It has to be difficult for a player to leave the franchise with which he became a star and created so many memorable moments.

Just ask Randy Arozarena, whom the Rays traded to the Mariners late Thursday night. Arozarena, a slugging outfielder who belted 85 home runs and stole 94 bases for Tampa Bay over the past five seasons, was one of the club’s biggest stars and a fan favorite.

On Friday, he wasn’t just a fan favorite — he was a fan.

Arozarena was obviously not on the field for the Rays as they hosted the Reds at Tropicana Field, but he wasn’t far from it. It was only a matter of time before the TV cameras spotted Arozarena, who was with his family in the stands.

“OK, that’s weird,” said Brian Anderson on the Rays’ television broadcast. “Seeing Zach Eflin [who was traded to Baltimore on Friday] in an Orioles uniform was weird.

“This is next-level weird.”

Seeing Arozarena wearing any uniform other than that of the Rays will certainly take some getting used to. We’ll never forget his record-setting postseason in 2020, when he launched 10 home runs to help fuel a Tampa Bay run that ended in the World Series.

And we’ll never forget his signature cowboy boots from that October, or him signing autographs during games, along with the many other ways in which he endeared himself to local fans and the baseball world.

Those are memorable highlights from the past, but now Arozarena will look to help the Mariners make a postseason push in Seattle as he begins the next chapter of his career.

Still, on Friday, he wanted to be inside Tropicana Field pulling for the home team one more time.