Cal Raleigh already handed Mariners manager Dan Wilson his pink slip

Rumor has it that barring a miraculous turnaround in the AL West or AL Wild Card race — both of which are still winnable for the Mariners as of this writing — Seattle will fire manager Dan Wilson, opting to go in a different direction. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Wilson’s Mariners made the ALCS just a season ago and came within one game of the World Series. Seattle entered the 2026 regular season as one of the AL favorites. Instead, they’ve been a tremendous disappointment.

There’s plenty of blame to go around, and Wilson is by no means exonerated. Whether it be poor lineup construction or bullpen decisions, he has been far from perfect. But Wilson’s eventual exodus can be pinned primarily on Cal Raleigh, whose regression from 60-home run catcher to lineup cancer has been an unpredictable side-effect of this season. No Wilson lineup tinkering can make up for that.

Cal Raleigh won’t go to bat for Mariners manager Dan Wilson

Raleigh’s precipitous drop has cost the Mariners in the standings. Were he even his usual self — I’m talking prior to the 2025 season — Seattle would be in a much better spot in the AL Wild Card race. Instead, they’re five games back of the Astros in the AL West and three games back of the Rangers for the final Wild Card spot. Here’s how Raleigh plays into that.

Even if Mariners fans consider Raleigh’s 2025 season to be an anomaly, he’s a full four wins off his pace from the three years prior. If Raleigh were playing to his usual standard, the Mariners would be atop the Wild Card race and pushing the Astros for first in the AL West. The difference is striking.

It also doesn’t help that Raleigh’s deflected blame for his struggles. Whether it be a spring training blowup with Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena, fatigue from playing in the World Baseball Classic, or even the lineup construction of Wilson himself…Raleigh hasn’t ruled anything out.

“Ultimately, the players decide the outcome of these games. Obviously, Dan has the say on who comes in and writes the lineup, and we understand that,” Raleigh told the media.

How the Mariners can save Dan Wilson’s job

The Mariners are lucky in that the American League is historically thin this season. The third AL Wild Card team could very well finish the year with a record under .500. Those against the expanded playoff format, wherever you may be, have waited for this day.

Seattle traded Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline, but still possess one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Bryan Woo is pitching on Sunday against the Astros, and he is an AL Cy Young contender.

Unfortunately for the Mariners, they ranked 29th in all of baseball in runs scored per game at just 3.92. If Seattle is going to make the playoffs and do literally anything once they get there, that statistic must improve, and fast. In 2025, the Mariners scored a pedestrian 4.68 runs per game, and a lot of that had to do with Raleigh, who needs to wake up from his slumber while there’s still time.

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