{"id":502253,"date":"2026-01-02T01:37:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T01:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/502253\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T01:37:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T01:37:23","slug":"mariners-randy-arozarena-announces-move-outside-mlb-on-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/502253\/","title":{"rendered":"Mariners’ Randy Arozarena Announces Move Outside MLB on Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Seattle Mariners<\/a>\u2019 future looks bright after their deep postseason run in 2025, where they came just one win short of reaching the World Series. Among the team\u2019s many talented players, outfielder Randy Arozarena continues to stand out.<\/p>\n

The 30-year-old enjoyed an impressive first full season in Seattle, having arrived midway through 2024 in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Across 160 games last year, Arozarena posted a .238 batting average, .334 on-base percentage, .760 OPS, 27 home runs and 76 RBIs. His production earned him the second All-Star selection of his career, further cementing his value as a key piece of the Mariners\u2019 lineup.<\/p>\n

\"Seattle<\/p>\n

Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena (56)\u00a9 Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

With the offseason in full swing, speculation had grown over whether Arozarena would participate in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, set for March. Known for rising to the occasion both in the MLB<\/a> postseason and on the international stage with Team Mexico, Arozarena has built a reputation as a clutch performer.<\/p>\n

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During his last WBC appearance, he delivered a remarkable .450\/.607\/.900 slash line, helping Mexico come within one win of reaching the championship game. Now, he will get another chance to shine.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Arozarena announced on social media that he will once again represent Mexico in March, marking his second appearance in the international tournament. \u201cThe Randy Show goes on! \u2728 We confirm Randy Arozarena for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The Seattle Mariners star is set to celebrate big again. \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffb #EsMiSangre,\u201d the post read.<\/p>\n

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Importantly for Seattle, Arozarena\u2019s participation in the WBC will not interfere with his availability for the 2026 MLB season.<\/p>\n

The tournament concludes before Opening Day, allowing him to return to the Mariners in full rhythm and potentially sharper after facing elite international competition.<\/p>\n

Arozarena\u2019s journey to this point has been notable. He debuted in 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals<\/a> before being dealt to the Rays, where he quickly emerged as one of the league\u2019s brightest young stars. His breakout culminated in winning the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year, cementing his reputation as a dynamic offensive force.<\/p>\n

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Now entering a pivotal stage of his career, Arozarena will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 season, adding urgency to Seattle\u2019s long-term plans. For the Mariners, his performance in 2026 will not only shape their pursuit of a championship but also influence the franchise\u2019s decision on whether to secure his future in Seattle beyond this season.<\/p>\n

Related: Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. Sends Message to Julio Rodriguez Amid MLB Offseason<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports<\/a> on Jan 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB<\/a> section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Seattle Mariners\u2019 future looks bright after their deep postseason run in 2025, where they came just one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":502254,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[5,4,1456,65,67,68,63715],"class_list":["post-502253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-baseball","tag-mlb","tag-randy-arozarena","tag-seattle-mariners","tag-st-louis-cardinals","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-team-mexico"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115822949398866318","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/502254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}