Cal Raleigh confirms his $105M Mariners contract wasn't all about money

When the Seattle Mariners were eliminated from the playoffs with just one game remaining back in 2023, a frustrated Cal Raleigh spoke to the media and wasn't shy about sharing his thoughts.

As per ESPN, he said: "We got to commit to winning. We have to commit to going and getting those players you see other teams going out, going for, getting big-time pitchers, getting big-time hitters and we have to do that to keep up."

Raleigh received plenty of support from teammates, fans and local media alike, but the following day publicly apologized for his comments, with speculation indicating he was forced to do so by the Mariners' higher-ups. Two seasons later, however, it would seem that what he had to say at the time did end up having the desired impact.

You only have to look at what the Mariners front office did prior to this season's trade deadline, and with the full backing of ownership to take an aggressive approach and go all in. To get one of Eugenio Suárez or Josh Naylor would have been considered a success, but the M's ended up acquiring both from the Arizona Diamondbacks, along with underrated reliever Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsbugh Pirates.

Cal Raleigh happy the Mariners kept their promise

Raleigh was unsurprisingly delighted with the trade deadline moves and discussed the additions after news broke about the reunion with Suárez. As per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, the Mariners catcher said: "This is what we talked about in Spring Training, when I was looking to sign here long term. And these were the things we talked about — these moments — and it makes you feel good about those guys following through."

It speaks volumes about Raleigh and how important he is in Seattle, that after previously (allegedly) being forced to apologize for his criticism of how the franchise was being run, that they would proactively take on board what he said. And it turns out that they actually wanted more of his input in how to approach putting together the roster.

Raleigh recounted a meeting he had with Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander back in March. The 2024 Platinum Glove Award winner felt the meeting was necessary prior to agreeing a contract extension to make sure he was on the same page as the front office about the direction of the team, as he said: "That was the No. 1 priority for me: Is this organization and team committed to winning? Obviously, long term, but also right now -- because we have a window."

Evidently Raleigh must have liked what he heard from Dipoto and Hollander, because shortly after the meeting he agreed to a new deal which to the outside world seemed to come out of nowhere. What really stood out though was the structure of said deal, for six years and $105 million. (Which also included a a seventh-year $20 million vesting player option with a $2 million buyout.)

As we wrote following the announcement, the contract was an absolute steal for the Mariners in getting to secure the long-term future of the team's clubhouse leader and the best catcher in the game today. Now, it looks like even more of a steal when you consider just how well Raleigh is playing this season, highlighted by leading the majors with 45 home runs and 98 RBI.

Cal Raleigh just wants to win

That the 28-year-old would agree to such a team-friendly contract in the first place showed he was putting his faith in the Mariners to match his commitment to winning. It also alludes to him accepting less money than what he is worth, as long as ownership and the front office put any saved funds to good use in strengthening the roster elsewhere, which they subdequently did.

For Raleigh, as much as he loves Seattle, he didn't want to sign a long-term deal if he wasn't going to be happy for the duration of the six (or seven) years, with winning being his No. 1 priority. Given how the Mariners are performing right now and where they are in the standings, you have to figure he's absolutely delighted, with the team now betting favorites to advance to the World Series from the AL and third-favorites to actually win the whole thing.

Such a scenario must boggle the minds of Mariners fans who have only known struggle and heartache for the majority of the team's existence since entering the majors in 1977. There are of course no guarantees for how the 2025 season will play out, but you have to like the trajectory this team is now on and Raleigh is an important part of the reason why, which only makes him even more beloved in the Pacific Northwest.