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Player who should be extended later: Cal Raleigh, Catcher
Okay, this will be unpopular for sure. I want the Mariners to make Cal Raleigh a Mariner for life. The problem is, I do not think he wants to be a Mariner for life. And can you blame him? He has been very vocal since the end of the 2023 season. He was frustrated with the front office for not doing enough to compete in the previous offseason, and frustrated about the trade of Paul Sewald. He was also frustrated with the trade of Eugenio Suarez and others this offseason, so you have to wonder if he even wants to be here long term.
While he will never win a batting title, Cal has shown to be a premier power hitting catcher, who is also really good defensively. His batting average has gone up every season so far, as he hit .232/.306/.456/.762 with an OPS+ of 112. He has hit 57 home runs over the last 2 seasons, with him hitting 30 home runs in 2023 alone. He even received MVP votes in 2023, finishing 18th in the voting.
So, why should the Mariners wait to lock him up long term? 2 words. Scott. Boras. Boras is an elite baseball agent, representing some of the games biggest stars. Still unsigned players like Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman are all clients of Scott Boras, and still do not have work because of the type of contract that Boras is commanding. That, combined with the fact that he has been vocal about his frustrations here, lead me to believe he will not sign long term here, even if the Mariners overpayed for his services.
Cal Raleigh's walk-off home run ends longest playoff drought in U.S. professional sports, a breakdown pic.twitter.com/aANQQelX5g
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) October 3, 2022
I want Big Dumper to remain in Seattle, maybe more than any other player other than Julio Rodriguez. I am just not sure how realistic that is. Boras rarely has his clients sign before testing the free agent waters, and Cal would command some serious money in free agency, espically is he keeps up what he has been doing at the plate. Big Dumper will always be a Mariners legend for hitting that walk-off home run to send the Mariners to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years, and at least we will always have that.
As always, Go Mariners!