Key Details of Cal Raleigh's New Contract with Seattle Mariners Revealed
The Seattle Mariners and star Cal Raleigh reportedly came to an agreement on a new six-year contract on Tuesday. The deal starts this year and buys out his final two years of arbitration plus three free agent years.
It's worth $105 million, but there are a few additional details that trickled in after the initial report came out.
Raleigh has a full no-trade clause
Raleigh’s deal includes a full no-trade clause.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 25, 2025
This shows a handful of things, namely, that Raleigh wants to be a Mariner. It also shows that he has belief in what the Mariners are doing. Furthermore, it shows that Raleigh wants control over his situation in the future. Should the team ever want to trade him for any reason, he has the power to dictate where he goes.
Here's the money breakdown on Raleigh's deal:
Details on Cal Raleigh's extension with the Seattle Mariners, per sources:
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 25, 2025
$10 million signing bonus
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)
The Mariners are not adding much in the way of new salary this season, and they've backloaded the deal to the point that the big money doesn't kick in until other contracts are off the books, namely Randy Arozarena, J.P. Crawford and Luis Castillo. However, Julio Rodriguez's money will be larger as time goes on and there's also the chance that the M's extend other players, potentially making those payrolls swell.
Furthermore, the vesting option was previously unknown. So, all told, this deal could be for seven years and more than $120 million.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic had more information on what the vesting option is based on:
And it includes a $20 million vesting player option that Raleigh can exercise if he appears in 100 games as a catcher in four of the six seasons. He will receive a $2 million buyout if he fails to meet that threshold or if he meets it and declines the option.
For Mariners, Raleigh extension shows he’s the right guy at the right time. Column: https://t.co/RSxXrZD6nr
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 26, 2025
A quick clarification:
Most outlets are calling this a six-year extension. It's technically not that. Raleigh was under team control through 2027 anyways, so it's really a three-year extension. Either way, it's a great day for Raleigh and for the Mariners.
The M's open up play on Thursday night at 7:10 p.m. PT against the Athletics.
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