Dodgers Rumors: LA connected to 2020 World Series foe in potential trade

The Dodgers' connection to Randy Arozarena has been a little nebulous since Jeff Passan first floated the idea that he would be a good fit for LA in late June. It's all been vague connections in the vein of "this could be an interesting guy for the Dodgers," which have led to some fun little thought experiments about how Arozarena might look in Dodger blue, but nothing more than supposition has connected them.

Until now, that is. Mark Feinsand confirmed through a source on Tuesday that the Dodgers are "in" on Arozarena.

The Rays are pretty much always selling at the deadline, always looking to dump players that could cost them a fortune during arbitration and replace them with cheaper options. Since 2019, those cheaper options have usually defied all odds to become playoff-worthy teams, but it's not working so well for them this year.

Tampa is 51-50, which could be enough to get them into the Wild Card picture in the NL, but not so in the AL. They're 4.5 games out of the last spot, which isn't impossible ground to make up, but they have one of the toughest schedules throughout the rest of the season. Selling this year will be just as much about getting rid of potentially expensive players as it will be about trying to put together a better team for next season, and the Dodgers could capitalize.

Dodgers Rumors: LA officially "in" on Randy Arozarena as an outfield option at trade deadline

Despite having a bum start to the season, Arozarena is still one of the Rays' big guns as their 2021 Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in 2023. We all know what this guy is capable of when pressure is high — across five years of postseason experience, he's batted .336 with a 1.104 OPS, and he was one of the faces of last year's World Baseball Classic with Team Mexico. Maybe he just doesn't play well when he's bored, and Rays baseball has surely given him reason to be bored this year.

That wouldn't be a problem with the Dodgers. Although they experienced a dip (more like a chasm) of their own ahead of the All-Star break, they're on a five-game winning streak through their second game against the Giants on Tuesday night and have the second-highest odds of making the playoffs behind the Phillies.

Arozarena might be hitting .209 on the year, but he's also hit .287 with a .946 OPS over his last 30 games. That sounds like exactly the kind of boom the Dodgers need as they look to fortify their roster ahead of the postseason.