MARINER FOR LIFE?
My only impression of Baseball Super Agent Scott Boras is that any player who signs with him sacrifices any and all desires that lie beyond the financial bottom line.
You want to live on the West Coast? Sorry, pal, the Yankees are offering more.
You say you like the school your kids attend? And that you can't imagine moving them anywhere else? Tough sh*t, Captain Sentiment, the Dodgers have the high bid. Tell those soft-hearted brats of yours, Welcome to Hollywood!
Oh, your Mom is dying and you can't bear to be apart from her in these her final days? Well, Mommy's not the best sports agent on the planet, is she? Pack a bag, Sonny, cuz last night you became a Chicago Cub!
At least, that's how envision past client/agent meetings Boras has held. Oh sure, I've made them up entirely. And yah, I can be grossly unfair. But I'm just not sure I've seen anything that changes my admittedly harsh opinion of the Boras way of business.
Cal Raleigh truly does not seem like a money-first player. And I genuinely believe Cal is being genuine when he says Seattle has become a second home for him. But the man did choose Scott Boras as his agent, the same Scott Boras who criticized the Mariners organization harshly during All-Star Week 2023, asserting that Seattle ownership has earned its reputation of falling short of doing what it takes to win, stripping from star players any trust they might have for them creating a sustainable winner.
And this dude represents our guy Cal?
The Mariners want to sign Raleigh to an early extension, but what chance do they possibly have of making that happen? Boras' clients hit free agency. Boras' clients benefit from all 30 organizations bidding on their talent. The New York Yankees traded for Juan Soto this offseason. Soto has just one year left on his deal. The mighty Yankees thought they could throw gads of money at Soto and keep him from ever testing free agent waters. Wrong! Soto insists he's going to enter free agency.
Are the Mariners going to be forced to wait until free agency for the mere chance at re-signing Raleigh? And does anyone trust the Mariners will enter the highest bid?
Cal Raleigh doesn't see why not.
"I would love to be a Mariner for life," he told KJR.
"Is your agent going to let that happen?" I asked him.
"Yah, sure," he said just as naturally as throwing a ball back to the pitcher.
The Mariners are under no direct pressure to make this happen. Raleigh is not a free agent until after the 2027 season. A lot can happen in four years. But the man checks the boxes of a complete backstop. Defender. Hitter. Leader. There aren't a lot of catchers in the world that check all three boxes. Now, add "fan favorite" to the list and you can see why the M's are motivated to extend him now.
Mariner fans want Cal Raleigh to be a Mariner for life. Chuck & Buck want Cal to be a Mariner for life. The organization is on record saying they've been working on an early extension for some time. And now Cal is on the record saying he wants to be a Mariner for life.
So... We're all in agreement then. Yes?
Let's make Cal Raleigh a Mariner for life.