Outfielder Randy Arozarena insists everything is cool between him and his Seattle Mariners teammate Cal Raleigh after he made expletive-laden comments about the star catcher during the World Baseball Classic. Arozarena also apologized for the remarks he made about Raleigh.
“I understand that with Opening Day a few days away, I don’t want it to be a distraction. Cal and I have talked and I apologized for what I said after the game,” Arozarena said in a statement provided by the Mariners on Saturday. “Nothing in the WBC takes away from the fact that we are brothers and teammates. He’s family, and we are both focused on helping the Mariners win the World Series.”
Raleigh also expressed his appreciation for Arozarena following the Mariners’ 7-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs in their Cactus League game on Saturday night.
“We talked it out, and everything went great,” Raleigh said. “Randy knows that I love him, and he’s a brother, and it’s in the past and none of us are carrying this forward. We’re in a good spot. We talked it out. We were both sorry, and we both got in a good place and we’re both happy to be here, too. It was really good walking in the door and seeing everybody. As fun as [the WBC] was, it was nice to feel back here. It feels like the family’s all back together in a way.”
The drama between the two Mariners teammates was sparked by a moment during Team USA’s win over Mexico in pool play of the World Baseball Classic. During the March 9 matchup, Raleigh (playing for Team USA) turned down a handshake from Arozarena when he went up to the plate for Mexico.
Following the game, Arozarena used profane language when discussing Raleigh’s actions in an interview with Mexican journalist Luis Gilbert. Arozarena said Raleigh could “f— off” and “go to hell” in Spanish.
Arozarena opted not to speak about his comments when he returned to the Mariners this past week, saying “the WBC is behind us now.” Raleigh also downplayed his teammate’s remarks when he met with reporters the day after Arozarena made them. The star catcher iterated that there was “no beef” between the two and apologized to Arozarena if he felt disrespected by the situation.
Now, Arozarena and Raleigh will look to lift the Mariners to back-to-back AL West titles and another deep postseason. Arozarena hit a career-high 27 homers in his first full season with the Mariners in 2025, adding 76 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. As for Raleigh, he made history with his 60 home runs last season, which marked the most ever for a catcher in a single season.
The Mariners will open their season with a four-game home series against the Cleveland Guardians beginning on Thursday.
Read the full article here
