Ranking Mariners OF Randy Arozarena's Top 5 Landing Spots in MLB Free Agency

Conventional wisdom holds that this winter's free-agent market lacks standout hitters, but nobody can disagree more than Randy Arozarena.

In parts of eight seasons as a major leaguer, Arozarena has been a history-making playoff hero, a three-time All-Star and a Rookie of the Year. He's also had six straight seasons with at least 20 home runs and stolen bases.

Moreover, Arozarena's most recent season was his finest. He played in 154 games for the Seattle Mariners and turned in career-bests with a 148 OPS+ and 5.7 rWAR. That was from the right side of the plate, where there's currently a shortage of impact talent in MLB.

Since Arozarena is coming off his age-31 season, he is older than teams prefer free-agent prizes to be. He's also nobody's idea of a good defender in left field. Assuming he rejects the Mariners' qualifying offer, he'll be tied to signing penalties until at least December 1, when the current CBA expires.

Still, projections for Arozarena's next contract are in the nine-figure range. B/R's Tim Kelly is especially bullish, projecting a five-year, $140 million deal for the Cuban native.

Given all this, let's size up Arozarena's best landing spots based on how badly they need him and how much money they have to spend. We'll start with honorable mentions, then count down to the top five.

Definitely Need Him, But the Budget Is a Problem

Arozarena with Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart? That sounds fun! The Reds were also in the bottom five in MLB in rWAR from the outfield and in wRC+ from right-handed hitters, so signing Arozarena would check two major boxes. It's therefore too bad they have never spent more than $64 million on a free agent.

It's 2020, and Cleveland needs power in the outfield. It's 2021, and Cleveland needs power in the outfield. It's 2022, and Cleveland… eh, you get the bit. Alas, this team just doesn't spend in the best of times. It shouldn't be expected to now. Its payroll is already slated to go up in 2027.

The Marlins should be ready to make a move. They definitely need a righty power hitter for a lineup that got only 65 home runs from that side of the plate in 2026. However, this franchise has only ever done a single nine-figure deal with a free agent. That was with José Reyes 15 years ago.

Could Use Him, But Have More Pressing Needs

The left side of the field holds several questions for the Braves, including whether they can do better than Mike Yastrzemski to the left of Michael Harris II. Given their pitching needs, though, a new guy out there is more a bonus than a necessity.

The Cubs stand to lose both Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ to free agency, so they can't straight-up ignore their outfield needs. However, they need starting pitching more than the Braves. Heck, more than anyone .

This is more of a fun fit than a clean fit. The White Sox could use another righty slugger to balance out a lineup that got more power from the left side in 2026. They don't really need an outfielder, though. They're otherwise another team that needs to prioritize the mound.

The Padres used 10 different players in left field this year, which captures the revolving door vibe the position has had for a while now. Starting pitching needs loom large again, though. The Padres can, should and must do better than Joe Musgrove as their ace .

If the Mariners are going to keep Arozarena in the Pacific Northwest, they might have to be prepared to pay extra.

He had a good run with the M's after coming over from the Tampa Bay Rays in July of 2024, but Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported that Arozarena was "crushed" when the trade went down. He still lives in the Tampa area and reportedly prefers the East Coast.

Plus, T-Mobile Park isn't exactly a tractor beam for free-agent hitters. While the thing with Cal Raleigh at the World Baseball Classic didn't seem to spiral out of control, it still lingers as a bad memory.

If nothing else, the Mariners can't simply leave Arozarena's shoes unfilled. He was their best hitter this season, particularly from the right side. Of their 65 right-handed homers, 26 came from him.

Payroll-wise, there's a $21 million gap between where the Mariners ended 2026 and where they stand to begin next season. That might be enough for Arozarena, particularly if his QO-related penalties scare other teams off. Obviously, that's not a concern that applies to the Mariners.

Signing Penalty: Third-highest 2027 draft pick

Let's get right to the fundamental flaw with the Orioles as a fit for Arozarena: they're yet another team that primarily needs pitching.

The team is making no secret of this , nor should it be. Orioles starters finished in the back half of MLB with a 4.24 ERA, even with Trevor Rogers, who is now one of the top arms on the open market. With Chris Bassitt also a free agent, they likely need at least two starters.

However, those spots could conceivably be filled via trade. As reported by Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner, only Pete Alonso is considered untouchable. That implies even Gunnar Henderson is available. He's just one piece in an overcrowded infield that could prove useful in landing a starter.

Meanwhile, there's a $26 million gap between what the Orioles spent in 2026 and what they project to spend in 2027. That's roughly an Arozarena-sized chunk of change. He would fit nicely in an Orioles outfield that offers little certainty.

More to the point, Arozarena could help Alonso carry the offense. The Orioles badly need a guy like that, as Alonso's 43 home runs this year accounted for 20 percent of the team's total.

Signing Penalty: $1 million in international bonus pool money, second- and fifth-highest 2027 draft picks

On paper, at least, Arozarena and the Blue Jays are about as obvious as fits get.

They finished last in MLB in scoring this year, so this winter simply can't pass without at least one big bat heading north of the border. They were also tied for last in the league in WAR from left field.

While the Blue Jays should have faith that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will bounce back in 2027, they would be wise to look around for an insurance policy for the middle of their batting order. Arozarena would fit the bill and then some. Indeed, he's out-homered Guerrero over the last four seasons.

The Blue Jays seem to have as much as $30 million to add to their 2027 payroll, so affordability is not an issue here. The penalties associated with signing Arozarena might be a different story, but emphasis on "might." Ostensible World Series contenders like the Blue Jays should be willing to take such risks.

Instead, a more pressing question might be whether Toronto prefers signing Arozarena. Courtesy of Mitch Bannon of The Athletic , the first outfielder the Blue Jays were connected to after the season ended was actually Seiya Suzuki.

The Red Sox were supposed to add power last winter, but ultimately fell short. It cost them, as scoring runs the hard way didn't do them much good at the back end of the regular season or in the postseason.

Thus, we get this note from Ian Browne of MLB.com: "Boston's top need is another right-handed-hitting thumper to go with Willson Contreras."

Sounds about right, and that note was unsurprisingly part of a blurb about Arozarena as a fit for the Red Sox. He's certainly no stranger to Fenway Park. There's nothing wrong with his .833 OPS in 32 career games there.

That said, there is a "buyer beware" element here. Arozarena's bat speed is trending down. His rate of pulled balls in the air is on the same trajectory. As such, he might not be an ideal fit to take aim at the Green Monster.

Money is another question mark here. The Red Sox just don't spend in free agency like they used to. They're already projected for a higher payroll in 2027 than the one they had in 2026. How aggressive they're willing to be on the open market is an open question.

The Phillies need to shake up their roster this winter. They'd be wise to be ruthless about it. It should be as much about who should go as about who should come.

That said, take a look at these stats from 2026 and see if you can see why Arozarena should appeal to the Phillies:

Clearly, Arozarena is about as "two birds, one stone" a free agent target as the Phillies could ask for. His swing arguably fits better at Citizens Bank Park than it would even at Fenway Park. Per Statcast, he would have hit 25 home runs in Philly this year, compared to just 16 in Boston.

Unlike the Red Sox, the Phillies' projected 2027 payroll is currently short of their 2026 spending level by $20 million . Given that and all of the above, it's no surprise to hear Jim Bowden of The Athletic say that Arozarena is "on their radar."

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference , FanGraphs and Baseball Savant .