Cubs linked to All-Star Randy Arozarena |
Whenever you get this close to Spring and have so many free agents remaining, things start to fall into place much quicker than you would think. With so many guys unsigned, players panic a little bit and begin taking offers less than what they were expecting once free agency began. You saw that with Shota Imanaga, and it could happen with Cody Bellinger, Rhys Hoskins, or anyone else that the Cubs are targeting right now.
However, free agency isn't the only thing that will get interesting in the coming weeks, as you have started to hear the Cubs linked to some players no one expected them to be connected to. One of those players comes from the Tampa Bay Rays as Randy Arozarena to the Cubs has been name-dropped. Granted, this seems like a farfetched deal; just hearing the Cubs mentioned in any Arozarena talks has to be exciting, and most Cubs are here for it. Before we dive into the rumor (more like a name-drop), I want to urge fans not to get excited about it, as this is the most unlikely trade. During Jon Morosi's recent appearance on MLB Network, he discussed Imanaga and his path to the Cubs. During that discussion, he dropped Arozarena's name and that he was somehow linked to the Cubs in some way. No one knows how his name got linked up with the Cubs, but hearing a guy like Morosi speak on that makes you wonder if there have been conversations in the past. Hearing the Cubs and Rays discuss a trade shouldn't be a surprise, as they were trying to land Tyler Glasnow during the first part of the offseason. Christopher Morel was the critical piece being discussed in that deal, but nothing came from it, as Glasnow ended up in Los Angeles with the Dodgers. After discussing some random baseball chatter, Morosi said that the Cubs are still in the market for bats, whether that be Hoskins, Justin Turner, or Arozarena. Hoskins makes sense, as he has been linked to the Cubs forever, but having Turner and Arozarena mentioned leads many to believe that maybe the Cubs discussed more than just Glasnow in their talks with the Rays. Even the Turner part of the interview makes sense when you look at the Cubs current needs on the team, but the Arozarena part of the interview is something new and brings a lot of intrigue. It's no secret that ever since Arozarena was traded from the Cardinals to the Rays, he has quickly become one of the better OFs in the game and is one of the most popular players. He burst onto the scene in 2020 especially during the Rays cinderella postseason run that saw them in the World Series. During that run, Arozarena was the best player in the playoffs, and ever since then, he continues to deliver on the biggest stage. The 29-year-old is part of an organization historically known for not paying their players when they get too expensive. At nine million this season, he is in his second year of arbitration and still has two additional years of team control after this. That is the part worth looking into, as each season of arbitration will have Arozarena making more than in his previous season, and his value could get to a point where the Rays won't want to pay him. Knowing that he will only get more expensive after this season and that he will be a large chunk of change for the Rays, he could be reaching his peak value in terms of a trade chip, and the Rays have always been known to make a massive trade here and there. Considering the Cubs have Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, possibly Cody Bellinger, and PCA all as OF options right now, Arozarena to the Cubs hasn't been mentioned outside this report. Still, it is fun to think about what could become. Known best for his all-universe postseason performances, his fun-loving personality, and his consistently excellent offense, Arozarena is a fan favorite and could instantly become one of the faces of the Cubs franchise. Arozarena is a career .265/.351/.451 and projects to be the same type of player this season. He has terrific speed and will be a consistent 25-30 stolen base guy while also providing at least 25 homers and close to 90 RBIs per season. Any lineup could use that, even if it were to take some strategic maneuvers to get him on this team and find a position for him. The defensive side of the game has slipped a little bit in past seasons, but that doesn't mean he is a terrible fielder. In fact, he is far from that, as he would be a potential gold glover with the Cubs when you look at how Wrigley Field plays. At worst, he could be the Cubs' DH, a position they still need to figure out, so maybe there is more to this namedrop than what meets the eye.
