"A little bit crazy, but it didn't put a damper on the honeymoon" - Former Rays OF Luke Raley learns about Mariners move during romantic getaway
Outfielder Luke Raley was surprised when he found out that he had been traded from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. The Rays traded him to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for infielder José Caballero.
However, the outfielder was enjoying his honeymoon in St. Lucia and was playing pool volleyball when the trade got underway. So when he learned about the trade, he quickly made the call to his agent, who confirmed the same. Raley told his wife about the trade, and the two immediately went to the room to process the news.
"I get out and have like 20 missed calls and a bunch of text messages," Raley said. "And I'm like, 'Something happened.'" [via MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM].
Even though he was surprised by the news, it wasn't enough to dampen his honeymoon.
"It was a little bit crazy, but it didn't put a damper on the honeymoon at all," Raley said. "We had a great time. I got out of the pool, MVP of the volleyball game," Raley said, "And then I had already been traded to the Mariners."
Luke Raley's MLB career
Hailing from Hinckley, Ohio, Luke Raley was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh round of the 2016 MLB Draft. However, after spending two years as a minor, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins in July 2018.
The Twins traded Raley, Brusdar Graterol and the 67th 2020 draft pick to the Dodgers on February 10, 2020, in exchange for Kenta Maeda, Jar Camargo and cash considerations.
During the 2021 season, he participated in 33 games for the Dodgers, hitting .182 with two home runs and four RBIs. Raley was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Tanner Dodson on March 18, 2022.
In 2023, Luke Raley started regularly, appearing in 118 games and hitting .249/.333/.490 with 19 home runs and 49 RBIs.
As he moves to the Mariners for the upcoming season, it remains to be seen if he'll start the season on the roster.