Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh finished just shy of becoming the third MVP in franchise history on Thursday night.

Raleigh finished second in MVP voting with 335 points, falling just behind Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, who had 355 points.

While several people were disappointed to see Raleigh not win the award, there was another talking point involving the M's: The sixth-place finish of Julio Rodriguez.

It was the third time in his four-year career that he's finished top-seven in MVP voting, and that's activated a provision in his contract.

In 2022, just months after Rodriguez made his major league debut, he signed a deal that was, at minimum, seven-years and $119 million.

Part of Rodriguez's contract extension included an eight-year club option, which Seattle will have to decide whether to activate after the 2028 season.

The specifics of Rodriguez's contract option are variable, and determined by MVP placement from 2022-28.

If Rodriguez received no top-10 MVP placements in that time period, his contract option value would be eight-years, $200 million ($25 million AAV). If he received two, it would be eight-years, $240 million ($30 million AAV); four Top-10 placements means eight-years, $260 million ($32.5 million AAV).

Currently, Rodriguez has three top-10 placements, which leaves his option at eight-years, $240 million. If he finishes in the top 10 again between 2026 and 2028, it will be bumped up to eight-years, $260 million.

However, as noted by Spotrac (and relayed by Luke Arkins below), Rodriguez can earn more money if he gets an MVP win by the end of the 2028 campaign.

One MVP win and one top-five placement, or three top-five placements would bump the contract up to eight-years, $280 million ($35 million AAV). Two MVP wins or four top-five placements would bump the contract up to 10-years, $350 million ($35 million AAV).

Rodriguez was made the de facto face of the franchise when he agreed to the contract extension after his rookie season. The provisions added into the deal were both a nod to the potential the franchise saw in Rodriguez, while also being a safeguard in case he didn't meet those expectations.

So far, Rodriguez has proved himself worth of that deal and is only increasing his own value every single year.

At Rodriguez's current trajectory, it seems inevitable that the Mariners will activate the option. It's just a question of what the value of the option will be.

RELATED MARINERS STORIES

HERE'S HOW MVP VOTING SHOOK OUT: There was a surprising demographic of BBWAA writers that voted against Raleigh in the MVP voting. CLICK HERE

SEVERAL PLAYERS MAKE ALL-MLB TEAMS: Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, Bryan Woo and Andres Munoz were all recognized for their stellar seasons. CLICK HERE

CAL RALEIGH LOSES MVP AWARD TO AARON JUDGE: The New York Yankees outfielder edged out Raleigh for his third career MVP trophy. CLICK HERE

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