Matt Calkins: Will Cal Raleigh's historic season mean less if Mariners miss playoffs?

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Jul 3, 2025

Published in Baseball

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SEATTLE — There are three players in baseball who will make you stop what you're doing whenever they step in the batter's box.

One is Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers prodigy who entered Wednesday with 30 home runs. One is Aaron Judge, the Yankees phenom who also had 30 dingers coming into Wednesday. The other is Cal Raleigh, the Mariners catcher — and soon-to-be All-Star starter — who came into hump day with an MLB-leading 33 long balls.

All three are set up to have historic seasons. Barring injury, two will likely end the year winning MVP honors in their respective leagues. But Raleigh, in this writer's opinion, bears a distinct burden. The celebration of his individual feats depend almost entirely on his team's success.

Mariners fans aren't happy ones — at least not relative to the rest of the country. Yes, they'll still fill out T-Mobile Park for certain series. Yes, you'll find smiles on their faces while watching a ball game on a summer night. But in 48 years of existence, their team still hasn't sniffed the World Series — all while ownership seems to remain stingy with its money.

It's not that the M's (45-41 after a victory on Wednesday) are a bad team. In the nine-season era of John Stanton (chairman) and Jerry Dipoto (president of baseball operations), they have won at least 85 games six times, with back-to-back 90-win seasons coming in 2021 and 2022. But they are obviously not a great team, either — as that same era has produced just one playoff appearance, when the Mariners were swept by the Astros in the 2022 ALDS.

In terms of fan interest, the Mariners are far more compelling than squads such as the White Sox (28-58) or the Nationals (36-50). Supporters of those teams aren't hanging on every score, wondering if that's the loss that is going to keep them out of the postseason. But in some ways, those types of seasons are easier to stomach. A.) Those organizations have won their championships in the not-too-distant past. And B.) Their fans aren't regularly teased until the final weeks of the season, which usually ends in disappointment.

Moreover, frustrations with the front office seem to amplify each year. The M's currently rank 16th out of 30 MLB teams in total payroll, as per spotrac.com, and have not cracked the top half of the league since 2019. Additionally, those free-agent splashes" rarely occur — and not since Robinson Cano in 2013 has there been a true whale.

What's particularly irksome about the penny-pinching is that the Mariners seem to have a tight window for success with their young starting pitching staff, which, when healthy, may be the best rotation in the league. Every year that passes without a playoff run feels like a missed opportunity, as would this season if Seattle again falls short.

Former Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald spoke out about the team's unwillingness to spend after he was traded to the Rangers. Raleigh himself expressed frustration about the front office not adding talent in 2023, and though he later apologized for his comments, it surely resonated with fans and teammates.

And now we have what may end up being the greatest individual season in Mariners history juxtaposed against the very real possibility that his team misses out on the playoffs again. How much would Seattle failing to get to a 163rd game mitigate Cal's achievements?

I don't know that fans of the Cardinals — who own the second most World Series titles ever — were too upset about missing the playoffs when Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs in 1998. I'm not sure fans of the Giants — who had been to the playoffs twice in the previous four seasons — were too annoyed by the team's shortcomings when Barry Bonds hit 73 homers in 2001. Entering Wednesday, Raleigh was on pace to hit 63 home runs — one more than Judge's American League record of 62. Judge's mark is also viewed as the "clean record, as the long-ball feats of McGwire, Bonds and Sammy Sosa have been marred by steroid allegations.

But I don't know that that would be enough for this fan base. Exhilarating as Raleigh has been by himself this year, his team needs to come through as well.

If the season were to end today, the Mariners would sneak in as the final wild-card team. They are in a tenuous position, though.

There isn't likely to be a physical asterisk next to Raleigh's name if he cranks out 63. But if the Mariners don't play in October, there will be a figurative one.