According to ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was at the forefront of a lot of 'head scratching' at the World Baseball Classic.

In fairness, Raleigh did struggle at the international event, going 0-for-9 at the plate with four walks (still a .357 on-base percentage), but he didn't start either of the semifinals or finals of the tournament, with manager Mark DeRosa giving the reigns to Los Angeles Dodgers backstop Will Smith.

Combine his play and his usage with the handshake controversy with teammate Randy Arozarena, and it's fair to surmise that the event was a difficult one for Raleigh, who hit 60 home runs last season and finished second in the American League MVP voting.

Per Olney, who was a guest on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose' podcast:

"There was a lot of head scratching from folks I talked to around baseball that he didn't start at catcher in that last game (vs. Venezuela).

I think from the Mariners perspective, look, they know when these guys go away for the WBC, they're out of their control, and they're kind of at the mercy of the decisions made by the people who run the teams. For example, Mark DeRosa is the manager, he okay'd, this whole thing about not shaking hands with opposing hitters when they walk up to the plate. Well, guess who, unfortunately, had to be in the middle of that? It was Cal Raleigh. Right? He was following, essentially, a team policy. He was put in a really bad position.

And I haven't spoken to Cal. I don't know what his experience was. I'm sure hanging out with guys like Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., that was really cool. But generally speaking, in terms of trying to get ready for the start of the season, not a great event."

Regardless of what happened at the World Baseball Classic, Raleigh will be a foundational piece of the 2026 Mariners again. One of the most well-liked players in the game, he's a key to getting the Mariners back to the playoffs for the second straight season and will be integral in trying to help them win the American League West for the second consecutive season. 

He went 1-for-5 on Thursday night in a Cactus League win over the Athletics. Though he struck out four times, he did hit a three-run double.

The M's will open up next Thursday night against the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PT and Logan Gilbert will be on the mound.

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