been soothed, somewhat, by the fact that the team continued to play well despite the bad luck with health. L.A. has been the top team in the N.L. West from Opening Day and has largely avoided extended periods of poor play—the Dodgers had only two losing streaks of more than two games through July 6.
Alas, the past week has not been so kind. The Dodgers have lost four straight, and six of their last eight. Along the way, the team’s air of invincibility has taken some hits, and with the MLB trade deadline looming on July 30, the Dodgers will need to address their issues, in terms of health and the overall weaknesses that have presented themselves even beyond injuries.
No. 1 on that list has been the performance of the Dodgers outfield. With a fair number of options likely to be available on the trade market this summer, it increasingly looks like the Dodgers could add to their mix. At Bleacher Report, one player called a “realistic” trade target is a struggling outfielder who was an All-Star last year and could use a change of scenery: Randy Arozarena of the Rays.
Dodgers Could Ship Out 3 Prospects to Rays
To get Aronzarena on board, B/R’s Kerry Miller foresees the Dodgers sending a package of three prospects to Tampa Bay, the best of which is Triple A catcher Diego Cartaya (ranked No. 7 in the organization by MLB.com).
Here’s how Miller put it in an article titled, “8 Realistic MLB Trades to Boost AL and NL’s Top Teams”:
“Realistic Trade: Los Angeles sends LHP Ronan Kopp, OF Jose Ramos and C Diego Cartaya to Tampa Bay for LF Randy Arozarena
“Between Luis Robert Jr., Jazz Chisholm Jr., Randy Arozarena and Brent Rooker, the Tampa Bay Rays leftfielder might be their preferred target. Robert and Chisholm both have durability concerns, and Rooker has been primarily a DH this season—which wouldn’t work with Shohei Ohtani.
“Tampa Bay might also be the one most motivated to make a trade, with Arozarena’s salary for his two remaining years of arbitration eligibility likely to land somewhere around $12M in 2025 and $15M in 2026.”
Arozarena has not made things easy on the Rays when it comes to trading him. He is batting .203, with a .311 on-base percentage and a .368 slugging percentage. Last season, he had a breakout year with 23 homers and 83 RBIs.
Randy Arozarena Could Add to Outfield Mix
But the Dodgers have two of the least-productive outfield slots in baseball, and Arozarena has played both spots. Their centerfielders have hit .212, seventh-worst in baseball, and produced an OPS of .608, seventh-worst this year. In left field, they’re getting a .217 batting average, which is eighth-worst, and an OPS of .647, fifth-worst.
The Dodgers would likely not give up on the outfielders—Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages, Jason Heyward—altogether, and the team could yet take another tack on improving the production. If the Dodgers can find another middle infielder, they could, conceivably, move Mookie Betts from shortstop/second base back to the outfield when he returns from a broken bone in his hand.
So there are options for the Dodgers. A trade for Arozarena is one, but there will be other choices, too.
