first baseman Josh Naylor and this seattle mariners Sources told ESPN on Sunday that they agreed to terms on a five-year contract, reuniting one of the best free agent hitters available with the team that has made him its top offseason priority again.
Acquired by the Mariners at the trade deadline, the 28-year-old Naylor made an immediate impact offensively, defensively and on the basepaths, strengthening a position that had been a weakness for Seattle.
The five-year deal, pending the physical, is the first major signing of baseball’s offseason and adds Naylor to a strong Seattle core that helped the Mariners reach Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. He joins the AL MVP runner-up cal raleighstar center fielder julio rodriguez And a deep Mariners rotation, as they try to reach the first World Series in franchise history.
With his high motor and infectious energy, Naylor immediately found a home in Seattle. In 54 games with the Mariners, Naylor hit .299/.341/.490 with nine home runs, 33 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 19 attempts. A solid-average defender at first base, he helped the Mariners win their first division title since 2001 and then hit .340 with three home runs in 12 postseason games.
Including 93 sports with Arizona Diamondbacks This season, the left-handed Naylor hit .295/.353/.462 with 20 home runs, 92 RBI and a career-high 3.1 WAR. An aggressive hitter with excellent contact skills, Naylor ranked in the top 20 in lowest strikeout rate among qualified batsmen.
The most surprising part of Naylor’s season: despite registering as one of the slowest runners in major competitions, he was 30–32 in stolen-base attempts, ranking in only the third percentile in sprint speed. Naylor often got lead walks from first base and was perfect on stolen-base attempts with Seattle, even as teams became more aware of his tactics.
The Diamondbacks acquired Naylor last season. cleveland patronWhere Naylor hit 31 home runs in 2024 and made the All-Star team. Over his seven-year career, Naylor has hit .269/.329/.447 with 104 home runs, 435 RBI and 55 steals while making four postseason appearances.
Originally drafted as the No. 12 pick in the first round miami marlins Hailed from Mississauga, Canada in 2015, Naylor is the eldest of three baseball-playing brothers: Bo NaylorDrafted No. 29 in 2018, is a catcher with the Guardians, and younger brother, Miles, was the No. 39 pick in 2023 and is a third baseman Exercise‘ System.
ESPN’s David Schoenfield contributed to this report.
