Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) waits for a pitch during an at-bat against the San Diego Padres at T-Mobile Park on Sept 11. Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh Nets More Than $700K in Bonus Money

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated Dec 14, 2024 11:30 AM ET

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh took home just over $700,000 this week as part of Major League Baseball's pre-arbitration bonus system.

The Associated Press put out the full list of earners here, and MLBTradeRumors did a great job explaining how it all works.

The most recent collective bargaining agreement introduced a $50MM pool that is divided among players who have yet to accrue enough service time to reach arbitration. (Each team commits around $1.67MM to that fund every season.) The goal was to help highly-performing young players get paid earlier in their careers. Players are eligible even if they’ve signed a contract extension, as Witt did before the season

Bobby Witt Jr. Tops Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool https://t.co/rtwrBICFWY pic.twitter.com/o7JYr141Gj
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) December 14, 2024

Raleigh's exact number was $713,720, which is nice because it's almost exactly as much as his season salary of $798,000. He will make significantly more in 2025 as part of his first trip through arbitration.

The 28-year-old Raleigh put together an incredible season for the Mariners, winning the Gold Glove at catcher and then taking home the Platinum Glove for the entire American League. He also finished as a runner-up for the American League Silver Slugger, finishing behind Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals.

A center piece of the M's lineup, Raleigh blasted 34 homers and drove in 100 runs, achieving that feat on the final day of the regular season. Though he hit just .220, he has continuously come up in the clutch for Seattle, hitting several big home runs throughout his career.

If the Mariners are going to make the playoffs again in 2025, Raleigh will be a huge reason why, both offensively and defensively.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: