Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners officially announce Cal Raleigh's extension
The deal is official.
The Seattle Mariners announced in a press release Wednesday that star catcher Cal Raleigh and the club have agreed to a six-year contract extension that spans through 2030 and includes a player option for 2031.
Lefko: Cal’s commitment changes the feeling about Mariners’ future
ESPN’s Jeff Passan initially broke the news Tuesday morning that Raleigh and the Mariners were finalizing a six-year extension worth $105 million. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the deal includes a full no-trade clause for Raleigh.
Raleigh, 28, had three years left on his initial contract.
“This place has always felt like home since I arrived here in Seattle,” Raleigh said in the team’s press release. “They took me in from day one with kindness and respect, and it is one of the top places to play in professional sports.
“I wanted to stay here because of the connection with the people of the Pacific Northwest and the Seattle Mariners, but I know it doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. I feel blessed that the Mariners gave me this opportunity, and I can’t think of a better place in MLB to call home.”
Raleigh, a 2018 third-round draft pick out of Florida State, has established himself as one of the game’s best all-around catchers since making his MLB debut in July 2021.
Raleigh led all MLB catchers in home runs for each of the past three seasons, blasting 27 homers in 2022, 30 in 2023 and a career-high 34 in 2024. He is the first catcher to lead his position in homers for three straight seasons since Hall of Famer Mike Piazza did so from 1999 to 2002.
Raleigh has been just as good behind the plate. He won the AL Platinum Glove Award this past season as the best defensive player in the league, regardless of position. He also became the first catcher in Mariners history to earn an AL Gold Glove Award.
Raleigh threw out an MLB-high 26 runners on stolen-base attempts last year, leading the majors in that category for a second straight season. He also tied for the AL lead with 16 defensive runs saved, caught an MLB-high 1,122 innings, led all AL catchers with a 5.4 FanGraphs WAR and was the backstop for a starting rotation that posted an MLB-best 3.38 ERA.
And of course, Raleigh delivered one of the most iconic moments in Mariners history with his walk-off homer in 2022 that clinched the franchise’s first playoff berth in 21 years.
“Cal has meant a lot to this organization since his time of being here, and the home run is just a small part of that,” Mariners manager and former longtime catcher Dan Wilson said prior to the team’s workout on Wednesday. “All that he has accomplished both with the bat and behind the plate is outstanding.
“And to have a guy that plays as much as Cal, that puts in the work that Cal does, that wants to get better, a guy that wants to be a leader – you put all that together and you’ve got an exceptional ballplayer.”
Raleigh and the Mariners open their 2025 season on Thursday night against the Athletics. After falling just short of the playoffs each of the past two seasons, the M’s are looking to break through this year.
“We have a great nucleus of players here and aren’t far off from bringing the World Series to Seattle,” Raleigh said in the team’s release. “It won’t be easy, but I believe ownership and management share the same vision and commitment.
“I won’t stop working and I won’t stop grinding until this city gets what it deserves, and that is a perennial playoff team and a World Series championship.”
Seattle Mariners news and analysis
• Insider Takes: Can Seattle Mariners now extend homegrown pitchers?
• Drayer: What the Seattle Mariners’ roster brings north for 2025 season
• Why MLB reporter picked Seattle Mariners to win World Series
• Who’s the M’s best bounceback candidate? Ex-pitcher weighs in
• Seattle Mariners spring training ends with Matt Brash back on mound
We survived it last year, barely, but now we’re in for several “months of Hell” as closures of northbound I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge return.
You deserve a pat on the back if you survived the “month of Hell” between July and August last summer.
You might need therapy to survive what’s about to happen.
Four ‘months of hell’ inbound
Four “months of Hell” will start this weekend with a full closure of northbound I-5 from downtown Seattle to University District. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) needs the weekend to set up a work zone across the Ship Canal Bridge.
Come next Monday, the two left lanes of the northbound Ship Canal Bridge will be closed 24/7, and this is going to last for four months.
I spoke with Tom Pearce, a communications specialist for WSDOT, about the upcoming work last year.
“We will work for about four months, and then we will pause and pick everything up when the World Cup comes to town,” Pearce said. “When the World Cup ends, we will have another weekend-long closure, reset the work zone, and then we’ll start to work on the right lanes of the northbound Ship Canal Bridge.”
And that will come with a second four-month chunk of lane closures.
I’m not sure if you remember just how bad these similar closures were for that one month last summer, but it was absolutely brutal.
To help with the traffic flow, WSDOT kept the I-5 express lanes open in the northbound direction the entire time. The rationale is that it is the direction of travel of the closures.
What that created was a daily one-hour delay, or more, for southbound I-5 drivers. Tens of thousands of southbound drivers use those express lanes every morning, and with that option gone, they had to stay in the main line, creating a daily five-mile backup to the Edmonds exit down to Northgate.
“We know that it was difficult for travelers, particularly for southbound in the morning on I-5,” Pearce said. “People did well at adapting and using other transportation methods and adjusting their schedules. It went relatively well.”
WSDOT is using all the data it collected during that month of closures and is using to help with congestion this time around.
Here’s the setup going forward
Northbound I-5 will be closed through the downtown corridor all weekend. When it reopens on Monday, only the right two lanes will be open until June 5. That weekend, the entire northbound freeway will be closed to remove the work zone.
The work will take a break during the World Cup until July 10. Then, northbound I-5 will be reduced to just two left lanes until the end of the year. The end date hasn’t been released. It was originally scheduled to wrap up in November.
This is going to cause significant delays around Seattle. My best advice is to alter your schedule and get on the road at least an hour earlier than normal.
And if you think you’ll just jump on the light rail out of Lynnwood to avoid the backup, you’re going to need a plan. That parking lot is full by 7 a.m. most mornings. It will likely be filled earlier than that going forward.
Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.
Follow @https://twitter.com/newsguysully
As the holiday season ends, a new week begins, and one of the biggest events this week will be 2026’s first West Seattle Art Walk. The second Thursday is as early as it can get this month – on the 8th – so set your calendar for this Thursday as a special night to get out and enjoy the work of local artists. A preview with this quarter’s map/list and Thursday highlights should appear early in the week on the West Seattle Art Walk website. As usual, neighborhood organizations are supporting clusters of venues in Alki, Admiral, The Junction, and Morgan Junction; places with artist receptions usually start them at 5 pm. No Art of Music performances this month; that feature is on hiatus until later in the year.
Attorney General Jackley Proposes Legislation To Strengthen State’s Digital Cryptocurrency Investigations
Why Chime Financial Stock Was Music to Investor Ears in December | The Motley Fool
We are fitness experts — here’s how to navigate January sales as an exercise beginner
Movie Review: A Home Invasion turns into a “Relentless” Grudge Match
Sportico Top 100: NFL Again Towers Over U.S. Media in 2025
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Video: Nvidia Shows Off New A.I. Chip at CES
Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu
EU Commission examines childlike sexual images created by Musk’s AI
Lawmakers split over Maduro’s seizure. And, CDC cuts childhood vaccine schedule
Federal officials to halt more than $10B in funding to 5 states over non-citizen benefit concerns: report
-
World1 week agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoIndianapolis Colts playoffs: Updated elimination scenario, AFC standings, playoff picture for Week 17
-
News1 week agoFor those who help the poor, 2025 goes down as a year of chaos
-
World1 week agoPodcast: The 2025 EU-US relationship explained simply
-
Business1 week agoInstacart ends AI pricing test that charged shoppers different prices for the same items
-
Business1 week agoApple, Google and others tell some foreign employees to avoid traveling out of the country
-
Technology1 week agoChatGPT’s GPT-5.2 is here, and it feels rushed
-
Politics1 week ago‘Unlucky’ Honduran woman arrested after allegedly running red light and crashing into ICE vehicle