SEATTLE -- Cal Raleigh has blossomed into a favorite among Mariners fans and teammates alike, becoming one of the true clubhouse leaders in Seattle and one of the sport’s most productive players at the most demanding position.
And on Tuesday, the Mariners ensured that they’ll keep an emerging franchise staple in Seattle for a long time.
Raleigh and the club have finalized a six-year, $105 million extension that will begin this season, buy out his next two years of arbitration eligibility then three years after he would’ve been eligible for free agency, multiple sources told MLB.com. Then on Wednesday, the club formally announced the agreement.
There are also incentives that can increase the value of the deal, which carries no deferrals and a full no-trade clause.
The deal's structure, per sources:
? Signing bonus: $10 million
? 2025: $1 million salary
? 2026: $11 million
? 2027: $12 million
? 2028: $23 million
? 2029: $23 million
? 2030: $23 million
? 2031: $20 million vesting player option (with $2 million buyout)
"This place has always felt like home since I arrived here in Seattle," Raleigh said in a statement. "They took me in from day one with kindness and respect and it is one of the top places to play in professional sports. I wanted to stay here because of the connection with the people of the Pacific Northwest and the Seattle Mariners, but I know it doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. I feel blessed that the Mariners gave me this opportunity and I can’t think of a better place in MLB to call home."
Raleigh, 28, was under contract for $5.6 million in 2025 via his first year of arbitration eligibility, a lofty raise from the $795,000 he earned last year.
Raleigh had publicly expressed interest in an extension with the Mariners over the past few years, but things didn’t accelerate until recently.
Raleigh changed agents over the offseason, parting ways with Scott Boras and joining Excel Sports Management. Sources had suggested that the transition was over misalignment on philosophy, as Boras has long carried a reputation of pushing his clients to free agency to seek the most lucrative offers on the open market.
"We have a great nucleus of players here and aren’t far off from bringing the World Series to Seattle," Raleigh said in the statement. "It won’t be easy, but I believe ownership and management share the same vision and commitment. I won’t stop working and I won’t stop grinding until this city gets what it deserves, and that is a perennial playoff team and a World Series championship.”
Raleigh, who would’ve been 31 at free agency, will now be locked up through his age-33 season and with financial stability and the prime of his career in front of him. While Raleigh would’ve likely had strong bids on the open market in the 2027-28 offseason, the earning power for catchers at that age would’ve also carried risk.
Meanwhile, the Mariners -- who’ve made it a point to sign cornerstone players to extensions -- will have more budget clarity in the long term. With this core, Raleigh joins Julio Rodríguez, Luis Castillo, J.P. Crawford, Andrés Mu?oz, Victor Robles and Dylan Moore as players to sign extensions before free agency.
With his signing bonus and 2025 salary, Raleigh’s earnings increase this year’s 40-man roster payroll by $5.4 million to just under $160 million, per unofficial figures at Cot's Baseball Contracts.
"Cal is central to so much of what we do as a team,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. “His leadership on the field combined with elite defense and impact offense is rare among catchers in the game. We are fortunate that he’s a Mariner and thrilled that he’s here for the long haul.”
A third-round pick out of Florida State in 2018, Raleigh has emerged as one of the faces of the franchise -- and the centerpiece to one of the most iconic highlights in team history, when he crushed a walk-off homer that sent Seattle to the postseason in 2022.
Since the start of that season, Raleigh has grown into one of the sport’s best all-around catchers, leading all players at the position with 76 homers (not including another 11 at designated hitter and four as a pinch-hitter) and ranking second to the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto with 359 games played.
Last year was Raleigh's best season yet -- he caught 135 games (and played 153 total), swatted a career-high 34 homers with 100 RBIs and slashed .220/.312/.436 (.748 OPS), good for 5.4 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs (most on the team and tied for 12th most in MLB) and 117 wRC+ (league average is 100).
Raleigh also won the Platinum Glove Award for being the American League’s best overall defender, after ranking in the 98th percentile of all big league catchers in pitch framing.
But the commitment also underscores Raleigh’s intangible value to the organization. His rise in production has coincided with that of stature -- to the fanbase, with the front office and within the clubhouse.
"Cal embodies all of the best qualities of our organization,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said in a statement.