Yankees added a hated pest, and now it’s true love

ST. LOUIS — Before Jose Caballero was traded to the Yankees while playing against them at Yankee Stadium on July 31, he used to rile them up.

Seriously, he was not liked by the Yankees.

When the 5-foot-10 Panama native was with for the Mariners as a rookie in 2023 and then the Rays the last two seasons, he gained a reputation for bringing agitation and instigating into his total package, which includes a knack for getting on base, his best-in-the-majors’ basestealing and good defense all over the infield and outfield.

“I’ve yelled at him when he was an opponent,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday after the Yankees beat the Cardinals 8-4 for a three-game weekend sweep at Busch Stadium. “He knows that.

“Yeah, I couldn’t stand him playing against him and now he’s turning into one of my favorite players.”

Caballero is like a hockey enforcer that everyone hates unless he’s on your team.

“He’s a pest,” Yankees pitcher Will Warren said.

Caballero loved hearing that.

“It makes me feel really good because that’s what I’m trying to do,” he said. “I’m trying to make them hate me. I don’t want them to like me. I’m just trying to mess with them.

“I don’t want them to have the full attention on what they’re doing and rather a little more attention on me to try to hate me.”

Now a Yankee, Caballero did his thing to the Cardinals all weekend.

Starting in right field on Friday and Saturday nights and then at shortstop on Sunday, he stole four bases and scored four runs while piling up five hits, one of them a bunt single on Saturday that hugged the third-base line.

Sunday’s game was tied 4-4 when Caballero led off the ninth inning by chopping a grounder to second base that should have been a routine out. His speed, however, probably led to rookie second baseman Thomas Saggese rushing a throw to first that went wild, and this two-base error ignited a game-winning, four-run uprising.

“You know Caballero was in the back of the guy’s mind when he was making that play,” Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon said. “If I hit that ball, the guy catches it and throws me out.”

Caballero was asked if his weekend performances showed off his full ability.

“Well, at this point, I’m just trying to help the team,” he said. “I might have something in my back pocket, but you’re gonna see it later on.”

Hmmm. Wonder what Caballero is plotting?

Whatever it is, the Yankees love what they’re getting already.

Since Caballero was traded for outfielder prospect Everson Pereira and future considerations, he’s batting .333 with six hits, two walks and a sacrifice bunt in 21 plate appearances over 10 games, five of them starts at four positions. He’s also five for five in steals, running his season total to 39. He led the American League with 44 steals last year and leads the majors this season despite hitting just .233 in 96 games.

“He’s a baseball player, man, and to me that’s the biggest compliment you can give someone” McMahon said. “That guy is a ballplayer.”

It didn’t take Caballero long to make amends for his bad first impression as a Yankee.

The Yankees added three relievers and Caballero in four separate on trade-deadline day deals, then all four newbies imploded the next night in Miami when the Marlins won 13-12 after trailing 9-4 in the seventh inning and 12-10 heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Making his Yankees debut as a sub in right field on Aug. 1, Caballero fueled the Marlins’ game-winning rally when he charged in to field a single, didn’t get his glove down and two runs scored.

That was a costly mistake, but Caballero has made all the plays since that night getting starts at third base, shortstop, second base and right field while providing a lot of offense and energy with his bat-to-ball skills, baserunning and antics.

“I told him I hated playing against him because you can see his speed,” Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt said. “He just always puts pressure on the other team, whether it’s stealing bases, even something like there in the ninth (on Sunday) where how fast he is can make the defense have to rush and play out of position. There were two outs and they’re playing for the bunt earlier in the game. It’s something you don’t really see and it opens up a lot of holes.

“He’s made a difference. He’ll come off the bench and steal bags and he can play shortstop and play outfield. He’s a really valuable asset for us and can do it in so many different ways.”

Caballero does it without having much power. The right-handed hitter has only 15 career homers in 1,059 career plate appearances, including two in 279 this season, but impacts games with his bunting, speed and defense.

His one hit in four at-bats on Sunday was an RBI ground single to right field in the fourth inning perfectly placed between the Cardinals’ first baseman and second baseman.

“I tried to just take advantage of what they gave me,” Caballero said. “I saw the hole and was trying to put the ball on the ground and go that way.”

Not many players do that in this age of baseball in which exit velocities and launch angles are preached, but this guy is a throwback.

“I don’t know about old school, new school, now school,” Boone said. “He’s a good player. I like good players.

“To be able to defend the way he does at a number of positions … He provides something offensively. There’s some patience up there at the plate. He can play the short game and he’s obviously really electric on the bases.”

Caballero, who turns 29 in on Aug. 30, probably won’t be a short-time Yankee because he has four seasons of control beyond 2025. He looks like a keeper.

“He’s a winning player,” Boone said. “I’m really excited that he’s on our team because he helps you win games.”

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Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected].