Rays already giving up on slugging Yankees outfielder from Jose Caballero trade

When the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays completed the Jose Caballero trade at the deadline, the most interesting part about it seemed like it would be that Caballero essentially played for both teams at the same time. The deal was consummated during a matchup between the two clubs as the game was ongoing, ensuring that the pesky utility man was on both the winning and losing sides.

Caballero was much more than a light-hitting, glove-first utility man for the Yankees down the stretch. Leading the league in stolen bases with 49, the 29-year-old slashed .266/.372/.466 in pinstripes, leading a contingent of fans clamoring for him to usurp Anthony Volpe at shortstop.

Caballero might take the shortstop mantle in the early going in 2026 as Volpe recovers from shoulder surgery, and his offseason workouts are starting to turn heads.

The cost to acquire Caballero was a 24-year-old slugging outfielder, Everson Pereira. At a point in time, Pereira's status as a top prospect would've garnered much more on the trade market than a utility player, but a lack of consistent opportunities with the Yankees ultimately deflated his value.

The Rays might have thought they were getting a great buy-low lottery ticket at the time of the deal, but now, just a few months later, they are already moving on.

Rays roster crunch sends Everson Pereira packing, making the Yankees the clear winners of the Jose Caballero trade

Pereira's 2025 season was primarily spent in Triple-A, with the bulk of his reps coming in Scranton. As has been the case for the last several years, the Venezuelan native impressed with his bat. Between the two organizations, he posted a .256/359/.508 line with 21 homers over 78 Triple-A contests.

The power has always been the draw with Pereira, who has also flashed speed and defensive chops in center, but the bugaboo has always been the strikeouts. In Triple-A, he went down via the K 28.7% of the time.

Tampa quickly promoted Pereira to the big league club and found out what the Yankees already knew. That elevated minor league strikeout rate? Well, it becomes absolutely crippling for the youngster against big league pitching.

Pereira struck out 38.4% of the time in 73 big league plate appearances, reminiscent of the 38.8% K-rate he posted with the Yankees during his 2023 cup of coffee. Dragged down by all the whiffs, Pereira posted an OPS of just .465 with Tampa.

Now, Pereira will try his luck in Chicago with the White Sox. He accompanies minor league infielder Tanner Murray as the two are shipped to Chicago's south side in exchange for former Yankees swingman Yoendrys Gomez and reliever Steven Wilson.

Pereira is out of options, so it's likely he gets every chance to prove he belongs on Chicago's big league roster, but they'll likely find out what the Yankees and now the Rays already know. Pereira is the definition of a Quad-A player, and one who will quickly succumb to the K again in his new digs.

For the Yankees, even if Caballero reverts to his career .657 OPS performance, his speed, defense, and versatility make him a valued bench component, and the latest development makes them the clear winners of the trade. It might have been a minor one, but to get back a useful cog for a player with no future is always a win.