Yankees could take advantage of Mariners collapse to find picture-perfect outfield fit

The New York Yankees are desperate for offense these days. The impact of losing Aaron Judge has been dramatic on the lineup, and things have only gotten worse with Cody Bellinger on the shelf. The left side of the infield and catcher have gotten most of the attention as problem areas, but at this point, any help would be appreciated.

Since June 1, the Yankees' lineup has produced a 28th-ranked .669 OPS entering action on Aug. 2. The ineptitude has spoiled some brilliant pitching performances during that stretch. Something must be done.

But as Brian Cashman scans the trade market, he'll find scarce offensive answers. Available catchers have dropped like flies, with Shea Langeliers getting hurt and Ryan Jeffers' availability in question as the Twins claw back into contention. Infielders are hard to come by too, as there are virtually no third basemen available, and the best shortstops (Zach Neto, CJ Abrams, Otto Lopez) all have sky-high price tags thanks to their significant team control.

With Judge's timeframe to return up in the air and Bellinger out for several weeks, the Yankees turning their attention to outfield bats as offensive solutions could make a lot of sense. The market isn't exactly flush there either, but there's a chance that a perfect target might be hitting the market in the form of Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena.

The Yankees would be wise to do everything they can to pry Randy Arozarena away from the Mariners

Per Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, the Mariners are willing to consider anything as they slide in the standings. Seattle entered action on Aug. 2 with a 3-7 record over their last 10 games, trailing both the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers in the AL West, and 2.0 games back of the final AL wild card spot with a 54-58 record.

The Mariners have already traded away starting pitcher Luis Castillo, who admittedly was having a down year and was coming from a position of surplus, as Seattle has an embarrassment of riches in their big league rotation and farm system.

They might not be actively shopping Arozarena, but they're at least willing to listen to offers. The Yankees would be wise to make an aggressive one.

Through 104 games, the 31-year-old is hitting .283/.378/.458 with 14 homers. Arozarena is a balanced hitter who hits for average, walks at a 9.7% clip, strikes out at a reasonable 21.3% rate, and has some pop. The total package has produced a 145 wRC+ that leads all American League outfielders.

Helping New York's case for a trade is the fact that Arozarena is a free agent at season's end. If the Mariners truly don't believe that they can close the gap in the playoff chase, it makes sense to cash him in rather than lose him for nothing in the offseason.

For the Yankees, the left fielder is a clean fit right now with Bellinger out. Other options like Luis Arraez would require finding a trade partner for Jazz Chisholm Jr., while top-end options like Neto, Abrams, and Lopez would require a larger package.

With other needs to fill besides fixing the offense, Arozarena looks like the best bang-for-the-buck option, even if it requires some cajoling to get Seattle to deal.

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