Arozarena watches from Tropicana Field stands with fans after he’s traded by budget-conscious Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Before saying goodbye to the Tampa Bay Rays and Tropicana Field, Randy Arozarena took a stroll through “Randy Land.”

The outfielder, traded to the Seattle Mariners for two prospects and a player to be named, watched a portion of his old team’s 3-2 loss to Cincinnati from the left field stands on Friday night before interacting with appreciative fans in an announced crowd of 20,441 on his way out.

“I just gave him a big hug a minute ago,” manager Kevin Cash said. “That was a nice thing that he did to go and see a bunch of his fans out in left field.”

The Rays insist they haven’t given up on their season.

Nevertheless, president of baseball operations Erik Neander conceded the decision to deal Arozarena and pitcher Zach Eflin before next week’s trade deadline probably won’t enhance the team’s chances of earning a sixth consecutive playoff berth.

Neander, though, says he is confident the moves will help the budget-conscious franchise down the road.

The fourth-place Rays entered Friday night one game over .500 and trailing AL East-leading Baltimore by 9 1/2 games. At 52-51, they were sixth in a race for three AL wild card spots.

”A game over .500. Realistically we’ve got to play about 15 over .500 the next two months,” Neander said after completing a deal that sent Eflin to the division rival Orioles.

“Is it something we thought was doable with the group as it was?,” Neander added. “We don’t have the margin for error to double down on that and also put ourselves in a position to have competitive teams for the foreseeable future.”

Efflin’s departure came less than 24 hours after the Rays completed a trade that sent Arozarena to Seattle for two prospects and a player to be named.

The popular Arozarena was the star of Tampa Bay’s 2020 postseason run, which ended with a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. He was AL Rookie of the Year the following season and a first-time All-Star in 2023.

On Friday night, the outfielder watched a portion of the game from a seat in the left field stands near a couple of sections at Tropicana Field once dubbed as “Randy Land.” The sections were especially popular on Friday night, when fans purchasing tickets in the designated area also received free Arozarena theme T-shirts.

“There’s no denying the importance he’s had in this organization for the last five years,” Cash said, echoing Neander’s sentiment that the Rays aren’t abandoning hope of making the playoffs.

“Look, we are on the outside looking in. But that doesn’t rule us out. … I’d like to think the guys understand that,” Cash added. “Are we a better team without Randy? Nobody in this building in going to say that. … But we do think it’ll create some opportunities for guys to help out. Let’s see if we can keep it together.”

Following Arozarena’s departure, Jonny DeLuca started in left. The 26-year-old outfielder was acquired in the December trade that sent Tyler Glasnow to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Left-hander Jeffrey Springs, expected to come off the injured list next week, likely will replace Eflin in the pitching rotation.

“We’re going to keep doing our best to win games this year. It’s going to be harder without those two, but our outlook for the next three, five, seven years is considerably stronger with what we brought in,” Neander said.

“I have a responsibility to try to get this team to a World Series,” Neander added. “Ideally we stay all in on this year and we strengthen our future, but we have to make some difficult choices.”