The Seattle Mariners and Catcher Raleigh have completed a six-year, $105 million contract extension

Seattle Mariners' dominant catcher Cal Raleigh is officially the cornerstone of the team's future. On March 26, local time, the two sides reached an agreement on a six-year contract extension with a total value of 105 million US dollars (about 760 million yuan), which will last until the 2030 season without a deferred payment clause and a completely non-tradable clause. According to MLB's official website and other sources, the specific structure of the contract is as follows:

• Signing bonus: $10 million
• 2025 season: $1 million salary
• 2026 season: $11 million
• 2027 season: $12 million
• 2028-2030 season: $23 million per year
• 2031 season: $20 million player option with $2 million buyout clause

The contract is subject to medical procedures and is expected to be officially announced ahead of the Mariners' home opener against the Athletics on Thursday. The contract will cover Raleigh's next two years of arbitration and three free agent years, locking him in Seattle for the prime of his career.

The 27-year-old Raleigh has risen rapidly since being drafted in the third round in 2018, and in 2022 he helped the Mariners return to the playoffs after 21 years with a goodbye home run that recorded team history, and has since become the "home run captain" in the hearts of fans. In the past two seasons, he has led the league with 76 home runs at the catcher position, and in 2023 he won the American League Platinum Glove Award with 135 squats and 34 hits and 100 RBIs (the catchers have a comprehensive defensive rating in the top 2% of the league), and his 5.4 victory contribution (WAR) is the highest on the team.

The contract extension talks accelerated Raleigh's decision to change agencies, leaving Scott Boras, who is known for pushing clients to test the free market, in the offseason to Excel Sports Management. This choice has been interpreted as a preference for long-term stability rather than short-term salary caps. If he enters the free market at the age of 31 as originally planned, the risk of price fluctuations in the catcher position will be resolved by this guaranteed contract.

For the Mariners, it is a continuation of management's strategy of "locking in the core" after key players such as Julio Rodríguez and Luis Castillo. Cot's baseball contract estimates that the extension increases the team's 40-man roster to a total salary of about $160 million.

Raleigh's value goes far beyond the charts: as a locker room leader, his growth trajectory has coincided with the team's revival. Managing Director Jerry Dipoto commented: "Carl represents the resilience and ambition of the Mariners, and this investment is a declaration of the future. With the contract landing, Seattle's "post-Correa era" has officially ushered in a new flag.