The Mariners announced that they’ve signed catcher to a six-year extension Cal Raleigh that starts this year. It’s reportedly a $105MM guarantee for the Excel Sports Management client. He had previously agreed to a $5.6MM salary in 2025 to avoid arbitration, so this deal adds five years and $99.4MM in terms of new money. He was slated to hit free agency after 2027, so this deal buys out three free agent seasons and there’s also a vesting option for 2031. Raleigh gets full no-trade protection.
The specific breakdown is a $10MM signing bonus and $1MM salary in 2025, followed by salaries of $11MM and $12MM in 2026 and 2027. He will then make $23MM salaries for three straight years. For 2031, there is a vesting player option valued at $20MM with a $2MM buyout. The option would vest if Raleigh appears in 100 games behind the plate in at least four of the six guaranteed seasons.
Raleigh, now 28, was a third-round pick of the M’s in the 2018 draft. As a prospect, he drew attention as a switch-hitting catcher with notable power. His 2021 debut wasn’t great but he has since established himself as one of the best two-way catchers in the game.
Over the past three seasons, Raleigh has stepped to the plate 1,612 times. His 28.3% strikeout rate in that time is a bit on the high side, but he’s also drawn walks at a 10% clip and hit 91 home runs. The end result is a .222/.303/.457 line, which translates to a 117 wRC+. That indicates he’s been 17% better than the league average hitter, but that’s even more impressive for a catcher, since they are usually about 10% below average.
The switch-hitter hasn’t been totally balanced in his production. 73 of his 93 career homers have come against righties and he has a .223/.304/.454 line when hitting from the left side. When he turns around to bat right-handed against southpaws, his line drops to .202/.271/.410, though the 94 wRC+ on that latter line is still passable.
Defensively, he’s received strong marks for all aspects but especially his framing. FanGraphs gave him the third-best framing mark last year, behind only Patrick Bailey and Jake Rogers. Statcast had him second only to Bailey.
The overall package is quite strong. FanGraphs has credited him with between 4.2 and 5.3 wins above replacement in each of the past three seasons. That means he was worth a total 13.9 fWAR over the 2022-24 period. That was tops among all catchers in the league and in the top 20 of all position players. It’s difficult to quantify a catcher’s contributions to a pitching staff but Seattle has had strong results from the mound during Raleigh’s time as well.
He just crossed the three-year service line in 2024, qualifying him for arbitration for the first time. As mentioned, he and the club settled at $5.6MM for this year. He would have been slated for two more arbitration passes before hitting free agency after 2027, his age-30 season.
Had he stayed healthy and productive between now and then, he could have perhaps been in line for a strong trip to free agency. However, the earning power of catchers at that age isn’t tremendous, as shown on MLBTR’s Contract Tracker.
While shooting into nine-figure territory and beyond is common for other players, the wear-and-tear of the catching positions make it rare for that group. J.T. Realmuto is actually the only free agent catcher to get to nine figures. He and the Phillies agreed to a five-year, $115.5MM deal going into 2021. Only four other free agent catchers have gone beyond $53MM. Willson Contreras got $87.5MM from the Cardinals, Brian McCann $85MM from the Yankees, Russell Martin $82MM from the Blue Jays and Yasmani Grandal $73MM from the White Sox.
Extensions have been the path for the top deals for catchers. Joe Mauer and Buster Posey are tops on that leaderboard, though those deals are both over a decade old. More recently, some rough comps for Raleigh can be found in Will Smith and Sean Murphy. Smith’s $131.5MM guarantee is larger than Raleigh’s, though he was one year closer to free agency, therefore giving him a bit more earning power. The nine-year term is a bit eye-popping but that was largely viewed as a way to lower the average annual value for tax purposes.
Murphy was in the same three-to-four service window as Raleigh and got $73MM over six years plus a $15MM option. The two players had a broadly similar profile as strong two-way backstops. Raleigh’s deal shoots well beyond that one.
For the Mariners, they generally struggle to attract top free agents. That’s perhaps somewhat due to the pitcher-friendly nature of T-Mobile Park but more generally about the club not having massive payrolls. Since Jerry Dipoto has been atop the baseball operations department, this is now the eighth contract the club has given out worth more than $24MM. Of those eight, only two of those were free agent deals. They went to Robbie Ray and Yusei Kikuchi, both pitchers.
The six extensions have gone to Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, Luis Castillo, Jean Segura, J.P. Crawford and Marco Gonzales. There are couple of pitchers in there but four of the six have gone to position players, showing that to be a preferred way of spending money for the club, particularly the lineup.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Raleigh’s salary jumps up at a time when the club should have some extra payroll capacity down the line. He will almost double his salary from 2027 to 2028, going from $12MM to $23MM. By that time, Castillo’s deal will be done the guaranteed portion, though there is a vesting option for 2028. Castillo would need to throw 180 innings in 2027 and be verified as healthy by an independent surgeon. Even if Castillo is still around in ’28, the deals for Mitch Haniger, Mitch Garver, Crawford, Polanco and Víctor Robles will all finish between now and then.
It’s surely an exciting day for Raleigh, the Mariners and their fans. “Big Dumper” has become one of the better backstops in the league and a fan favorite. He’ll now be slated to stick around for six or maybe even seven more years, instead of just three. He’ll be 33 years old in the final guaranteed year of the deal and 34 in 2031, the vesting option year. Barring a future trade, he will eventually spend the majority or perhaps his entire career in Seattle.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported that the two sides had agreed to six-year, $105MM deal. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic relayed the no-trade clause. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times first reported on the vesting option that could push the total to $123MM. Passan reported the specific salary breakdown. Rosenthal reported the vesting condition.
Photos courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images.
This is obviously great news for Mariners fans and the team.
But I can’t help but wonder if it will be an excuse for not spending more next offseason..
“You wanted Cal, now you have him long-term. We spent! But that’s all you’re getting”.
Cal Raleigh and Mike Piazza are the only two primary catchers with at least 3 seasons with 25+ home runs since 2000. Not to mention Raleigh is elite defensively. Seems like a great deal for the Mariners.
Langeliers only 2 full MLB seasons and 22 & 29, respectively, and he’s not in his prime yet, about to play a few seasons in a MiLB home park.
If he keeps having elite defense and 750-800 ops that’s HOF like pudge or Molina
Yeah, but Molina and Rodriguez had the benefit of starting their careers at a very early age. Rodriguez was 19 when he made his debut and was 20 by the time he became the Rangers’ full-time catcher. Molina was the Cards’ full-time backstop by 22. Raleigh was already 25 when he became a fulltimer. I could see him as a Mike Napoli type, but more than good enough defensively to stay behind the dish, which is a still very valuable player.
sad – Cal was at the very top of my trade wish list, I would have given up BOTH Grissom and Rafaela for him. It really bums me out that he has a full NTC now, no chance he ever agrees to get traded to the Red Sox.
Kirk was my second choice, he’s off the table now too.
Who is left for catchers? I wonder what it would take to trade for Teel …….
You would have given up 2 players that don’t have a future in Boston? lol.
mariners – You’re probably right about Grissom, but Rafaela is the starting CF with 7 years remaining on his contract … and according to some Sox fans here, he’s the next Mookie Betts ;O)
Rafaela doesn’t really fit the M’s roster. We have players with his best attributes/position solidified on the roster and he can’t hit a lick, which the M’s need to get away from. Grissom stinks. I can’t help but think that package is a complete non-starter.
My – Rafaela did have 15 homers and 75 RBI last year. He just has poor swing decisions, but he’s looked much better this spring.
“Really bums me out”. That’s some really weird victimhood. Enjoy your bumming.
Major – Victimhood?
That’s a really weird interpretation of “bums me out”.
I was also bummed out when UConn lost to Florida Sunday, does that make me a “victim” Sunday as well?
Bad contract on day 1
Worst comment on day 1.
ok bookmark this page and let’s talk at the end of this season.. deal?
How about 5 seasons?
It’s a 6-year deal. One good or bad season won’t be telling of much, but the bar is low. He’s vital to Seattle’s pitching staff and brings the glove every night. The fact that he can hit for power has been the bonus.
But, sure! We can revisit this in a year for fun.
@WideWorldof Sports, he’s far and away the best defensive catcher in MLB who plays +140 games every year. His power isn’t going anywhere. Maybe by year 5 of this deal he starts to regress, but he’s just hitting his prime now.
Hahaha
Thanks for showing you’re not paying any attention to the actual topic of discussion. Cal has been one of the hardest working guys in all of baseball. He’s the top catcher in the league, switch hitter with power, great with the pitching staff and a gold glove defender. Take your rubbish back to your mom’s basement.
And why do you think that???
It’s actually a great signing!!
“Bad contract”…I’m as conservative as it gets on teams giving out long term deals. That being said, this seems like good deal for the team, since the terms seem reasonable and catchers are vital to any pitching staff.
I think this may be one of the best, most necessary deals in Mariner’s team history. I’ll take a strong defensive catcher, who hits(with power) on my team any day of the week. But that, is just one man’s opinion.
Adding…
He’s a great catcher for the next 6 years.
$100 million is a great contract for the team and the player.
Agreed. Lots of complaining about GM and owners not doing anything and when they sign the #1 catcher in the league to a reasonable extension before free agency, it’s deemed bad or not enough.
Let’s view each deal at face value. He’s in prime and even if he’s a DH in the back half of the deal it’s relatively affordable for a player who be in his early to mid 30s.
Terrible take. He’d be worth it alone for a DH if he can maintain his bat. Being a good defensive catcher as well is a bonus.
Ok guys let’s see lol
You can say “let’s see” for literally any contract since teams pay for future value. That doesn’t change the fact that, based on track record, age, and attributes, it’s a good deal. So even though “we’ll see” if it pays off, the belief that it’s a bad contract at the time of signing is goofy even if you end up being right.
You laid a turd on day one.
Spotrac assigned Cal Raleigh a market value of eight years and about $194 million for an AAV of $24.2 million:
spotrac.com/mlb/player/market-value/_/id/26119/cal…
… based on the assumption that Raleigh were a free agent, not a player entering the first of three arbitration seasons.
If you have a catcher that doesn’t mess the bed, you keep him, and Raleigh sure doesn’t mess the bed.
BIG deal for BIG DUMPER
Seattle face with an Oakland booty?
Any relation to looking California and feeling Minnesota?
Nice signing M’s! Grats to team & player
Kind of! Great, absolutely great band from Seattle
I lean towards Staley being my fav, but geez Louise if Cornell isn’t always right there too. Flip a coin!
AIC will always be my favorite but Superunknown is easily one of my favorite albums ever. Win win
Ultra Rare W by Jerry. Have Julio & Dumper locked up for the long term, now if only we would spend outside of the org……………………………
Actually it’s a win-win situation. Cal’s no spring chicken, generational financial security for the player. Definitely not an overpay for one of the top all around catchers in the game.
PAYH THAT MYAN HEES MONEY!!!
Not Rounders movie.. lmao
This is most likely only a bad deal for Raleigh if he continues to be a gold glove HR hitting All-Star.
It’s bad for the M’s if he stops hitting HRs and somehow has defensive skills that decline dramatically. Odds are that won’t happen.
He’ll never hit for average… but the M’s aren’t paying for that.
The makes sense for both sides.
Cal mashes and plays good defense. The batting average is negligible.
Jeez, that’s a lotta dough for a guy who posts prime Mike Zunino stats… I don’t know a lot about the guy, admittedly, but he better be a great catcher for that price tag.
He was the best catcher in the game last year. Won a platinum glove.
He’s the best Defensive catcher in baseball. This contract is a bargain.
Zunino never once was as consistent as Raleigh. He only had 2 seasons with at least 100 games played and an OPS+ above 100. Raleigh has done that now 3 seasons in a row, with over 140 games in each of the last two years. If he plays anything like he has in 2023 or 2024, he’ll also surpass Zunino in fWAR in just his 4th season.
Zunino’s best year was worse than Cal’s worst year.
The only season that comes close is 2017, when he had 25 home runs, a 125 OPS+, and +4.4 fWAR. But Raleigh averages more home runs, fWAR, and has a comparable 118 OPS+ over the last 3 seasons.
Big Z does have one of the greatest June’s in the history of catchers (2017).
You most definitely don’t know a lot about the guy. At least you’re honest.
“I don’t know a lot about the guy” but here’s my words if wisdom!
So what do they do with Ford who’s looked pretty good so far?
Use him as a backup. You do need two catchers.
Ford saw a few games in left field last season. I could see him turning into a Daulton Varsho type.
Perfect world, Ford would be backup catcher and play 3b/LF once he’s ready
What’s super important from my perspective is to have a catcher who does not bat 8th or 9th in your line up. He also needs to be good enough to DH on your team on off days. Theres only a few franchises that can boast this and they are all relevant largely because the average catcher bats at very bottom of order
Brewers
Seattle
Baltimore
Where a franchise can really separate themselves is to have 2 catchers that fit the mold. I’ve never considered ford a top 50 prospect but he has consistently produced and showed value to his game. He’s the perfect 1B prototype catcher and if he started for two pitchers while Raleigh caught the rest it would drastically reduce the wear and tear on your catching tandem while providing 8-10 wins a season above league average.
Be nice to see the Ms bring that together! Really disappointed in their offseason and I’m questioning direction while in the past I was quick to defend Trader J
Good player. On the other hand, catchers don’t age well and long term catcher contracts are risky. Sean Murphy for example.
Probably would’ve been smarter to just let him go through arb, but locking up a fan favorite will keep the fan base happy.
Sean Murphy has been a big disappointment for the Braves.
I like Raleigh. How can you not? But he is a 28 year old catcher who is a 3 true outcomes hitter. The defense is elite and will keep him valuable if the power lessens. But we’ve seen catchers fall off a cliff in their 30’s. Its a big gamble but i think its a must for the M’s. Hopefully he stays healthy because he’s led the MLB and the AL in catcher appearances the last 2 years.
Why would Cal do this; this org doesn’t have his best interest at heart.
Harry Ford is not a catcher after this.
He has 100+ million reasons to do this, and he avoids his career getting screwed by an injury.
I run him at SS to see if he can handle it this year in AAA. I’m not sold on Crawford as long term starter. Any way to get his walking skills and wheels to seattle sooner, I’m taking it. Ford might make the callup to mariners by 1st of July.
Guaranteed $100 million plus.
He’s slightly smarter than Ian Desmond.
Dude had 4.7 war. 119 ops+. 34 bombs. 100 rbi. And won the platinum glove and was not an all star? MLB needs to retroactively nominate all star awards. You can’t have the best positional season in MLB and not make the all star team. Dumb.
I mean if he didnt make the all star team he didnt make the all star team.. you just want MLB to lie? Maybe they should have a thing like football where they have the All-Pro teams, which is separate from making the Pro-Bowl team.
How do you change it ? You would have to move all star game until October maybe ? That would be cool to have a 3 game series on days the World Series was off !
Atleast he’s not gonna be another jason veritek(traded away and became a team HofF’r)
But you got Heathcliff Slocum!!
And saved us from Derek Lowe!
He seems driven to improve every year. Comes to camp in better shape each year. Has a great connection with all the young pitchers. He’s the teams leader. Pretty fun core the mariners have.
Epic moment for him
In 2022 . Hitting an go ahead home run in the 9th inning with 2 outs, full count. hits the home run to send us to the playoffs and end a 21 season drought
Now go get Gilbert and Kirby signed
Yes! Finally paying the man!
Some of you people remind me of some old guys that used to hang out at the coffee shop…if it was cloudy…one would say…Damnit…it’s going to rain today and if it was clear the other would say…Damnit…it’s going to be hot today…just no pleasing some of you
The Mariners have a good one and are locking him up for the next 6 years.
What’s not to like?
Looks like a sunny day to me
Beautifully said, Mr 3-finger
Please don’t leave us hanging. Why are the old guys no longer hanging at the coffee shop? Have they all passed away? Did the coffee shop close?
That coffee shop was at a Vons Grocery store that had a snack bar and there would be six to eight guys that would come in every morning and solve the problems of the world and even talk about baseball 🙂
Okay, I was worried because of your use of the past tense.😂
6 years for a 28 year old catcher is risky business. But I guess Raleigh is one of the best ones to extend.
This is a great deal for both sides. His avg can stand to improve a little, but everything else in his game is top notch. HRS, RBIS,throwing out runners, framing. He was rated the platinum glove winner at C. And he’s the most clutch hitter on the team with RISP the last 3 years. He deserves his $ & his flowers.
The Mariners are spending money! The Mariners are spending money! The Mariners are spending money! The Mariners are spending money! The Mariners are spending money! The Mariners are spending money!
Now go lock up Logan Gilbert and George Kirby and deal at the deadline this year for a bat or two for players that may have spendy contracts that you take on, but make you better at the plate for the next two years.
They better considering how quiet they have been all offseason
#brm !!! The season is upon us. Bwahahahaha
I think there is genuine interest in locking up Gilbert. I have doubts about Kirby. I think they’ll want to assess Sloan or Cijntje (and Evans) before they do too much.
Moving Kirby could net them a haul. Surely they’re considering that (as a future option).
Let’s play catch and throw some hypotheticals… how much for Kirbs? And ideally speaking, whatcha-all lookin’ for?
There seem to be so few catchers that can provide value with the bat and on the defensive side of the game.. Seems like a really good idea for the Mariners to lock him up.
Agreed. Blue Jays did it recently with Alejandro Kirk. Jose Trevino with the Reds as well for his high-ish floor. Hope the Yankees can work an extension for Austin Wells soon although he’s pre-arb.
Almost twice what Kirk got. I remember somebody in that thread responding to a Mariners fan with something like “what are the Mariners doing?” And Boom! Here we are….
Hoping Teel works out for the White Sox. He was the big piece from Crochet trade.
In this Tigers fan humble opinion, I think Raleigh’s a top 2 catcher in the game. Right up there with William Contreras. Ruschman 3rd, then 4th and 5th would be between Will Smith and Sal Perez.
Big Dumper with a truck load!
Where did this photo originate?? It seems non-standard
I do not value war much. And team war is such a ridiculous stat it should be heresy to reference it in an article lol.
212 is actually not a terrible average in this day in age, especially for a catcher. The difference between now and 20-30 years ago is the evolution of pitching. I heard a former mlb pitcher who had 10+ years experience and is prob 55-60 today give a speech and he said there was one guy in all his playing time that was on his team that could throw harder than 95. Bring back the days of 89mph fastball and the days of 250/260 average will return
Yankee fans would have dumped him after his rookie year
Screaming we want an over the hill overpaid catcher not a catcher who can grow to be a star
For proof, look at the way the fans treat
Volpe like trash
Because Volpe has a ton to prove still
That is absurd
You get a quality catcher, you do everything to keep him. That’s why Baltimore needs to extend Adley this year.
*this month.
Congrats Cal,…. The folks of Franklin County, VT and I are proud of you. All Star year !!
How does having a Big Butt impact a player’s longevity?
Mute worthy post.
Do you not know where his nickname “Big Dumper” comes from? Or that body types have different age curves?
Big Dumper is a Mariner Catcher For Life*. That’s awesome.
*He’ll be a 1B by then end of the contract, I’ll bet.
I think in years 4-6 he’ll split time between C/1B/DH. This is assuming they don’t trade Ford though, because this extension might signal that way.
There’s a lot of doubt that Ford sticks at catcher: of course, that makes him as trade bait probably even more likely, get value for him while folks still think he’s a catcher.
A note on this article that i think is interesting, the article says only 4 other catchers received more then 53 mil in free agency, that should prob have since x date on it because Mike Piazza receive a 7 year 91 mil deal in 1998 to stay with the Mets, and it seems like there are a few other catchers missed, historically.
The Mariners spending money was not on my 2025 bingo card.
Best Catcher in MLB. Would say he’s surpassed JT Realmuto and Salvador Perez, considering his age, power and ability behind the dish.
Take the money now and extend Gilbert, miller and woo. Trade Kirby next year for a boatload of prospects, and bring up 3-4 top prospects for the next couple years and we should be good to go.
Baller!
Congrats to Cal Raleigh. One of the most physically and mentally demanding pro sports jobs.
Raleigh’s extension isn’t just about retention—it’s an arbitrage play on catcher impact that no one’s quantifying fully. Catchers like him don’t just hit; they amplify pitching staffs (Seattle’s mound success tracks his tenure), yet teams underpay for this ripple effect because it’s hard to measure. A 1,000 IQ team could exploit this: target and extend two-way backstops in their mid-20s, betting their outsized influence on ERA and strikeouts outweighs their cost relative to flashier positions. The market fixates on WAR or AAV (Raleigh’s $17.5MM average is high for a catcher), but misses how a $105MM catcher could save $50MM in pitching upgrades by boosting staff efficiency. The Mariners, with their pitcher-friendly park and extension-heavy strategy, are uniquely positioned to test this, yet no one frames it as a systemic edge.
I think this deal is less about good game management as catcher and more about Raleigh having value as the defacto team captain, especially on a team that kept letting team leaders go. After he publicly criticized the team for not making moves, it has been reported that Dipoto has been keeping him in the loop over off-season moves. Julio might be the guy the team uses in marketing but Raleigh is probably the heart of the team.
This is for all the naysayers who say the Mariners can’t afford their own players and players will never want to resign here. Way to go morons. Logan is up next.
Not really. The Mariners ownership is still cheap. They should’ve made some noise this offseason to win a title. The pitching is in place but they refused to make their team better by paying a bat or four.
Congrats, Mariner Enjoyers!
That’s a serious overpay.
One reason to be excited about the Mike Piazza comparisons is that Mike Piazza played in a World Series and if the Mariners play the Mets in the World Series the Mariners will win.