Catcher Cal Raleigh and Mariners agree to $105 million, 6-year contract
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh looks on during a spring training baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Peoria, Ariz. Credit: AP/Lindsey Wasson
SEATTLE — Catcher Cal Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners finalized a $105 million, six-year contract on Wednesday.
Raleigh's deal supersedes a $5.6 million, one-year agreement on Jan. 9 that avoided salary arbitration.
He gets a $10 million signing bonus payable upon the contract's approval by the commissioner's office and salaries of $1 million this year, $11 million in 2027, $12 million in 2028 and $23 million in each of the following three seasons.
Raleigh has a $20 million player option for 2031 with a $2 million buyout, and it would become guaranteed if he catches 100 or more games four times from 2025-30, including at least once during the final two seasons. The are escalators for the option and the buyout based on MBP finished and Gold Glove wins. He also gets a no-trade provision.
The 28-year-old would have been eligible for arbitration after the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and was on track to be eligible for free agency after the 2027 World Series.
His new contract includes a player option for 2031 that could become guaranteed.
Raleigh set career highs last year with 34 homers and 100 RBIs while hitting .220. He has a .218 career average with 93 homers and 251 RBIs in four seasons with the Mariners.
Seattle Mariners' J.P. Crawford rounds third base to score on a double by Cal Raleigh against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second inning during a spring training baseball game Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Peoria, Ariz. Credit: AP/Lindsey Wasson
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