Mariners position analysis: How long will Cal Raleigh be catching in Seattle?
The title of “greatest catcher in Seattle Mariners’ franchise history” still belongs to Dan Wilson. It’s a largely unofficial honor and open to interpretation and debate, though given the history of players manning the position prior to his Mariners debut on April, 4, 1994 and after his retirement on Sept. 30, 2005, there is little argument about his status.
The Mariners invested time, draft picks and dollars into so many catchers in search of an adequate replacement for Wilson, largely failing since then.
Wilson’s title was earned through the longevity of 12 seasons with the Mariners. He was a consistent defensive performer behind the plate, and a productive, but far from dominant, hitter in the batter’s box.
First as a special coordinator for the Mariners player development staff and now as the club’s big league manager, Wilson has gotten to see a catcher that’s trending toward taking his long-held title.
There should be no argument that Cal Raleigh is the best catcher to ever put on Mariners uniform. His obvious talent and outstanding all-around performance over the past three seasons have provided no doubt.
But how much longer he remains with the Mariners is yet to bet determined.
Teams, including the Mariners, can spend years or even decades searching for a franchise catcher to bring stability and production to their lineup and pitching staff.
And once they find it, they realize keeping it can be difficult.
Current depth chart
MLB: Cal Raleigh/Mitch Garver
Triple-A Tacoma: Harry Ford/Andruw Salcedo
Double-A Arkansas: Andrew Miller
High-A Everett: Connor Charping/Jose Caguano
Low-A Modesto: Grant Knipp/Josh Caron
Key number
$5.6 million – the projected salary for Raleigh in his first year of arbitration per the algorithm used by MLB Trade Rumors. While that number isn’t defined as the bargaining price, it is a close approximation of what Raleigh should get in 2025. Prior to switching agents, MLB sources indicate that Raleigh’s former agent, Scott Boras, was likely file for a salary over $6 million. Raleigh has certainly earned that money over the past two seasons and is worth it. The Mariners, like all teams, have their own projections and aren’t expected to offer a salary on the high side. They will likely file at a number closer to $5 million. Will the two sides bargain and reach an agreement or will they have to go to an arbitration hearing in the spring?
Key offseason question
Will Mitch Garver continue to be the highest paid backup catcher in Major League Baseball?
Key quote
“It’s always continuing to get better. Understanding what you do well is a huge factor, individually. It’s just continuing to build off last season and trying to continue to sharpen tools and being consistent as possible. For me, it’s finding a way to continue to become a leader on this team, and trying to help these guys come along, and trying to get us where we want to go. Obviously, the last two seasons have been unsuccessful.” – Cal Raleigh
Overview
When the Mariners drafted Raleigh in the third round of the 2018 draft (No. 90 overall) out of Florida State, they knew they were getting a switch-hitting catcher with power and the son of a Division I college coach, who understood the true responsibilities and priorities of the position.
But did they know he would grow into one of the best catchers in MLB, hitting more homers and throwing out more runners than any other catcher over the last two seasons? Did they know he’d grow into a team leader almost immediately, setting the example by bringing a different level of toughness and discipline that is required from baseball’s most demanding position?
Raleigh was a unanimous choice as the Mariners most valuable player for the 2024 season by the local Baseball Writers’ Association of America chapter.
He played in 153 games, including 131 at catcher – the most in MLB. In 628 plate appearances, he posted a .220/.312/.436 slash line with 16 doubles, 34 homers, 100 RBI, 70 walks and 176 strikeouts. He posted a 4.9 FanGraphs WAR, which is the highest among all catchers. He also led all catchers in homers for a third straight season.
He also won his first Gold Glove and became the second catcher in AL history to win the Platinum glove. It was a deserved honor.
Raleigh led MLB in games caught (135) and innings caught (1,122). But his performance was about more than just quantity. He provided an elite level of quality while behind the plate. For the second straight season, he led MLB in catcher caught stealing, throwing out 26 runners on stolen base attempts. Since the stat was tracked, only Raleigh, Jim Sundberg (1975-76) and Hall of Famer Gary Carter (1982-83) have led MLB in back-to-back seasons.
He led the American League in runs saved in FanGraphs defensive runs above average (23.9), catcher framing (13) and MLB Statcast’s fielding run value above 100 (14) while tying for the lead for defensive runs saved (16).
Raleigh’s durability and his willingness to play through minor injuries was needed since Seby Zavala, the Mariners backup catcher on the opening day roster, was largely unproductive in the limited time he played early in the season.
With the Mariners in search of any sort of offensive production, Raleigh played in an inordinate amount of games early in the season and it only continued the rest of the season.
With Garver struggling to find any sort of consistency at the plate as the Mariners’ full-time designated hitter, then manager Scott Servais opted to start using him as the backup catcher to Raleigh. It was a way to try to get Garver going while using Raleigh as the DH for a rest day.
The strategy didn’t produce the hoped-for results. By early August, and with the addition of Justin Turner at the trade deadline, Garver’s playing time was essentially reduced to catching George Kirby once a week and filling in as the designated hitter when there was a left-handed starting pitcher.
It wasn’t what the Mariners envisioned when they signed him a to a two-year, $24 million contract last offseason to be their full-time designated hitter.
Garver finished the season playing in 114 games – starting 23 at catcher and 81 as the designated hitter. He started just 13 games at DH after the All-Star break.
Going into the 2025 season, Garver is owed $12 million in salary. That’s a large amount of money for a part-time player. The Mariners could try and trade him this offseason and bring in a more traditional backup catcher to play behind Raleigh.
But given Garver’s age (he turns 34 in January), injury history and struggles at the plate last season, the Mariners would likely have to eat some of the contract if they did trade him.
There is also former first round pick Harry Ford waiting for an opportunity. Ford, once considered the Mariners top prospect, is expected to start the season at Triple-A Tacoma. Ford played 116 games at Double-A Arkansas last season, posting a .249/.377/.367 slash line with 26 doubles, two triples, seven homers, 45 RBI, 35 stolen bases, 74 walks and 115 strikeouts.
He will likely make his MLB debut at some point in 2025.