Commentary: Why Cal Raleigh is, again, making a pitch for Mariners to add offense

SEATTLE – It’s hard to be diplomatic and direct all at once, yet somehow Cal Raleigh found a way.

The Mariners catcher has rarely been shy about airing his thoughts, but he understands the importance of a delicate delivery.

So in a five-minute-and-change interview Saturday, he acknowledged the offensive struggles while maintaining optimism amid all the fans’ cynicism. He also said what we all know: There need to be impactful additions to Seattle’s roster.

Raleigh, remember, sounded off after the Mariners missed the playoffs last season, calling out the brass for not adequately upgrading the team. His remarks quickly prompted an apology, but it’s doubtful anyone in the clubhouse took issue with his complaints.

“Anytime you can add, I mean look over in the other locker room [the Rangers] right there, they’ve added more than anybody else and look where it got them,” Raleigh said last October. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat, that’s for sure. But going out and getting those big names, people who have done it, people who have been there, people who are leaders, people who have shown time and time again that they can be successful in this league is definitely what would help this clubhouse.”

These comments aren’t news. But they seem just as applicable to the M’s today as they did around this time last year. More on that in a bit, first, a closer look at the Big Dumper.

Heading into Saturday’s game against Houston, Raleigh had gone hitless in his last 11 at-bats, a stretch that included seven strikeouts. Before that skid, however, he’d mashed five home runs in a span of four days against the Padres and Angels. It seemed to signify a much-needed spark for the Mariners’ dormant offense. Did Cal — hitting .213 with 20 home runs before Saturday’s game — find something?

“No. Just trying to refine my approach and make adjustments to how I’m being pitched,” Raleigh said. “You get beat one way and you figure out how to combat it. Then they find a new way and you find a way to combat that. It’s a constant back-and-forth battle.”

If advanced metrics are your thing, then Raleigh appears to be the Mariners’ most valuable position player this year. His 2.6 wins above replacement (WAR) — the catchall player value stat — is the highest among non-pitching M’s.

That last road trip helped, no doubt. So does his caught-stealing percentage of 31.9, second only to the Dodgers’ Will Smith among catchers. But the truth is, while Julio Rodriguez might be the Mariners’ most talented position player, Raleigh has been their most dependable.

The numbers are fairly consistent year-to-year. That can’t really be said about the rest of the Mariners’ lineup. The anemic offense (28th in MLB in runs, last in batting average) is the primary culprit in Seattle losing 16 of its last 24 heading into Saturday. What’s going on?

“I know we have a lot of skepticism about us not playing well at this time,” Raleigh said. “You can look at it in two different ways. You can look at it in the sense that we’re tied for first with a chance to do something we haven’t done in 20-something years [win the division], or we can look at like we feel bad about ourselves … it’s one of those things that it’s about perspective.”

It is. Although it doesn’t seem as if Raleigh’s perspective regarding additions changed from last year to this year — nor should it. Yes, the Mariners entered Saturday’s game tied for first place in the American League West with the Astros, but it wasn’t much more than a month ago that they held a 10-game lead.

So naturally, the 27-year-old mentioned how he hoped the team could “add some pieces” as the trade deadline (July 30) approaches. I followed up.

What would you like to see?

“I don’t think that’s for me to answer. I think what I can say is we’re obviously a team in contention. We want to add,” Raleigh said. “That’s not a secret. No one is going to disagree with me throughout the organization or throughout the city. When teams are in this situation, they add. So, we’re looking forward to that. Hopefully sooner than later.”

That’s the catcher making the pitch that all fans want to see. He is right about the skepticism. People aren’t sure — at all — that this team has enough to get into the playoffs. But that skepticism extends to the front office.

Will it deliver? The Mariners’ season likely depends on it.