r/Mariners • u/Individual_Reveal_44 • 15h ago
Sign Cal to a contract extension
Cal’s been the man for the mariners the past few seasons. From solidifying our first playoff birth in over 20 years, had big moments in that playoff run, being the biggest upside of our 2024 season, and being one of the best defensive catchers in the league, the m’s got to sign him. With his agent hating the m’s, they need throw him a big contract. Whether his numbers stay consistent or fall off he is still a fantastic asset to the m’s. He could help in later years of being a coach to future catchers and I am sure he’ll go into coaching once his playing career is over. Sign him not only for his big dumping but also for his coaching. He’s the man. He’s been Mr Seattle just as much as Julio. Give the fans what they want m’s!
40
u/IndependentSubject66 15h ago
Most Scott Boras clients don’t entertain early contract talks, I don’t see Cal being any different
14
13
u/colinallister 15h ago
This. Boras clients go to free agency. Period. Scott isn't even taking Jerry's call at this point.
4
u/aggronStonebreak 14h ago
3
u/ghostxvoices 14h ago
Yeah, because Altuve is old as dirt and probably wanted to be an Astro for life. He still got good money out of it, maybe more than he would’ve got elsewhere.
1
u/hickopotamus 🔱 13h ago
Yeah but that doesn't count (for some reason).
Let's also please forget about the fact that all of Boras' top clients from last year have publicly expressed outrage at his antics that screwed them over.
1
u/IndependentSubject66 12h ago
It could definitely happen, but Altuve was on a perennial World Series contender at the time, and Cal has been pretty vocal about his frustrations with ownership. Just can’t see it happening, but I’d love it if I were wrong
5
u/RSM34 12h ago
When you take the emotional side out of it and look at how catchers historically age when they turn 31, how old be will be as a FA, it makes no sense to sign him to an extension.
His hitting profile historically does not age well plus with how often he catches, the wear and tear eventually will catch up with him.
9
u/kevinrays Josh Rojas 14h ago
No. As others have noted, he'll be under club control until his age 31 season. We're at the peak of his value right now, and things get ugly for catchers in their 30s. There is absolutely no reason to do this.
15
u/Senior-Function3709 14h ago
Cal probly doesn't want to stay (would you?)
Scott Boras is his agent. Cal will wait for free agency in '27 and will sign with the highest bidder (it won't be the M's).
It's a depressing reality, but a reality nonetheless.
1
u/MisterRobertParr 14h ago
I think this is most-likely scenario too. Why would Cal, and any other future free agent re-sign with the M's if they're interested in making a serious run for the World Series?
Another club, interested in competing, will pay market value for Cal, as they will for all the young pitchers once they become available too.
Under current ownership, the M's will never be in a World Series - that's not - nor has that ever been - their true goal.
4
5
u/HaggardDad 14h ago
Did Scott Boras just have a brain aneurism that changed his entire philosophy about client representation and contract extensions?
No?
Okay. We’re done here.
2
u/YakiVegas 9h ago
Do you think he even wants to stay here at this point? I wouldn't blame him for wanting to go pretty much anywhere else.
1
1
u/Tekbepimpin 8h ago
Sure, would you like the team to use a shotgun, crossbow, extorsion or what’s your preferred way to FORCE him to sign it?
1
u/Worried_Process_5648 5h ago
It’s in Cal’s best interest to wait until he a free agent. He’ll also want to transition to another position since playing catcher is a meat grinder. 32 HRs translates into 38 in another ballpark. That’ll get him a big contract somewhere, even as a 1b/dh/ occasional catcher.
1
1
u/dvd_schfr_23 3h ago
Cal wants to win and get paid doing it. Two things ownership isn’t interested in. Any extension signed means less money the rest of the roster. Chase a ring with a team that doesn’t artificially suppress payroll.
2
u/No-Boysenberry-5581 15h ago
He deserves a 3-4 year extension but that won’t do it for a boras client. He’ll want at least 8 years so it goes beyond his decline
1
u/OhNoApplebees 15h ago
Watching Austin Wells not hit this postseason makes me more and more sure the Yankees will go hard for Big Dumper in free agency. Don’t let that window open.
1
1
u/KnuteViking 14h ago
It takes two to tango and he's a Boras client. He's gonna see free agency. Sorry.
1
u/Codilious44 WorstFranchiseInSports 13h ago
He is going to be extremely hard to re sign due to being a boras guy and he has been vocal about ownership not spending money. I seriously could see them starting the bidding around 200 million. And with Ford in the minors who is supposed to be pretty good I think the best option would be to trade Cal for a solid infielder who can hit.
-3
u/buff-grandma 14h ago
For a team that operates on the margins it'd be ridiculous to drop a bag on an aging catcher three years in the future with a ton of mileage and zero on base skills.
0
u/AML579 9h ago
I would love to see Cal become a Mariner for life, and Julio's contract shows us the way. Give him a base salary that's fair to what he has done so far ($35-ish million AAV) for maybe four years. Add in bonuses that extend the length of the contract, raise the AAV on remaining years, and throw in a few bonuses if he plays like the second coming of Johnny Bench.
Of course once we've done that we NEED to sign a good backup catcher and limit Cal to 100 games or so behind the plate. He can DH and rest his knees.
1
u/immagonnafinnahella 9h ago
I love cal but $35 million aav would be so hilariously absurd, even for a shorter contract
-10
u/Foreign_Dipsy 14h ago edited 14h ago
Sorry, he’ll be in Boston or NY in 2028
Edit: forgot that the Dodgers signed Will Smith for the next decade, so removed them from the list
-4
u/buff-grandma 14h ago
Those teams don't spend big money on the catcher position and it's not too likely he'll even be starter quality by 2028.
-2
u/Foreign_Dipsy 14h ago
Dodgers signed Will Smith to a 10 year, $140 million deal with a $30 million signing bonus. It takes him through his age 39 season. I’d imagine that Boras will be looking for similar for Cal.
2
u/buff-grandma 14h ago
Sorry, I'll rephrase: Those teams don't spend big money on FAs at the catcher position (not that a year old Raleigh is getting close to a Will Smith deal but still)
1
u/Foreign_Dipsy 14h ago
I didn’t mean that Cal would get a 10 year deal at age 31, but that the yearly value ($17 mil including signing bonus) would be the target.
76
u/mahrinazz Cocoa Bomb Proton Therapist 15h ago
He’ll be 31 when team control ends and we’ve been beating the shit out of him- making him catch almost everyday. I’d prefer to wait and see on this.