A look at the additions Tampa Bay Rays gained in Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin trades

The Tampa Bay Rays made two big trades on Thursday that involved sending Randy Arozarena and Zach Eflin to new destinations ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline. Both players were under significant team control, with Arozarena going through arbitration for the next two offseasons, and Eflin becoming a free agent in 2026. In return, Tampa Bay received a good amount of prospects that will look to thrive in their system en route to major league careers.

The Arozarena trade happened early on the morning of July 26 and involved sending the Rays' outfielder to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder prospect Aidan Smith and right-handed pitching prospect Brody Hopkins. The Rays will also receive a player to later be named.

Looking at Smith, he is having a great season offensively at the low-A level, batting .284 and getting on base at a .402 rate. His steal numbers are up as well with 28 this season. He also has knocked in a healthy amount of RBI with 42 so far. Smith's ability to get on base and steal is something Tampa Bay's organization values and something they can work on with him while in the minors.

Hopkins is at the same low-A level as Smith and has pitched and started 18 games this season. With a stellar 2.90 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 83.2 innings of work, he has the material to really thrive in an organization that knows how to develop loads of pitching talent.

Tampa Bay Rays prospects received for Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin

Later in the day, the Rays sent starting pitching Zach Eflin to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for three of their prospects in outfielder Matthew Etzel, right-handed pitcher Jackson Baumeister, and utility man Mac Horvath.

Etzel is not necessarily a power hitter, but he has come into his own at the Double-A level. He is currently batting .289 and has posted an astounding 41 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is just north of .360, but he has shown that he is a threat once he gets on the paths.

Tampa Bay gets another arm to work on with Baumeister. He has similar stats to Hopkins except at the High-A level, with a 3.06 ERA and a crushing 91 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched. His strikeout power adds yet another arm to the Rays' system that really can explode with the level of development that Tampa Bay can provide.

Horvath is a member of Baltimore's 2023 draft class out of North Carolina. Although his stats do not necessarily jump off of the page, he is a base-stealing threat, comparable to the other hitting prospects that Tampa Bay got in these trades.

The Rays lose two big names on their team to others who are looking to contend. Although Tampa Bay is in a realistic area to chase down a Wild Card spot, they know that beefing their farm system is the key to them staying ahead of other major league teams. With the Arozarena and Eflin trades, they add five prospects that are in the lower levels of minor-league baseball who can build themselves into great major leaguers.