Arozarena issues statement upon return to Seattle Mariners
After Team Mexico’s elimination from the World Baseball Classic, Randy Arozarena returned to Seattle Mariners camp Saturday morning and got back to work hitting in the cages with assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes before the team’s game against the Angels in Tempe, Ariz.
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While he was seen in and out of the clubhouse while reporters were talking to Andrés Muñoz and Miles Mastrobuoni about their experiences in the WBC, Arozarena declined to speak with the media. He did issue a statement through the team.
“We didn’t get the results we wanted with Team Mexico, but I’m glad to be back in camp with my teammates. The WBC is behind us now, and I don’t want anything to take away from the Mariners. I’m focused on the season and helping this team compete for a World Series.”
Earlier in the day, Dan Wilson spoke to Arozarena before he embarked on his work in the cages and termed it as “a chance to say hello.” Despite the outside focus on the event, Wilson believes inside the Mariners clubhouse the situation between Arozarena and teammate Cal Raleigh that arose during the WBC should not linger.
“I think our goal here is to win a World Series,” he said in his morning meeting with the media. “And putting that behind us is a big part of that goal. And I think that’s what we’re looking to do. So I think our focus now really becomes March 26th (opening day) and getting started on the season. And that’s how we’re looking at it.”
For his part, Raleigh addressed the situation almost immediately in a FaceTime interview with three members of the Seattle media from Daikin Park in Houston the next day. His message was clear. He said he loved Arozarena, it was not his intention to slight him in any way and he told Arozarena he was sorry if he felt disrespected. It’s worth noting there are reports he asked Arozarena before the game to not try to shake his hand as he did with Team USA catcher Will Smith in the 2023 WBC.
And the words Arozarena had for him? Raleigh just didn’t believe anything about the episode should be a thing, and he certainly didn’t want it to linger and impact the Mariners.
“Obviously, when we’re back in Seattle, we’re family, we’re brothers, and I’ll do anything for him,” Raleigh said. “I’ll do anything for our team to win. To me, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.”
Josh Naylor, to his credit, did his best to quell the controversey Friday night, jokingly offering his hand to Raleigh in his first at-bat against Team USA and talking about his intention after Team Canada was eliminated from the WBC.
“We were all just joking. Trying to really make light of the situation,” he said. “I texted him before that I was going to do it. He said, ‘Please don’t.’ But me and Cal are really good friends. He’s an awesome teammate and honestly one of my favorite teammates I think I’ve ever had in my career. He’s such a leader, too. I was really, really happy to get traded to the Mariners last year and kind of experience being in the locker room with him.”
By all appearances, except for the day after the event when there were some chuckles and “I’m definitely not saying anything about that one,” from players, for now this appears to not be an issue in the clubhouse. The outside noise, however, is still very, very loud.
More on the Seattle Mariners
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• OF Brennen Davis seizing expanded opportunity in M’s camp
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