Seattle Mariners designated hitter Cal Raleigh rounds the bases after a home run against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 22 at Globe Life Field. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners Settle on 2025 Salary With Platinum Glove-Winning Catcher

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Teren Kowatsch | Last updated Jan 9, 2025 7:45 PM ET

The Seattle Mariners are facing a crucial season in 2025. The team boasts arguably the best starting pitching rotation in all of baseball but still missed out on the playoffs by one game in 2024.

Aside from veteran pitcher Luis Castillo, all of the starting pitchers on Seattle are under cheap rookie deals with several more years of team control. That creates a very specific window for the team.

And the pitching staff has one of the best catchers in baseball to throw to. And he and the Mariners agreed on a salary for 2025.

Cal Raleigh and Seattle settled on a $5.6 million contract in 2025. It was Raleigh's first year being arbitration-eligible, and he and the team avoided a hearing.

Source: Cal Raleigh, Mariners settle at $5.6 million, avoiding arbitration.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 9, 2025

Raleigh batted .220 with a single-season career-high in home runs (34) and RBIs (100) in 2024. Raleigh's home runs and RBIs set franchise records for the most in a single season by a catcher.

Raleigh's 34 home runs gave him 93 through his first four years in the majors, which set an MLB record for the most by a catcher in that category. Raleigh passed Hall of Famer Mike Piazza for the record.

Cal Raleigh entered the weekend needing a homer per game to set the new MLB record for most homers by a catcher in his first four seasons and he hit one in every game.

Try telling him that’s a silly made-up record. pic.twitter.com/ye706kCeAa
— Mariner Muse (@MarinerMuse) September 29, 2024

Raleigh's defense was on par with his offense, if not better.

Raleigh earned the American League Gold Glove award for the position and earned the Platinum Glove.

The Platinum Glove is awarded annually to the best defensive player in the American League and National League.

Given all those accomplishments, Raleigh could have attempted to ask for more money in a hearing, despite it being the first year eligible for arbitration.

Nonetheless, Raleigh and the rest of the pitching staff can now focus on getting ready for 2025 when they report to Spring Training on Feb. 12.

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

More must-reads: