THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: A bat, an arm and some hope

In my years of being a Seattle Mariner fan, I don’t think I can recall a week like this one has been.

It kind of reminds me of a line from an Oscar-winning movie.

“Just when I think you can’t get any dumber, you do something like this … and totally redeem yourself.”

OK, so that movie didn’t win any Oscars.

We’ll soon see just how brilliant the team’s latest moves turn out to be.

AS MOST fans were asleep on Thursday night, the Mariners dealt a couple of minor league players, and a player to be named later, to the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Randy Arozarena.

Considering that left field has been a bit of a disaster area for quite a while, it won’t hurt to have Arozarena patrolling the outfield with Julio Rodriguez, once he’s healthy after colliding with the wall in last Sunday’s game with the Houston Astros.

Arozarena has a career batting average of .289 at T-Mobile Park and advanced to the finals of the 2023 Home Run Derby in Seattle before losing to Vlad Guerrero Jr.

So whatever issues that seem to be bugging the home team haven’t seemed to phase the newly-acquired piece in the outfield.

A few years ago, watching from the left field bleachers before the Mariners played the Rays, watching batting practice, you could see just what all the hype around Arozarena was all about.

He can hit.

He gets around the bases.

That same night, an usher was telling me about how the team was hoping to groom Ty France to eventually take over at third base for Kyle Seager once he moved on from the team.

France wasn’t the answer at third, and last Sunday, played his final game for the team after being placed on waivers.

Back to the new guy.

Arozarena is a great defensive outfielder with a lot of postseason experience with the Rays.

In the 2020 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arozarena hit .364 with three home runs and four RBIs for the Rays, who lost that series in six games.

Later on Friday, Seattle acquired Yimi Garcia, a relief pitcher from the Toronto Blue Jays for another couple of prospects, including Jonatan Clase, who has seen some time in the majors in Seattle this season.

Arozarena is under club control until the 2027 season as well, something that might have made the move even sweeter. He’s expected to join the team today in Chicago.

Not only do you get the next two months to see if they can make up for blowing a 10-game lead in the American League West.

It’s quite possible if they get rolling eventually, you could be forgetting all about it by mid-October.

WITH THAT being said, all of that means nothing if the team can’t get JP Crawford or Rodriguez back in a timely manner.

Crawford, expected to be out 4 to 6 weeks with a broken finger, was hit by a pitch earlier this week. Rodriguez is said to be improving, but with the most expensive ankle in the organization right now, chances are the team won’t be throwing him back into the lineup until he’s ready to go.

Sure, it’s not a great look to start 1-5 after the All-Star break — at home — against Houston, the team the Mariners are now chasing. Then, promptly get swept by the Los Angeles Angels, who were without Mike Trout.

The optimist in me will always believe it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

And who knows, Seattle might not be done adding to its roster by Tuesday’s trade deadline.

As a fan, we hope not.

We’re too invested in it now to turn back.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.