Another Cal Raleigh handshake snub is actually great news for Mariners

Everyone watching the World Baseball Classic made a huge deal over the United States catcher, Cal Raleigh, snubbing his Seattle Mariners teammate, Randy Arozarena, of a handshake at the plate before an at-bat in Team USA's tilt against Mexico. So, when Raleigh all but repeated that feat against Team Canada and another Seattle teammate, Josh Naylor, everyone was ready to go after Raleigh for his questionable sportsmanship once again.

But it turns out, the World Baseball Classic isn't the breeding ground for Mariners dysfunction. Instead, Naylor made it clear after the game that he was merely trolling Raleigh with his attempted fist bump, and reports have also made it clear that Arozarena's reaction may have been overblown as well, with Naylor saying that Raleigh told him he'd agreed with Team USA to not shake hands at the plate.

Cal Raleigh handshake drama isn't the sign of Mariners turmoil some thought

With the resulting drama from the snubbed handshake with Arozarena in USA vs. Mexico at the WBC, Naylor was obviously asked about his fist bump being unrequited by Raleigh. He was grinning devilishly as he told reporters that Raleigh told him before the game that he wouldn't be shaking hands, seemingly insinuating that Naylor offered the fist bump to mess with his Seattle teammate.

And if you're wondering about the Arozarena handshake, specifically the Mariners outfielder's reaction to it in which he seemingly went after Raleigh, the evidence that was overblown is mounting as well.

Not only did Raleigh tell the media that the entire thing was blown out of proportion, but Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported that the Team USA catcher told Arozarena (and Naylor) that the United States contingent had a philosophy as a team to not shake hands. Obviously, the snub wasn't anything personal or meant to be disrespectful if that was the case.

Frankly, I was shocked at Arozarena's reaction in the moment — and even more so now. Having said that, it does feel like a mountain was made out of a mole hill with all of this. Sure, the viral video of the handshake snub doesn't look particularly good, especially if you're a Mariners fan. However, that still doesn't mean it was the most catastrophic act we've ever seen on a baseball diamond before. It was likely to blow over anyway, but even more so if Raleigh had already made his intentions clear about something so trivial.

Regardless, though, there shouldn't be any concerns about a fractured Mariners clubhouse. Naylor's actions alone speak to the contrary. You aren't trolling a teammate at the World Baseball Classic if you're on bad terms. And while Arozarena may be a separate matter, this all feels like something that will be forgotten about quickly — but Seattle should wish that's something they could say about their players' performance in WBC competition.

If the Mariners should be worried about anything, it's performance

Even if there isn't clubhouse drama that the Mariners have to worry about, the results on the field from Raleigh, Arozarena, Naylor and even Julio Rodriguez, among others, have been a cause for concern in Seattle throughout the tournament.

Raleigh has been struggling mightily. He's hitless with five strikeouts amid the 0-for-9 stretch. We've also seen Team USA manager Mark DeRosa slip him lower in the lineup in recent games as well. And to make matters even worse, one of the best defensive catchers in baseball looked out of sorts with a passed ball against Canada that nearly proved quite costly.

But it's not just the American catcher. Arozarena was 2-for-13 with Mexico, while J-Rod is sitting at just 3-for-15 among the red-hot Dominican Republic bats in that lineup. And even though he's not of the same star caliber as others, Dominic Canzone going 2-for-13 with Italy isn't promising either. Let's not forget the pitchers either, where Gabe Speier has been shaky with two runs allowed in 2.1 innings, while Eduard Bazardo has a run given up in 1.1 innings of work.

Much like with spring training to some degree, this isn't the end of the world for the Mariners by any stretch. It's an extremely small sample size, and not something to overreact to. Yes, you'd love to see these guys shine on the world stage against high-level competition, but they're also still largely working their way into form for Opening Day all the same.

That doesn't mean it's not a situation worth monitoring — rather, it's just not something to make sweeping declarations or assumptions as a result of. All that being said, though, the Mariners certainly have more to deal with than they expected coming out of the World Baseball Classic. However, at least fans and the club can sleep a bit better knowing that they probably don't have to worry about their catcher being stingy with handshakes.