Seattle Mariners Fans Clamor For Team to Bring Back Infielder Jose Caballero

The Tampa Bay Rays recently signed Ha-Seong Kim to a two-year deal, which might open the door for the Seattle Mariners to bring back an infielder they traded not that long ago.
Seattle Mariners shortstop Jose Caballero fields a ball against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 17, 2023, at Kauffman Stadium.
Seattle Mariners shortstop Jose Caballero fields a ball against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 17, 2023, at Kauffman Stadium. / Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

The Seattle Mariners are less than two weeks away from Spring Training. And the team still has two pressing needs in the infield.

The club's plan is to have recent signing Donovan Solano mainly play first base and have him occasionally stand at second. That leaves the Mariners still in search of every day players at second and third base.

And a recent move could open the door for Seattle to reunite with a potential second baseman.

The Tampa Bay Rays signed infielder Ha-Seong Kim to a somewhat shocking two-year, $29 million deal on Jan. 29. The move plus Junior Caminero's transcendent performance in the Dominican Championship League Series has left the Rays with a better infield than most fans and media expected them to have going into the offseason.

That's also left a former Mariners player and current Tampa Bay infielder Jose Caballero into a bench role.

Caballero was originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seven round of the 2017 MLB Draft. Seattle acquired him in a trade on July 31, 2019. He spent over four years with the Mariners organization and made his major league debut in 2023. He hit .221 with four home runs, 26 RBIs and 26 steals in 106 games played.

Caballero was traded to the Rays in a one-for-one deal that sent Luke Raley to the Mariners on Jan. 5, 2024. Last season, Caballero batted .227 with nine home runs, 44 RBIs and stole 44 bases.

Kim signing with the Rays has left many Seattle fans speculating the team might bring back Caballero.

Trident True (@TridentTruee on "X") made a joke and posted Caballero "jersey swapped" into a Mariners uniform, which was just a picture of him on the team last year.

Caballero would bring a familiarity with the organization and his 40-50 steal capability is intriguing. But from a hitting perspective, it's hard to gauge how much of an upgrade he would actually be over Ryan Bliss, Leo Rivas or Dylan Moore at second.

With Seattle's limited payroll, there aren't many options for the team to find a capable starting infielder that doesn't have a list of question marks. Tampa Bay has also built a solid infield and it's hard to imagine they break it up, especially since Kim isn't expected to be ready until May.

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