The Seattle Mariners secured their first big move of the offseason on Sunday night, as reports circulated that the team and first baseman Josh Naylor have agreed on a five-year deal.
Financial terms aren’t known at the time of this posting, but it’s expected to be between $90 and $100 million.
The Naylor signing is something that fans have been clamoring for since the offseason began, as he became a fan-favorite following a midseason trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Naylor hit .299 with Seattle and was a major part of why they got to the American League Championship Series, hitting nine home runs and stealing 19 bases. He had three homers in the ALCS loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Why this is important
The signing is important for a few reasons, some of which are incredibly obvious:
1) Naylor is a good player you always want good players in your organization.
2) Naylor helped the Mariners get to the ALCS, and the team has a goal of getting back there again in 2026, so more good players make that likely to happen.
3) The Mariners have eight Top-100 prospects in the organization (per MLB Pipeline), but none of them play first base. It was imperative that the M’s land Naylor simply because they didn’t have a suitable replacement waiting to come and help.
4) Naylor isn’t bothered by hitting at T-Mobile Park, which has been a roadblock in signing offensive players over the years.
5) It sends a message to the clubhouse that the ownership and front office group are serious about wanting to replicate, and surpass, what was done in 2025.
6) It sends a message to other free agents that the Mariners are open for business and that they could be a destination for other players as well.
What needs to come next
Ownership gets a lot of grief for not fully investing in the roster. We need to fairly acknowledge that they’ve made a significant financial investment here, and we need to praise them for it.
That said, this can’t be the only thing the Mariners do. They still have holes left by Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco, who are also free agents. The team has to find a way to bring them back – or replace them – and that will take financial investment as well. The ownership group has to be committed to going all-in to help an organization that was so close to reaching the ultimate goal this past year.
This is a fantastic start, but there’s more to do.
