Ex-Rockies GM heaps praise on Mariners' $105M move as catcher joins Julio Rodriguez, Luis Castillo with big-money contracts

By Daniel Santiago

Modified Mar 26, 2025 18:27 GMT

MLB: Seattle Mariners-Media Day - Source: Imagn

Ex-Rockies GM-turned-MLB analyst Dan O'Dowd sounded off on the Seattle Mariners agreeing a contract extension with Gold Glove-winning catcher Cal Raleigh. O'Dowd praised the backstop's consistency, durability and ability to handle one of the league's best pitching crews.

Raleigh is set to receive a six-year, $105 million deal that effectively buys out three years of free agency with a full no-trade clause. He now joins star Julio Rodriguez and Luis Castillo as the only three players from the team to carry $100M contracts.

On Tuesday's episode of MLB Network's "MLB Tonight," O'Dowd said:

"He's catching arguably one of the best starting rotations in the game. It has a lot to do with being a consistent presence behind home plate." (1:03)

Expand Tweet

O'Dowd praised the Seattle Mariners organization for being one of the best teams in the league when it comes to nurturing talent.

"If you look at what the Mariners have done, they haven't added a ton of talent from outside of the organization from a monetary commitment," O'Dowd said. "But they've committed to their core group of players." (1:40)

Dan O'Dowd praises Mariners' Cal Raleigh

In the same episode, Dan O'Dowd named Cal Raleigh one of the top five catchers in the game today.

"He is [one of the top five catchers]," O'Dowd said. "I think he's in a different time zone. But I think if [he plays] back in the East Coast, he will get more love than what he actually gets in the game. He's a really good player." (2:17)

The former Rockies general manager also noted Raleigh's ability to keep a level-head in the game.

"You want a mentally stable individual behind the plate," O'Dowd said. "You want someone who brings a sense of calmness to the team. I think he does that. He's an integral part of Seattle." (2:30)

Raleigh smashed 34 home runs and drove in 100 runs last year. He has only missed 26 games since the 2023 MLB season. In addition to the impressive offensive statistics and durability, Raleigh has also compiled a +33 defensive runs stat line in the past three years as a backstop for Seattle.

He will now be tasked to maintain the momentum he has built up in recent years as he remains the primary battery partner for the likes of All-Star Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and George Kirby.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

Know More

Edited by Ribin Peter