The Seattle Mariners and first baseman Josh Naylor have been so frequently linked this offseason that a free agency reunion can sometimes seem like manifest destiny.
Naylor fit perfectly with the Mariners in his 2 1/2 months with the club, and from the moment the season ended in heartbreaking fashion up in Toronto, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander have made it obvious that they hope to bring him back.
What we haven’t heard, though, is which other teams could be aggressive suitors to try and pry Naylor loose, as he’s at best the No. 2 first baseman behind New York Mets All-Star Pete Alonso in the class, and could be further behind if you include first basemen/third basemen Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto.
Perhaps one National League Central team could ascend to that mantle.
Reds predicted to nab Naylor
In a recent article, MLB Trade Rumors released their annual free agency predictions, and though three of the four writers agreed that Naylor would return to the Mariners, Anthony Franco dissented and chose the Cincinnati Reds.
“As noted with regard to Alonso, the market hasn’t exactly been kind to pure first basemen in recent years. On the flip side, it does tend to treat players who reach free agency at 28 or younger quite nicely,” the authors wrote. “There ought to be a solid middle ground for Naylor, who could command a deal of five or more years but probably not at a premium annual value.
“(The Mariners will) be in the mix along with perhaps the Reds, Red Sox, Rangers, Guardians, Angels and Padres. Naylor is young enough that a team on its way out of a rebuild could seemingly throw its hat into the ring as well.”
The Reds have tried for years to find an everyday first baseman, and their hit rate has been remarkably poor. And Naylor’s offensive profile works best at a ballpark with a forgiving right field porch, which is absolutely the case at Great American Ball Park.
To be frank, the Mariners do still feel like the favorites, and it’s not like Franco is drawing on inside knowledge that the Reds will get involved. But strictly from on-field and budget perspectives, it’s a fit that makes sense.
