Raleigh happy new contract secures Seattle future

PEORIA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 20: Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners poses for a portrait during photo day at the Peoria Sports Complex on February 20, 2025 in Peoria, Arizona. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

SEATTLE - Put simply, Cal Raleigh wanted to be a Seattle Mariner.

That desire to remain in Seattle became the primary reason behind the push to get a new six-year contract extension done before the start of the season. The new contract was officially announced on Wednesday.

"This is the only place I've ever known, and I'm hoping this will be the only place that I ever have to know," Raleigh said at a press conference Friday to formally announce the deal. "So all the people that have helped me get here, obviously my teammates. Thank you very much. It really means a lot."

Raleigh then got emotional, speaking about his family, who filled half of the seats in the front row of the room.

"My mom and dad, thank you guys for giving me all the opportunities in the world and my brothers and sisters for always being there for me. I know it's hard being all the way out in Seattle, but I do love it here, and thank you guys for everything," he said.

With almost the entirety of the Mariners pitching staff, Raleigh's family, and his agents – Brett Knief and Casey Close of Excel Sports Management – in attendance, Raleigh was extremely appreciative of the new contract and what it meant for him moving forward.

"I thank you guys as well for giving me this opportunity to believe in me and lead this team," Raleigh said. "And I'm going to do everything I can to help you guys and us win a World Series. So thank you guys for coming out today. Really appreciate it."

Raleigh changed agencies this offseason, leaving Scott Boras to be represented by Knief and Close. Raleigh made it clear to his new representatives that he wanted to stay in Seattle. General manager Justin Hollander said his agents reached out at the end of January to relay Raleigh's desire to work toward a deal.

Hollander said there was never talk of a hard deadline to get talks wrapped up, but there was an understanding that Raleigh was going to want to focus on the season if it didn't get to the finish line before Opening Day.

"We ask a lot of Cal," Hollander said. "He plays more than any other catcher in the league, and his responsibilities, beyond what people see at 7 o'clock every night, are immense. So to ask him to layer on top of that, you know, more thought process about 2028, and 2029, and 2030 and those sorts of things didn't really feel fair. And I feel like over the last two weeks, we really made a lot of progress."

Raleigh wanted to stay in Seattle, but he desperately wants to win, too. He believes this contract shows the trust the organization has in him to be a leader to chase that goal.

"I'm very grateful that, you know, Mr. (John) Stanton and these guys here at the table have given me this responsibility to come here and want me to lead this team, and want me to kind of be the guy to take the reins, and somebody who can help this team get to the playoffs and win a World Series."

Stanton said he let Hollander and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto handle the discussions, but keeping a core piece like Raleigh was a major priority.

"Jerry and Justin have been the ones that have done all of the work in terms of talking to him, but we clearly have a very strong interest in keeping a core group of players. Cal is one of those players," Stanton said.

"You'd love to see Logan (Gilbert) stay here. Frankly, I'd love to see all the four young pitchers stay here. So, you know, it takes an interest on the player's part and an interest on the organization's part. But, you know, I think we as an organization are real believers in having a core group. There's some, you can call it symmetry, or kismet, or whatever, you know, keeping a group together that are as talented as our guys are and I feel great about that."

Dipoto said he actually looked back favorably on Raleigh's comments at the end of the 2023 season criticizing the team's moves as they came up one game short of the playoffs. Dipoto said Raleigh sees the path forward the organization is trying to chart and is on board with the direction.

"He knows the Mariners. He knows our coaches. He knows our staff. He knows our front office. Our relationships have evolved over time in ways that none of us probably could have imagined, including Cal," Dipoto said.

"There's a collective trust that I think he feels with us. And throughout we've been able to share with him – not just over the last two months, but over the last three or four years – what our vision is for the future of the franchise. And I think this spring training was maybe a watershed moment. It was the first time he actually saw what's coming in the pipeline, and I think that was another step in the right direction. It's trust and I think he has it with us and I know we have it with him."

The Source: Original story by FOX 13 Seattle.