The Seattle Mariners made a significant investment to ensure that Gold Glove catcher Cal Raleigh would stay in the Pacific Northwest for the remainder of the decade.
On Tuesday, Raleigh agreed to a six-year, $105 million extension that will keep him with the Mariners through at least the 2030 season. The deal, brokered by Excel Sports Management, covers three years of arbitration eligibility and three years of free agency.
With this agreement, Raleigh becomes the fifth catcher in MLB history to secure a nine-figure contract, joining Joe Mauer, Buster Posey, Will Smith, and J.T. Realmuto.
Raleigh’s extension carries an average annual value of $17.5 million, placing him behind only J.T. Realmuto ($23 million) and Salvador Perez ($20.5 million) among catchers with higher AAVs. Both Realmuto and Perez are set to become free agents this winter.
At the time the extension was finalized, Raleigh was undergoing a physical exam, with the Mariners gearing up for their regular-season opener against the Athletics on Thursday.
Raleigh is the latest cornerstone player to commit long-term with the Mariners, following center fielder Julio Rodriguez, right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo, and closer Andres Munoz as the team aims to advance in an AL West division recently dominated by Houston and Texas.
Rodriguez signed a 12-year, $203 million extension during his breakout 2022 rookie season, keeping him under contract through 2034.
Castillo inked a five-year, $105 million extension after being traded to Seattle at the 2022 trade deadline. Munoz signed a team-friendly four-year, $7.5 million deal in 2022, which includes three team options through 2028.
The Mariners’ focus is now on their young, highly regarded starting rotation, featuring Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo. Gilbert and Kirby have a few years of arbitration remaining, while Miller and Woo are still a season away.
Raleigh’s extension comes with some context. After the Mariners missed the playoffs in 2023, GM Jerry Dipoto explained the team’s long-term strategy, stating that consistently winning 54 percent of their games would put them in a good position for the postseason.
However, his comments were misunderstood by some fans, who felt the Mariners weren’t aiming high enough. Raleigh responded, emphasizing the need for the Mariners to aggressively pursue top-tier players to compete with other teams.
In 2024, the Mariners narrowly missed out on a wild card spot, finishing just one game behind Kansas City and Detroit. However, Raleigh’s extension shows the Mariners’ commitment to building a strong foundation. He posted career highs in 2024 with 34 home runs, 100 RBIs, and a 4.7 WAR, while also leading MLB catchers with 125 games started. He threw out 32 runners attempting to steal, the most in the majors, and led the AL in defensive runs above average with 23.9, according to FanGraphs.
Raleigh has led MLB catchers in home runs for the last three seasons, progressively improving from 27 to 30 to 34 homers. Only Mike Piazza has achieved this feat.
The Mariners structured Raleigh’s deal to be back-loaded, with the majority of the money coming after Castillo’s contract expires. Raleigh’s salary will start with a $10 million bonus and a $1 million salary in 2025, and then increase to $11 million in 2026, $12 million in 2027, and $23 million in 2028, 2029, and 2030. There is also a $20 million vesting option for 2031, with a $2 million buyout.
Among active catchers, the most lucrative contract belongs to Will Smith, who signed a 10-year, $140 million extension with the Dodgers last year. Realmuto’s $115 million deal, signed in 2021, was the largest at the time before Smith’s contract. Mauer still holds the record for the biggest contract given to a catcher, a deal worth $184 million over eight years with Minnesota in 2011.
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