The Seattle Mariners, a team notorious for penny pinching, recently agreed to a deal with their franchise catcher, Cal Raleigh, on a six-year, $105 million contract extension.
This type of deal should excite Mariners fans quite a bit. The front office is committing the money to the team in order to win right now and in the future. But this kind of contract could also mean the front office has to trade away other players in order to afford it.
FanSided’s Chris Landers recently predicted the Mariners would shockingly cut ties with star outfielder Randy Arozarena following the team’s decision to extend Raleigh’s contract.
“Arozarena was Seattle’s biggest splash at the trade deadline last season, but like seemingly every other hitter who wore a Mariners uniform in 2024, he struggled in his new home, as most of quality of contact metrics plummeted,” Landers wrote. “Seattle is relying on a bounce-back year from him in 2025, but even if he delivers, the team could look to move on either at the trade deadline or this offseason.
“Arozarena just turned 30, and he still has one year of arbitration remaining before hitting free agency after the 2026 season. There’s likely to be a market for his services at a controlled cost, but Seattle can probably find a better use for his eight-figure salary unless he really, really turns things around this year.”
Arozarena was brought in at the trade deadline last season, and there haven’t been many mentions of his name as a potential trade piece since he joined Seattle.
It would be a bit shocking if the Mariners opted to trade him this season. He’s on a team-friendly contract for this season with another year of arbitration next year.
If the Raleigh extension is going to impact Arozarena, it might impact him next season. If the star outfielder struggles this year, he could be a trade candidate next year, but it’s hard to imagine the Mariners trading him ahead of the 2025 trade deadline.
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