Cal Raleigh completed his 2025 season “honor roll.” A historic 60-home run campaign. An unexpected pop culture icon. And for Mariners fans, there was still a small glimmer of hope ahead to 2026: the MLB The Show cover.
A kind of honor that, if it happened, would likely elicit a general reaction of: “Yeah, obviously deserved.”
Raleigh on a game cover? After 2025, that wouldn’t be a debate. It would be obvious.
But then the announcement came—and everything stopped.
The official MLB The Show account confirmed that MLB The Show 26 would not have a new cover athlete. No name revealed. No hints. Just a single, chilling sentence to extinguish all dreams. And with that, “Big Dumper” was officially eliminated from the race… which didn’t even exist.
The question immediately arose: So who—or what—would be on this year’s cover?
A familiar face like Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani? A nostalgic choice like Ken Griffey Jr. from 2017? Or an unexpected twist—Rob Manfred? Ohtani and his dog Decoy? Honestly: nobody knows. Sony Interactive Entertainment and San Diego Studio know. The rest of us wait.
Whatever it is, the lack of a new cover means one simple truth: Cal Raleigh won’t be appearing. And that, for Mariners fans, could be quite disappointing.
If we ignore Griffey—a timeless legend—Raleray would have been the first active Mariner to grace the cover of MLB The Show. It would also have been a fun “response” after Aaron Judge won the 2025 AL MVP. A well-deserved title, for sure. But… “Well, obviously?”—not quite. (Sorry in advance, Yankees fans.)
However, there’s another way to look at it. A… defensive way.
Cover curse. It sounds superstitious, but history seems to enjoy playing tricks. Last year, MLB The Show 25 featured three young names on its cover: Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz, and Gunnar Henderson. The result? A not-so-smooth season for everyone. Before that, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Javier Báez, Yasiel Puig, Joe Mauer — each with their own kind of bad luck.
Mostly random. But as the list grows longer, you start to… pay attention.
And who knows, Raleigh not being on the cover might actually be good news. A way to avoid unwanted attention. A way to enter 2026 without carrying the rumored “curse.” After all, the Mariners need Raleigh healthy and stable — without added marketing pressure.
Even if the real reason he wasn’t chosen was because his legendary backside couldn’t fit on the game cover… well, that’s understandable.
Cal Raleigh doesn’t need a game cover to prove anything.
2025 has already done that.
But for Mariners fans, there’s still a reason for a little regret. Because some seasons are so special that you want to see them framed — even if it’s just on the cover of a game.
And who knows, maybe not having a cover is a good thing.
Leave a Reply