Cal Raleigh urges front office to strengthen team after Mariners' exit from postseason contention - "You’ve got to go out and buy"

The Seattle Mariners' two-game winning streak against NL West leader Texas Rangers came to a halt on Saturday with a 6-1 defeat jeopardizing the Mariners' hopes of a playoff finish.

The defeat against the Rangers eventually turned out to be a final nail in their coffin as defending World Series champions Houston Astros' victory later in the night ensured their passage through to the playoffs, ending the Mariners' postseason aspirations.

While several players wore dejected looks on their faces after the Astros win sealed their team's fate, star catcher Cal Raleigh made a few bold statements.

The 26-year-old catcher, who is enjoying his most prolific season from the plate, highlighted the reason for their failure to reach the playoffs. Raleigh felt that the lack of signings played a crucial role in the business end of their campaign.

“We have to,” Raleigh said. "We have to do that to keep up. We’ve done a great job of growing some players here within the farm system, but sometimes you’ve got to go out and you have to buy. And that’s just the name of the game.

"We’ll see what happens this offseason. Hopefully, we can add some players and become a better team.”

Cal Raleigh's bold words a warning sign for the Seattle Mariners front office?

Seattle made an underwhelming start to its MLB season this year and was reeling at 38-42 at the start of July. The front office decided to move Paul Sewald at the trade deadline, a move that impacted the season, according to Raleigh.

“I thought we were [better than this]. I really did,” Raleigh said. “I thought we were going to have a lot better year. I thought adding some bats was going to help, but losing Paul at the trade deadline definitely hurt. And that was a big spot in our season.”

Mariners fans must be dejected despite their team stitching an incredible run after the All-Star break, but the young catcher's bold words might force the front office to make some changes ahead of next year's campaign.