Seattle Mariners' Skipper Jokingly Says He's No Longer a Fan of Ex-Player's Style

Heading into Monday night's game with the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners' manager Scott Servais says he's not as big a fan of Jose Caballero anymore. He was traded from Seattle to Tampa Bay last offseason.

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Jose Caballero (7) reacts after a walk against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Truist Park on June 14. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of the series opener on Monday night, Seattle Mariners' manager Scott Servais spoke about Tampa Bay Rays' infielder Jose Caballero, who used to play for the M's.

With a wry laugh, Servais said he isn't as big a fan of "Cabby's" style of play anymore. He jokingly called him a "pain in the ass."

"Cabby is really good at Cabby's game. I think we understand that as well as anybody does. His game is getting on base, he's a really good defender, he likes to impact the game on the bases of course... disrupting the timing of the game. We're going to have to pay attention to him.... Cabby is a good player."

Caballero made his major league debut with the Mariners a season ago but was traded to the Rays this past offseason in the deal that brought Luke Raley back to Seattle. The 27-year-old native of Panama hit .221 for Seattle last year in 104 games while hitting four homers. He's already got four homers this year for Tampa and has raised his average to .237. He enters play on Monday as the leader in the American League in stolen bases (24), but he's also been caught eight times, which is the most in the majors.

He's getting an extended run for the Rays this year because of the nature of the Wander Franco situation. Franco is under investigation in the Dominican Republic over allegations of an improper relationship with a minor and is on administrative leave from Major League Baseball.

The Mariners and Rays play on Monday at 3:50 p.m. PT.

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