Ken’s Notebook: Cal Raleigh calls out Mariners’ ownership
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On Saturday’s Fox broadcast of the Rangers-Mariners game, announcers Aaron Goldsmith and John Smoltz brought me into a discussion about whether Seattle would make a run at Shohei Ohtani this offseason. I essentially dismissed the possibility, saying Mariners ownership hasn’t demonstrated it will spend big in free agency, much less invest the kind of money it will take to sign Ohtani.
The Mariners were eliminated from postseason contention that day, losing to the Rangers while the Astros beat the Diamondbacks. Afterward, one of the Mariners’ best and most respected players, catcher Cal Raleigh, voiced the same sentiments I expressed on the broadcast. And coming from him, it meant a lot more.
“We’ve got to commit to winning, we have to commit to going and getting those players you see other teams going out and getting — big-time pitchers, big-time hitters. We have to do that to keep up,” Raleigh told reporters. “We’ve done a great job of growing some players here and within the farm system, but sometimes you’ve got to go out and you have to buy. … You look at the other (Rangers’) locker room, they’ve added more than anybody else and you saw where it got them this year.”
Raleigh spoke to reporters again Sunday to clarify his remarks. According to MLB.com’s Daniel Adler, he apologized to his teammates if they perceived he was directly calling them out. But he added, “I’m not going to apologize for wanting to win and wanting to bring a World Series to this city.”
Nor should he.
The Mariners’ $137.5 million Opening Day payroll this season, coming off the team’s first postseason appearance since 2001, was lower than in any year between 2016 and ’19, and ranked 18th in the majors. Three of their AL West rivals — the Rangers, Angels and Astros — ranked sixth, ninth and 11th, respectively.
Spending obviously does not guarantee success, as the Angels seemingly demonstrate every year. But the Rangers spent a combined $500 million to land free agents Corey Seager and Marcus Semien during the 2021-22 offseason. Through free agency and trades, they’ve invested nearly $350 million in starting pitching over the past two years. And while they didn’t win the AL West, they are heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The difference in approach could not be more evident, and only Mariners ownership can change the narrative. No one should hold their breath waiting for that to happen, but the frustration of the star catcher breathed new life into the discussion. On the team’s most disappointing day of the season, Raleigh laid ownership bare.
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