The Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays figured recently in a seemingly minor deal that hasn't made a serious splash in the offseason. However, both teams appear to have some internal struggles in being on the same page about the trade that had the Rays sending outfielder Luke Raley to the Mariners for infielder José Caballero, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

It starts with the sudden dropoff in the performance of Raley at the plate after the 2023 MLB All-Star break.

“Raley tailed off after the break, producing just four homers and a .677 OPS. And the Rays, confronted with the potential absences of both Wander Franco, who faces a likely suspension, and Taylor Walls, who is coming off hip surgery, needed protection at shortstop,” wrote Rosenthal. “Hence, the trade of Raley for infielder José Caballero, a seemingly minor deal that divided both the Rays’ and Mariners’ front offices, according to sources with both clubs.”

It remains to be seen which of the Rays and the Mariners will come out as true winners of this trade, but in any case, the transaction isn't expected to move the needle very much for either team. For the Rays, who have been busy in the offseason, the 27-year-old Caballero is a young asset who's got three more years of pre-arbitration. The Mariners, on the other hand, will be hoping to get from Raley the type of production that he had before last season's All-Star break during which he hit a total of 15 home runs and posted an impressive .925 OPS.