Seattle didn’t ask for this crossover, but now it can’t look away.
Somewhere in Seattle right now, a lifelong Seattle sports fan just stared into the middle distance and whispered, “Why is he in my baseball timeline?”
Yes, Tom Brady ended up in a photo op with Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh, and it’s the kind of cross-sport mashup that makes your brain do the buffering circle. The internet-fueled moment came out of Brady’s CardVault scene, where he and Raleigh swapped signed jerseys. Brady was tossing footballs into the crowd, signing autographs, and even ripping open a pack of 2000 Playoff Contenders chasing one of his own iconic rookie autos, because apparently retirement is just “side quests” now.
Tom Brady’s note to Cal Raleigh feels like a Seattle fever dream
But the part that really made Mariners fans sit up like they just heard a mysterious foghorn? Brady’s inscription to Raleigh on the jersey: “The best is yet to come!”
Now, sure, Brady might write that on everything. He probably signs receipts like that. He might’ve written it on an avocado once. But if you’re a Mariners fan, you read that and immediately think: Oh no. Don’t you put your dark football magic on our catcher.
Because Cal Raleigh having “the best is yet to come” is a hilarious concept when you remember what he just did. In 2025, Raleigh hit 60 home runs with 125 RBI and put up 7.4 WAR like he was created in a lab to break Statcast. If “the best is yet to come,” what are we talking about next… 70? A catcher Triple Crown? Cal stealing second base simply out of spite?
And that’s where the Seattle-specific whiplash kicks in. Brady is still, spiritually, a minor supervillain around here. So seeing him grinning next to one of the most beloved Mariners in years feels… illegal?
Honestly, it would be more perfect if Raleigh channeled his inner “Ichiro” for this moment. You know, the legendary story where Ichiro got a text from Brady and reportedly responded with the all-time classic: “Who the f— is Tom Brady?”
But let’s be real: expecting Cal Raleigh to ignore Brady’s existence is unrealistic. So yes, feelings are complicated. Yes, it’s weird. But if Brady wants to wander into the Mariners universe and slap an accidental prophecy onto Raleigh’s jersey… fine.
Just… maybe keep him away from any goal-line situations.
