Anyone have recommendations for a cassette player?

The cheapest one you can find. They all suck, and this way you'll spend the least amount of money.

Actually the price and quality range of cassette players is wider than probably in any other format. The good ones were really good.

How about a Nakamichi Dragon? https://ebay.us/m/zrtUQA

Looks just like mine.

But for $30, you can't beat this:

https://www.amazon.com/Cassette-Converter-Portable-Recorder-...

You can definitely beat that for $30. Hit the thrift stores and you can find vintage machines that will greatly outperform this. You may need to replace a belt on some, but many are working just fine.