SEATTLE, WA – Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Justin Hollander announced today that the Mariners have acquired outfielder/first baseman Luke Raley from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for infielder José Caballero.
Seattle’s Major League, 40-man roster remains at 38 players.
“We’re thrilled to add Luke Raley to the middle of our lineup as a left-handed bat with positional versatility,” Hollander says. “Offensively, Luke brings power paired with game-changing baserunning and instincts. He’s also a solid defender across multiple positions, adding further flexibility to our lineup on a nightly basis.”
From the Seattle Mariners:
Raley, 29, appeared in 118 games with Tampa Bay last season, batting .249 (89×357) with 56 runs, 23 doubles, 3 triples, 19 home runs, 49 RBI and 14 stolen bases, getting on base at a .333 clip and slugging .490 (.824 OPS). Among American League players with at least 400 plate appearance in 2023, Raley’s 130 wRC+ ranked 14th.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound outfielder/first baseman appeared defensively at first base (35 G) and at all three outfield positions (36 G in RF, 18 G in LF and 11 G in CF). Raley also made 2 pitching appearances.
Raley has appeared in parts of 3 Major League seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2021) and Tampa Bay Rays (2022–23), batting .234 (113×484) with 68 runs, 26 doubles, 3 triples, 22 home runs, 57 RBI and 14 stolen bases, getting on base at a .319 clip and slugging .436 (.755 OPS). The Hinckley, Ohio native made his Major League debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 9, 2021 vs. the Washington Nationals.
Caballero, 27, made his Major League debut in 2023, batting .221 (51×231) with 37 runs, 9 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 26 RBI and 26 stolen bases, getting on base at a .343 clip and slugging .320 (.663 OPS) as a rookie. He appeared defensively at second base (64 G), shortstop (21 G), third base (9 G) and left field (1 G).
Caballero has also appeared in parts of 6 minor league seasons, batting a combined .283 (243×858) with 49 doubles, 21 home runs, 115 RBI, and 85 stolen bases while getting on base at a .395 clip and slugging .432 (.827 OPS). He has appeared defensively at 2B, 3B and SS in his minor league career. The infielder was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 7th round of the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Chipola College (FL). He was acquired by the Mariners on July 31, 2019 from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for RHP Mike Leake.
