Okay, so this may sound a little wild. We’re talking about three catchers? In this economy? The Mariners have already been stuck in an injury roulette all season, so on the surface, it doesn’t sound like something that makes much sense. Until it does.

The Mariners have a real decision coming when Cal Raleigh returns, which many are expecting to be June 14. The easy version is Raleigh comes back and Jhonny Pereda goes back to Triple-A, Mitch Garver remains the backup catcher, and everyone moves on after, well, some folks voice their displeasure.

That’s the clean move. It would also be wildly boring.

If the Mariners are serious about protecting Raleigh (and they should be), they should at least consider another version. Keep Raleigh, Garver and Pereda on the roster. Let Raleigh’s bat return before asking his body to immediately go back into full-time catcher mode and use the DH spot more aggressively. 

Cal Raleigh’s Return Should Not Be Treated Like a Finish Line

Raleigh’s power surge in Tacoma has been loud enough to hear around the PNW. Five home runs in three games is obviously encouraging. When a player starts launching baseballs again after an oblique injury, they have to be feeling pretty good. That can also lead to temptation.

He could be ready to hit every night, but catching is not a defensive assignment. It would make more sense to have Raleigh return with a softer landing. And that’s where keeping three catchers starts to make a little sense.

Pereda was supposed to be the temporary answer. Instead, he came up and slashed .283/.338/.383 with two home runs and four RBI. And perhaps he lit a little fire under Mitch Garver, who suddenly finds himself hovering around the Mendoza Line. Not saying that’s great, but hey, the guy is finally on the right side of WAR for the first time in his Mariners tenure.

The Mariners will have to be honest with themselves. If Garver isn’t going anywhere, and there’s no indication they are ready to cut bait there, then Pereda becomes the pressure point. But he has played well enough to force a better question.

Do the Mariners want the cleanest roster, or do they want the roster that best protects Raleigh? Those are not always the same thing.

This is the real reason the three-catcher setup works. If Raleigh returns and the Mariners immediately put him back behind the plate almost every night, then there isn’t any room for this argument.

The smarter version is using Raleigh at DH enough to keep his bat in the lineup while easing him back into the physical demands of catching. That gives Seattle the best of both worlds. They get the power back without asking him to absorb the full punishment of the position every night.

And that kind of DH plan gets tricky if there are only two catchers. That’s how a three catcher plan works. It gives Dan Wilson cover. Gives Raleigh more DH runway. And gives Garver and Pereda more flexibility.

Keeping Pereda might actually help him Garver. He can be more valuable when the Mariners aren’t asking him to be the entire safety net. When there are only two catchers on the roster, every move with Garver comes with some hesitation.

It could be wise for the Mariners to not need to treat Raleigh’s return like the finish line. Maybe it should be treated like a continuation of his ramp-up. 

The obvious follow-up question is what happens to the rest of the bench, because carrying three catchers means someone else has to go. But maybe the Mariners have more flexibility here than it seems. Rob Refsnyder is reportedly still nursing a knee issue, which makes running and playing the field a tougher ask anyway. And once Randy Arozarena returns from his hamstring injury, Seattle would still have Julio Rodríguez, Victor Robles, Luke Raley, Dominic Canzone and Arozarena in the outfield mix. That’s five outfielders. Do we really need six?

So maybe an IL stint for Refsnyder opens the door. And when J.P. Crawford reenters the lineup, are the Mariners really going to keep carrying both Patrick Wisdom or Miles Mastrobuoni? The Mariners may have more room to carry Garver and Pereda than it looks like at first glance.

This could probably only make sense for a little while, and so be it. But it's a good way to protect one of the team's most important pieces. The clean roster can wait.