It has been a frustrating 2026 campaign for Cal Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners.
A year ago, Raleigh finished second in the American League MVP race after producing 7.2 bWAR, 60 home runs, and 125 RBIs, while Seattle advanced to Game 7 of the ALCS.
This season, however, Raleigh’s production has taken a major step backward. He currently has -0.4 bWAR, 12 homers, 43 RBIs, and a .159 batting average. The Mariners are also struggling, sitting four games outside a playoff position at 56-64 after dropping their last five games.
Seattle suffered another setback Tuesday night, falling 4-1 to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Raleigh went hitless in four at-bats and struck out twice, while the Mariners managed only three hits as a team.
Following the defeat, Raleigh delivered a blunt assessment of his own struggles and the Mariners’ difficult season.
Seattle Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh Drops Blunt Quote After Loss to Yankees
“We’re not playing well. That starts with me,” Raleigh said after Tuesday’s loss. “I’m awful. I’ve got to find a way to be better and to help bring the guys along. We just gotta play better. We’re just playing very, very, very bad baseball in every facet of the game.”
It’s fascinating how quickly Raleigh went from arguably the best player in the American League to a below-average player.
Seattle Mariners Having Disappointing Season
As a team, the Mariners’ decline has been startling. They went from being considered legitimate World Series contenders to struggling near the bottom of the American League, ahead of only teams such as the Kansas City Royals, Athletics, and Los Angeles Angels.
Seattle still has an opportunity to revive its postseason hopes because of the relatively weak American League. The Mariners are 4½ games behind the Houston Astros for the AL West lead and four games behind the Texas Rangers for the final American League Wild Card position.
However, Seattle needs to reverse its fortunes soon. The Mariners have dropped seven of their past 10 games, putting increasing pressure on the club to turn things around.
Seattle will continue its three-game series against the Yankees on Wednesday, with the second game scheduled for 4:05 p.m. PDT. The series finale is set for 10:35 p.m. PDT on Thursday. Following the Yankees series, the Mariners will travel to Daikin Park for a three-game weekend matchup against the Houston Astros.
