Tampa Bay Rays Trade Breakout Slugger Luke Raley to Seattle Mariners for José Caballero
The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to trade outfielder/first baseman Luke Raley to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for rookie infielder José Caballero.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the deal, while ESPN's Jeff Passan confirmed that it had been completed.
This marks the Mariners' second trade of the day, as it was revealed just minutes after they sent left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray to the San Francisco Giants. They acquired outfielder Mitch Haniger and starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani as part of that deal.
Raley was in his third season of big league action this past year, finally becoming a regular contributor for the Rays. While splitting time between first base and the outfield, Raley hit .249 with 19 home runs, 23 doubles, 49 RBI, 14 stolen bases, an .824 OPS and a 2.5 WAR in 118 games.
The 29-year old slugger started the year even hotter, batting .280 with a .930 OPS through July 17. From that point on, however, Raley hit .197 with a .643 OPS, and a neck injury held him off the Rays' playoff roster.
Raley is in a position to compete with Haniger, Cade Marlowe and Dominic Canzone for the starting outfield spots on either side of franchise centerpiece Julio Rodríguez, while also spelling Ty France at first base. Veteran free agent addition Mitch Garver, meanwhile, is unlikely to play every game at designated hitter, despite his relatively high short-term price tag.
The Mariners do lose a bit of infield versatility with Caballero headed to Tampa Bay, leaving last year's trade deadline acquisition Josh Rojas on more of an island at second base. The move also places more pressure on new addition Luis Urias to fill in for Eugenio Suarez at third base on a full-time basis, barring any more moves.
Caballero fits right into the Rays' philosophy of stockpiling young, versatile defenders, which will become even more important with star shortstop Wander Franco facing serious legal issues in the Dominican Republic. Brandon Lowe is sure to hold onto his starting job at second, but Caballero can serve as a backup while also helping Taylor Walls, Osleivis Basabe and Junior Caminero at short.
The 27-year-old infielder appeared in 104 games for Seattle this past season, managing to post a 2.4 WAR as a rookie. Caballero hit .221 with four home runs, 26 RBI, 26 stolen bases and a .663 OPS.
Neither Raley nor Caballero will become arbitration eligible until the 2026 offseason, so this trade doesn't move the financial needle for either side. The Mariners' trade with the Giants was also cash-neutral, since they got an additional $3 million back from San Francisco.
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