Raleigh, like others around the organization, has embraced the added expectations that have come with the team\u2019s recent success.<\/p>\n
His ultimate goal, of course, is bringing the first World Series trophy to Seattle. And this is a season where many around baseball believe the M\u2019s are capable of going the distance.<\/p>\n
So what stands out about this year\u2019s Mariners team that\u2019s different from years past? Raleigh answered that question during the 2026 season\u2019s first edition of The Cal Raleigh Show during Seattle Sports M\u2019s insider Shannon Drayer<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cJust seeing how deep we are. I think we\u2019re a super deep team top to bottom, even in the bullpen. It feels like everything\u2019s just longer, just seems like we have a longer, deeper team,\u201d Raleigh said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Raleigh isn\u2019t alone in calling this the deepest Mariners squad in years, but the team didn\u2019t get off to a start that matched its sky-high expectations during its seven-game, season-opening homestand that ended with a 3-4 record against American League playoff contenders New York and Cleveland.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously it\u2019s early in the year and your team\u2019s never defined in the first week or so of this season,\u201d Raleigh said. \u201cSo we have a lot of work to do. There\u2019s a lot more behind the scenes that\u2019s going to go on, and guys are going to get in their grooves and find their niche and how they\u2019re gonna help this team.\u201d<\/p>\n While it wasn\u2019t quite the opening homestand the Mariners were hoping for, some of the depth Raleigh referred to was on display. As Raleigh, Julio Rodr\u00edguez and Josh Naylor combined to go 7 of 78 at the plate over the seven games, Luke Raley, Dominic Canzone and Cole Young played a major role in carrying Seattle\u2019s offense from the bottom of the order. The club also got a gem from right-hander Emerson Hancock in his season debut. Filling in for the injured Bryce Miller, Hancock spun six no-hit innings against Cleveland.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re seeing it right now (with the) contributions from the bottom of the order all the way to even the guys at the top who were maybe not contributing the way they usually are used to,\u201d Raleigh said. \u201cBut that\u2019s kind of what this whole thing is about, creating a team that can do it in different ways, that can lengthen the game and give you problems from top to bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n Hear the full conversation with Cal Raleigh at this link<\/a> or in the audio player in this story. Catch The Cal Raleigh Show at 5 p.m. on Thursday\u2019s during Seattle Sports\u2019 Wyman and Bob.\u00a0<\/p>\n More on the Seattle Mariners<\/p>\n \u2022 What Brock and Salk learned from first M\u2019s homestand<\/a>
\u2022 M\u2019s announce schedule change to avoid overlap with Seahawks opener<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Why Luis Castillo is so important for Seattle Mariners this season<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Stock Watch: Who\u2019s trending up, down after first M\u2019s homestand<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Will Seattle Mariners become more aggressive with ABS challenges?<\/a><\/p>\n
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