The Seattle Mariners have signed catcher Cal Raleigh to a new 6 year, $105M contract extension the club announced on Tuesday.
The deal effectively buys out 3 years of free agency for the first time arbitration eligible Raleigh. The 28 year old is a homegrown talent, having been drafted as a 3rd round pick out of Florida State back in 2018.
After a breakout year in 2022 where Raleigh hit 27 homers across 119 games, the switch hitting catcher has increased his RBI and HR totals in each of the subsequent seasons, culminating in a 100 RBI, 34 HR campaign in 2024.
However, Raleigh’s impact isn’t just limited to the offensive side of the game, his stalwart defence earned him a platinum glove award last season as the best defensive player in either league.
Per Jeff Passan, the new deal will break down as follows:
$10 million signing bonus
2025: $1 million salary
2026: $11 million
2027: $12 million
2028: $23 million
2029: $23 million
2030: $23 million
2031: $20 million vesting player option (with $2 million buyout)
With an average annual value of $17.5M, Raleigh becomes the 3rd highest paid catcher in baseball, trailing only J.T. Realmuto and Salvador Perez.
His 13.9 WAR since 2022 is the highest among all catchers, per FanGraphs. He’s also slugged .457 over that span and boasts a 118 OPS+, according to Baseball Reference, while giving Seattle elite defence behind the dish.
The move will give Raleigh some cost assurance in one of the most physically demanding positions in baseball, while likely scoring the Mariners’ front office some brownie points amongst their fanbase after years of being labelled “cheap”.
The club’s farm system, which is currently ranked amongst the best in the sport, plus a younger roster featuring star players such as Julio Rodriguez, Bryan Woo, and others should keep Seattle frisky in the ever competitive AL West for years to come.
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