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

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.