Randy Arozarena attempts to end controversy regarding Cal Raleigh

Seattle Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Randy Arozarena attempts to end any controversy regarding Cal Raleigh

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Mar 21, 2026 9:25 PM ET

Perhaps the weirdest storyline to emerge from the 2026 World Baseball Classic was the drama that surrounded Seattle Mariners teammates Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh. The controversy revolved around Raleigh, while catching for Team USA, refusing to shake hands with Arozarena (playing for Mexico) when he stepped into the batter's box.

It resulted in concerns over their relationship, especially as Arozarena seemed to take the snub personally.

With both players back in Mariners spring training and the regular season just around the corner, Arozarena attempted to put an end to any controversy on Saturday.

Randy Arozarena issues statement regarding controversy with Cal Raleigh

While Arozarena has still not spoke about the incident or his feelings regarding it in a traditional interview setting, he did release a statement on Saturday to reassure Mariners fans that everything is good between two of the team's best players.

A statement from Randy Arozarena:

"I understand that with Opening Day a few days away, I don’t want it to be a distraction. Cal and I have talked and I apologized for what I said after the game. Nothing in the WBC takes away from the fact that we are brothers and teammates.…
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) March 21, 2026

The Mariners won 90 games during the 2025 season and went all the way to Game 7 of the ALCS, one win away from reaching the organization's first World Series. Raleigh and Arozarena were two of the biggest factors in that success.

Raleigh finished second in the American League MVP voting and was a 7.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) player, while Arozarena accumulated more than 4 Wins Above Replacement for the Mariners.

This entire thing was probably a little overblown. Even though they are teammates in the Major Leagues, they were playing in a highly competitive tournament, on different teams, where emotions were obviously high. Everybody wanted to win, and these are all highly competitive people. Some people approach that competition with different mindsets.

If they are going to build on that success as a team, they are going to need Arozarena and Raleigh to both be productive. The two of them actually liking each other and getting along would be a good step toward that. It seems, for now, at least in Arozarena's mind, that should not be an issue.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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