The Mariners send José Caballero to Tampa Bay in exchange for Luke Raley, in a trade made to improve their outfield situation.
The Mariners had also surprised plenty of people on Friday, after trading Robbie Ray to the Giants in exchange for Anthony DeSclafani, cash considerations and former fan favorite Mich Haniger. However, it turned out they weren’t done yet.
As confirmed by the club, the Mariners acquired Luke Raley from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for José Caballero. Raley can play at first base but is expected to start in left field, where he has a 1.000 fielding percentage in 38 career games at the position.
With Haniger set to start in the right field spot, the Mariners have revamped their outfield. This was a priority after trading Jarred Kelenic and not extending a qualifying offer to Teoscar Hernández.
Trading Kelenic is still the move which seems the most unwise, with him finally starting to live up to his potential last year. However, the Mariners at least now have an affordable replacement in left field, with Raley still two years away from arbitration eligibility.
What does Raley offer?
The question is, what exactly are the Mariners getting in Raley? Ironically, his defense is similar to that of Kelenic, in that he has decent arm strength, is athletic, versatile and — more specifically — aggressive; in fact maybe a little too aggressive at times.
Offensively the 29-year-old adds an invaluable left-handed power bat, to give the lineup more balance. Last season was a breakout year for him in Tampa, as he finally got to show what he can do at the plate on a regular basis.
Raley hit 19 home runs and 49 RBI on the year, while also stealing 14 bases in 17 attempts and manufacturing 28 walks. As a result he produced an encouraging .249/.333/.490 slash line, .824 OPS, 126 OPS+ and wRC+ of 130.
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Unfortunately for the 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers draft pick, his season was impacted — quite literally — after a collision during batting practice in mid-September. He injured his neck and as a result, missed out on competing in the playoffs with the Rays.
The addition of Raley isn’t without question, in that he mostly avoided left-hand pitchers last year. It will be interesting to see how he deals with more action versus southpaws, especially when you combine his Major League career strikeout rate of 32.2 percent.
Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Justin Hollander, released a statement about the trade for Raley. He said:
“We’re thrilled to add Luke Raley to the middle of our lineup as a left-handed bat with positional versatility. Offensively, Luke brings power paired with game-changing base-running and instincts. He’s also a solid defender across multiple positions, adding further flexibility to our lineup on a nightly basis.”
So long Caballero
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention José Caballero, the player who’s headed in the opposite direction in this deal. Caballero made his Major League debut last season and went on to play in 104 games for the Mariners.
The 27-year-old was particularly impressive on defense. He mostly played in the infield, producing a combined .981 fielding percentage at second and third base, as well as shortstop.
Offensively, Caballero struggled a bit more, albeit not a major concern for someone in his first year in the big leagues. He finished with a .221/.343/.320 slash line and .663 OPS, hitting four home runs and 26 RBI along the way.
The 2017 seventh round draft pick also forced 28 walks and showed some hustle with 26 steals when on base. The thinking is that he will mostly play at short stop for the Rays, as he looks to build on his promising season in Seattle.
Overall, this trade seems like more of a win when compared to the one which sent Ray to San Francisco. As much as you would still like the Mariners to bring in a big addition, Raley does improve the lineup.
Are you on board with the trade for Raley? Are you fine with the Mariners letting Caballero go, or would you have liked to see him continue to develop in Seattle? Let us know in the comments section below.
