3 Seattle Mariners who will get dumped soon thanks to Cal Raleigh's extension

It's been a very long, very cold offseason for the Seattle Mariners, with Jerry DiPoto spending more time sticking his foot in his mouth than adding talent to his roster. But the picture got at least a little bit brighter on Tuesday afternoon, when the team agreed to a six-year, $105 million contract extension with catcher Cal Raleigh.

There are plenty of holes in this Mariners lineup, much to fans' dismay, but the man they call Big Dumper most certainly isn't one of them. The 28-year-old has developed into one of the very best two-way catchers in the sport in recent years, posting a 118 OPS+ and 91 homers over the last three years while posting elite framing metrics behind the plate. And now he's locked up more or less through his prime, with a roughly $14 million AAV that should remain a relative bargain as long as Raleigh keeps churning out 3- to 5-win seasons.

But while this is undoubtedly a great day for the franchise, it also comes with consequences. The money the team is giving to Raleigh is money that can't be spent elsewhere, especially given Seattle's extreme penny-pinching over the last couple of years. That means that certain big names likely won't be a part of the Mariners' long-term future, starting with these three in particular.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

3. SS JP Crawford

Crawford has become a fan-favorite during his time in Seattle, showing some surprising pop at the plate at times to go with sturdy defense at shortstop. But he regressed as a hitter in 2024, and he just turned 30 years old in January. His decline may have already begun, and if he becomes a liability as a defender as he ages, this becomes a very risky profile.

Add to that the fact that Crawford still has two years and $23 million remaining on the contract extension he signed before the 2022 season, and it's not hard to imagine Seattle looking to get out from under that deal sooner rather than later. (Especially considering that team's top prospect, 2023 first-round pick Colt Emerson, could be banging down the door to the Majors as early as next spring.)

2. OF Randy Arozarena

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. 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.

1. SP Luis Castillo

Castillo has been bandied about in trade talks all offseason, but nothing ever materialized. The righty has three years and $72.45 million remaining on his current deal, still pretty team-friendly considering his track record (even in a down year in 2024, he still pitched to a 3.64 ERA) and the way the pitching market has ballooned in recent years.

Most teams would kill for that production at that price point, but the Mariners' pitching depth gives them the luxury of viewing him as a trade chip. Now that Raleigh's locked up, the team should be even more motivated to free up that salary for use elsewhere, comfortable in the knowledge that Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo and Emerson Hancock can pick up the slack in his absence.