The Mariners’ search for a right-handed bat that can punish lefties may not have to lead them outside the organization. Michael Arroyo is making a loud case that the answer could already be in the system.
Seattle’s need is clear. The club sits last in the majors against left-handed pitching, posting a .204 batting average and a .631 OPS.
That has fueled plenty of trade-deadline chatter ahead of Aug. 3, with names like the Astros’ Isaac Paredes and the Royals’ Lane Thomas floated as possible targets. But Arroyo has pushed himself into the conversation.
There has been no shortage of talk about whether the Mariners should move him as part of a deal. He’s been mentioned in trade packages before, including a proposed return for Mason Miller, but there’s a real argument for keeping the 21-year-old and seeing what he can do in Seattle.
Arroyo’s bat has been scorching since he came back from a hamstring injury near the end of May. He started the season slowly by his standards, but since June 1 he’s hitting .346 with a .984 OPS. Since his promotion to Triple-A Tacoma, he’s gone even hotter, batting .367 with a 1.003 OPS in 11 games.
The production has held up no matter the setting. Whether he was dealing with Dickey-Stephens Park in Double-A Arkansas or stepping up to tougher competition, he’s kept hitting. Against lefties, the exact kind of matchup Seattle is trying to solve, he’s batting .316 with a .829 OPS this season.
The challenge, of course, is fitting him into the lineup. That part is not simple. But Arroyo has already logged time at second base, in left field and as a DH this season, which gives the Mariners some flexibility.
One route would be to use him in right field and split time there, and at DH, with Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone. Another would be to trade Raley, shift Randy Arozarena to right field and play Arroyo in left, where he has already seen action in Arkansas and Tacoma. A third possibility is more disruptive: demote Colt Emerson, move Cole Young to shortstop and let Arroyo handle second base.
That last idea comes with the most risk. Emerson is struggling at the plate, but the work he needs is the kind he won’t get in Triple-A, and Seattle would also lose his strong defense at shortstop. Young, meanwhile, has already become one of the best all-around second basemen in the majors, and moving him could throw off his rhythm.
Even with the lineup puzzle, Arroyo has done enough to force the issue. He looks like the right-handed bat the Mariners need, and he may have played his way into a September call-up spot, much like Harry Ford last season.
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