The Mariners are staring at the other side of the Randy Arozarena trade, and the timing is rough.
Seattle still has plenty to like about what it got from Tampa Bay. Arozarena has been one of Jerry Dipoto’s better pickups, and this season he’s been the club’s offensive anchor with a .833 OPS, 140 OPS+ and a career-high 4.3 fWAR. But with his run in Seattle likely nearing its end as free agency approaches, the focus naturally shifts to what the Mariners sent away to get him.
One of those pieces, Brody Hopkins, is starting to pop in a way that has to sting a little for Mariners fans. The 24-year-old right-hander, taken by Seattle in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, is making noise in the Rays’ minor league system after a role change has unlocked something.
The Mariners used Hopkins strictly as a starter during his time in the organization. Tampa Bay, though, has tried him in relief this season at Triple-A Durham, and the results were enough to push him fully into the bullpen last month.
The numbers tell the story clearly: as a reliever, Hopkins has posted a 2.25 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and .136 batting average against across 12 games. As a starter, those marks sat at 5.96, 1.89 and .226 in 19 games.
The move has paid off even more over the last stretch. Hopkins hasn’t allowed a run in his last six outings, giving up just four hits and two walks while striking out 11 over 6.0 combined innings.
And the velocity is getting attention too. In his most recent appearance Wednesday night, Hopkins hit 102.1 mph at Triple-A. Jesse Borek of MLB.com noted that only 19 Major League pitchers and nine other Triple-A pitchers have reached 102 mph in 2026.
The Rays have also simplified his arsenal, trimming him down to three pitches after he had worked with five before. With the new role and the added power, there’s already talk that Hopkins could eventually profile as a closer in the majors.
For Seattle, the irony is obvious. The bullpen has been a mess in 2026, ranking 23rd in team ERA and 24th in fWAR, and since the beginning of July those numbers have slipped all the way to 29th and 30th. Injuries, inconsistency and a lack of dependable options have left the Mariners thin in the exact area where Hopkins is now starting to look like a real weapon.
You wouldn’t change your mind about the trade, but damn.
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