Building a trade package for perfect Dodgers target Randy Arozarena

Is Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena really available? Do you trust the fine engine behind MLB Nerds to chug up this offseason hill? Regardless of genuine availability, Arozarena is a perfect fit in Dodger Blue, and if there's one thing the Rays have proven over the past decade, it's that they can reach the playoffs (then swiftly lose) with literally any cast of characters.

Plug, play, lose. Hell of an operation you've got down there.

If there's one Ray with postseason pedigree, it's Arozarena, who shines brightest under the exact spotlight that seems to melt the Dodgers' offense annually. Yes, his empty stadium 2020 was his defining performance to date (shudders in familiarity), but it was still so spectacular it pushed the limits of potential October contributions to their maximum.

Arozarena flaired his way to averages of .500, .421, .321, and .364, drilling 10 home runs across the ALDS, ALCS and World Series. He hit .333 in the Rays' ALDS loss to the Red Sox the next fall, then went 3-for-8 against the Texas Rangers this October as the entire rest of the team slumbered. Add in his defensive and offensive contributions for an upstart Mexico team in the World Baseball Classic, and it would be tough to envision a more perfect fit to awaken the Dodgers' hibernating bats in primetime.

Dodgers Trade Package for Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena

Is Arozarena actively available? The rumor has been effectively called into question, and it would be hard to believe that even the Rays would stoop so low with a player who's controllable through 2026 and isn't even on an escalating extension of any kind.

But, for the sake of finding some pre-Winter Meetings joy, and armed with the knowledge that no one knows the Rays' operation as intimately as Andrew Friedman, this feels like an excellent use of surplus pitching. How about Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone, plus one of those high-upside guys in the low minors the Rays typically covet like Joendry Vargas (plus, perhaps, 2023 breakout candidate Josue De Paula, who failed to deliver on being the Next Jackson Chourio).

Too hefty a package for three years of Arozarena? Nothing is too hefty a package for that theoretical bounty. In all honestly, any negotiations would probably escalate to include Michael Busch, who's blocked in Los Angeles and feels like a prime candidate for the Rays to unlock (without moving him to left field for no discernible reason).

For now, though, this is mainly an exercise in flexing brain waves. This won't happen, even if you demand it. But it would be nice to solve the Dodgers' puzzle so cleanly and obviously.