BREAKING: Cal Raleigh Opens Up After MVP Snub

SEATTLE — In his first public comments since finishing a distant second in American League MVP voting, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh did not hide his disappointment, but channeled it into a fiery declaration of purpose for the 2025 season, vowing the snub has only added “jet fuel” to his already formidable motivation.

The results, announced Tuesday evening, saw New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge claim the award in a landslide, garnering 28 of 30 first-place votes. Raleigh, who led the Mariners to their first AL West title in over two decades with a historic season for a catcher, received the other two first-place votes but was listed as low as fifth on several ballots.

Speaking to a small group of reporters at T-Mobile Park, Raleigh was candid, his typically stoic demeanor replaced by a visible, simmering intensity.

“Look, you play this game to be the best. You work your whole life for recognition like that,” Raleigh stated, his voice steady but firm. “To have the season I had, to do what we did as a team, and to see the final tally… it stings. I’m not going to sit here and tell you it doesn’t. It stings a lot.”

The numbers made Raleigh a compelling, if unconventional, candidate. He became the first catcher in Major League history to record at least 40 home runs, 30 doubles, and 100 RBIs in a single season. His .915 OPS and 157 OPS+ were not only career-bests but ranked among the top five in the American League. More importantly, his leadership and game-calling were credited as the backbone of a Mariners pitching staff that finished with the second-lowest ERA in the league.

“People talk about value. What is value?” Raleigh asked rhetorically. “Is it just the flashy numbers, or is it what you do for nine innings, 162 games a year? I caught nearly every day. I managed a pitching staff. I hit in the heart of the order. I feel like I impacted the game in more ways than just one.”

The central argument against Raleigh’s candidacy was Judge’s own phenomenal year. The Yankees’ outfielder posted a 1.135 OPS with 62 home runs, leading the league in numerous offensive categories. However, the Yankees failed to make the postseason, a point that many of Raleigh’s supporters, including his own teammates, believed should have weighed more heavily in the voting.

Mariners ace Luis Castillo, a likely Cy Young candidate himself, was vocal in his support. “What Cal did this year, no catcher has ever done. He was our MVP, no question,” Castillo said via a team spokesman. “He is the heart of this team. The voters got it wrong.”

When asked about the “Yankee bias” narrative that has since erupted on Seattle sports radio and social media, Raleigh chose his words carefully.

“I have a ton of respect for Aaron Judge. He’s one of the best players of our generation, and what he did at the plate was incredible,” Raleigh conceded. “But the criteria… it just feels inconsistent. Some years, they say it’s about carrying your team to the playoffs. This year, that didn’t seem to matter as much. It’s confusing.”

He continued, “Maybe it’s because I’m here in Seattle, not in a big market. I don’t know. I can’t control that. All I can control is what I do on the field.”

It is what he plans to do next that should send a warning shot across the American League. The “snub,” as it’s being called in the Pacific Northwest, has extinguished any semblance of satisfaction Raleigh might have felt from a breakout season.

“This isn’t the end of the story. This is the start of a new chapter,” Raleigh declared, a hard glint in his eye. “They’ve woken up a monster. I thought I was motivated before. You have no idea. This has put a chip on my shoulder the size of a redwood. I’m going to come back next year and I’m going to make it so they have no choice.”

Mariners Manager Scott Servais, who was present for the interview, nodded in agreement. “Cal is the ultimate competitor. He uses everything. This? This is just more fuel. The league should be on notice.”

As the session ended, Raleigh had one final message for the fans and, perhaps, the voters who overlooked him.

“Thank you for the support. It means everything. But this isn’t about me feeling sorry for myself. This is about a mission. Last year was a step. Next year is the leap. They didn’t want to give me the award? Fine. I’m going to go out and take what’s mine. See you in the spring.”

With those words, Cal Raleigh transformed a moment of personal disappointment into a powerful, unifying battle cry for a city and a franchise hungry for more. The MVP race of 2024 is over, but the reverberations from its result may just be the catalyst for an even more dominant 2025.