In a pair of moves Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired outfielder Richie Palacios from the St. Louis Cardinals and infielder Jose Caballero from the Seattle Mariners.
The Rays dealt right-handed relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge to the Cardinals for Palacios and traded outfielder Luke Raley to the Mariners in exchange for Caballero.
Kittredge, 33, returned from Tommy John surgery in the second half of the 2023 season and went 2-0 over 14 bullpen outings with one save and a 3.09 ERA.
An All-Star in 2021, when he pitched to a 1.88 ERA with eight saves in 57 appearances (four starts), Kittredge had spent his full seven-year MLB career with Tampa Bay. He is 18-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 181 games (15 starts).
Palacios, 26, appeared in 32 games for St. Louis last season after starting his career with Cleveland in 2022. He is a career .244 hitter with six home runs and 26 RBIs over 86 appearances.
Palacios’ lefty bat replaces Raley’s, as the 29-year-old heads to Seattle after two seasons with the Rays.
Raley played in 118 games in 2023, spending time in all three outfield spots and first base. He batted .249 with 19 home runs and 49 RBIs. In 173 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2021) and Rays (2022-23), Raley is a .233 batter with 22 homers and 57 RBIs.
Caballero, 27, made his debut in 2023 for the Mariners and played in 104 games, primarily at second base and shortstop. He could be a candidate to play shortstop for Tampa Bay following Wander Franco’s arrest in the Dominican Republic.
