Mariners annoyingly secure Blue Jays killer long-term after Alejandro Kirk extension

It turns out the Blue Jays' extension of Alejandro Kirk was a bit of a double-edged sword.

The good part is easy to discern: the Blue Jays locked up a franchise cornerstone on a fair deal that locks him into the Blue Jays' next contention window.

And the bad part? It provided a blueprint for every team that had an interest in locking up their franchise catcher.

That became evident on Tuesday when the Mariners inked Cal Raleigh to a six-year, $105 million contract.

Mariners secure Cal Raleigh long-term after Alejandro Kirk extension

The Mariners extension of Raleigh, which buys out three years of his free agency, reportedly came about suddenly, as the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish reported the two sides hadn't talked as of March 17.

Could Kirk's deal have been the impetus for the two sides going to the bargaining table?

It's worth pointing out that Raleigh's deal is worth more than Kirk's, though Raleigh's contract does have one more year. In fact, Raleigh's contract is the only the fifth nine-figure deal for a catcher in MLB history. The other backstops to net such a deal are Buster Posey, Joe Mauer, J.T. Realmuto and Will Smith.

Raleigh's deal comes on the back of a season where he cleared the 100 RBI plateau for the first time in his career and won his first career Platinum Glove.

Raleigh's got some serious swing-and-miss in his game (career 28.9% strikeout rate), but he also has some incredible power (93 home runs and 251 RBI in his career).

Raleigh's played in 464 games in his career since making his debut since 2021, while Kirk's played in 434 games since making his debut in 2020, so their careers are at the same crossroads.

They're both strong options behind the plate . Raleigh finished last year in the 98th percentile in framing, while Kirk finished in the 93rd percentile. Kirk's saved 31 runs behind the plate since making his MLB debut, while Raleigh's saved 30. They're both some of baseball's best defensive backstops.

The big difference between the two is in the batter's box.

While Kirk has the only All-Star nod and Silver Slugger win, Raleigh's turned in three straight seasons with an OPS+ above 100, while Kirk's finished the past two seasons with an OPS+ under 100.

They're both good players, but Raleigh's a better hitter with a more established track record of success, which is why his contract was for a bit more.

And, perhaps most importantly to Blue Jays fans, Raleigh is Blue Jays killer. He's mashed nine home runs against the Blue Jays (the second-most he's hit against any opponent) despite only playing in 18 games against the franchise. He has a career .277 average with a 1.032 OPS in those 18 games against Toronto.

And that's not count his 4-for-8 showing with a home run against the Blue Jays in 2022 Wild Card Series.

But while it's scary to think of Raleigh leading the Mariners' lineup for the forseeable future, his contract also shows that the Blue Jays' extension of Kirk is a bit of a steal.

Sure, his numbers aren't as good as Raleigh's, but he's just as important to the Blue Jays, and is a great asset to the team's pitching staff.

Both players deserved to get paid. Now we'll just have to wait and see if they can help lead their respective team to the postseason in 2025 and beyond.