There were several notable trades made in MLB on January 5. Two of those deals involved the Rays, as Tampa acquired infielder Jose Caballero and outfielder Richie Palacios in two separate trades. Here’s a look at what the Rays got in both trades.
Related: Giants Acquire Robbie Ray From Mariners: What to Make of Trade
A Look at What the Rays Got
Infielder Jose Caballero is one of the newest Rays, after what was a fine rookie campaign in Seattle despite a less-than-stellar .663 OPS.
Caballero spent time at both second and short last season with the Mariners. However, Caballero spent the bulk of his action at second after subpar results from Kolten Wong.
The 27-year-old’s a better fit defensively at second, as his arm strength ranked below average per Statcast. He does, however, have good speed and range for the position.
Offensively, Caballero does have some gap power in his arsenal. However, his best tool is his ability to work counts and walks. The new Ray had a career .395 OBP in the Minors and a .343 OBP in the Majors last year.
The other piece the Rays acquired in the two trades was Richie Palacios.
Palacios was a former third-round pick by the Guardians in 2018 but missed all of 2019 due to shoulder surgery and 2020 thanks to the pandemic. He made his MLB debut in 2022 but had just a .579 OPS over 54 games (123 PA).
With the Cardinals, Palacios showed some promise. The 26-year-old recorded a .823 OPS over 102 plate appearances and cranked six home runs. He struggled a bit with fastballs in his first taste of the Majors but fared better last year. Palacios flashed good bat speed and hit .268 with three home runs off the heat.
Defensively, Palacios does have experience at second. The 26-year-old played the position a bit in the Guardians system. However, he’s mainly been an outfielder who’s seen time at all three positions.
What the Rays Gave Up
To get Caballero, the Rays sent Luke Raley to the Mariners. Raley had a strong 2023 in a platoon role for the Rays, as he hit .249/.333/.490 with 19 home runs and also swiped 14 bases.
Raley can play first and the outfield. Given that the Mariners lost Jarred Kelenic (trade) and Teoscar Hernandez (free agency), Raley serves as a cost-effective solution to replace the power the Mariners lost.
Tampa also traded Andrew Kittredge on January 5, as he was the piece going to St. Louis for Palacios.
The 33-year-old Kittredge was good when healthy over the past three seasons. Kittredge owned strong 3.39 FIP/0.97 WHIP averages from 2021-23, and a 101:19 K:BB ratio over 103.1 IP.
Kittredge relies on a two-seamer and four-seamer that sits in the 93-95 MPH range but his best pitch is a hard slider with depth and plus movement.
Analysis
Given the situation with Wander Franco, who’s been granted bail but will need to make monthly appearances in court as he’s under administrative leave by MLB, it’s not surprising that Tampa brought in another middle infielder.
Tampa did give a trial run to Curtis Mead last season, who did see four games of action at second. However, this move does give the Rays some security for their middle infield in 2024, one that at the moment will likely feature Brandon Lowe and 2B/SS Taylor Walls — assuming he can return at or near Opening Day from hip surgery — as the favorite to win the shortstop job.
Prospect Junior Caminero is an option, as well.
Caballero did cost the Rays Raley but Tampa did replace him with a younger left-handed bat in Palacios. There is upside with Palacios, although this move isn’t akin to the one made between Tampa and St. Louis four years ago that sent Randy Arozarena to the Rays.
Palacios can play all three outfield positions and there is 15-20 home run potential there. However, his hit tool and ability to get on base are better than his power tool.