Cal Raleigh finds an unlikely home in Seattle

Cal Raleigh, dressed in his batting practice warmups, took the stage for his press conference announcing the six-year, $105M extension with the team that drafted and developed him, flanked by Seattle Mariners owner John Stanton and team president and GMs Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander. In the front row, his family, flown in from North Carolina, beamed up at him. The back of the room was filled with his new family—his Mariners coaches and teammates, including most of the starting rotation.

It was a day that almost didn’t come; not in Mariner blue, at least. The North Carolina-born, Florida State-educated Raleigh reportedly had a pre-draft deal with the Atlanta Braves, who were planning to…