Red Sox could add another Yankee killer in trade with another division rival

It's not terribly often that we see intra-division trades at the MLB Trade Deadline but the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays might be a match. The former, holding onto the third AL Wild Card spot entering play on Sunday and in the thick of the playoff race, is interested in adding a right-handed bat to the middle of the lineup in terms of offensive upgrades. Meanwhile, the Rays could be moving several players of that mold.

According to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, Tampa Bay is willing to "listen on [Randy] Arozarena], [Yandy] Diaz, or [Isaac] Paredes in the right deal." All three players would fit into the lineup and some have already named Diaz as perhaps the most ideal option for Boston, on an affordable deal with control through 2025 and an option for 2026 who could platoon with Masataka Yoshida at the DH and help at first base as the Red Sox wait on Triston Casas' return.

However, if the Red Sox wanted to further shake up the league and the AL playoff race, then what about Randy Arozarena? While Boston has a glut of outfield depth, Arozarena too could platoon with Yoshida, he's under club control through 2026, and he's also giving Craig Breslow an audition tape facing the rival Yankees coming out of the All-Star break.

Could Red Sox target Randy Arozarena trade at the deadline?

In the series opener, Arozarena got warmed up in a Rays loss with a 1-for-4 night with a double. But he then took it to the Yankees in the second game, a 9-1 win for Tampa, as he led the way with two home runs, a double and three RBI during a 4-for-5 day at the office. He wasn't done there either, however, adding to that with another homer on Sunday to increase a narrow Rays lead.

What's more, despite the club control for two seasons after this one, Arozarena's price has never been more affordable with the outfielder entering Sunday hitting just .212 with a .705 OPS. However, the underlying numbers suggest he's about to have a monster second half to rebound from an awful start.

After hitting .112 and .178 in April and June, respectively, Arozarena showed real signs of life with a .291/.424/.468 slash line in June and has followed that up by slashing .296/.356/.574 in July entering Sunday. He's cut down on the strikeouts, is still hitting for power, and looks exactly like the player we've seen as a star in Tampa Bay for years.

What's more, if there's any manager primed to best handle even more outfield depth, it's Alex Cora. He's stellar in terms of maneuvering and shifting the lineup for matchups, which Arozarena could help with. He could platoon "Some m**********r named Randy" with Yoshida at DH, give Wilyer Abreu days off against righties, give rest days to other outfielders, and so on.

Now, would the Red Sox want to spend big on a long-term outfield option like Arozarena? Potentially, especially with Tyler O'Neill not under contract beyond this year. This could be a move to both help the club win now and moving forward.

To be sure, Diaz would make a ton of sense for the Red Sox too and Boston fans should absolutely be happy if that trade was made. However, Arozarena is the flashier move and, perhaps, one that might actually make more sense long term -- and for torturing the Yankees alongside Rafael Devers, the resident Yankee killer.