The Seattle Mariners entered the offseason with one big, bold goal at the top of their agenda:
Re-sign Josh Naylor from free agency.
Mission accomplished.
We’re just halfway through November and the Mariners have already gotten that business done. Naylor clearly wanted to stay.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the signing on Sunday night, a five-year pact:
“First baseman Josh Naylor and the Seattle Mariners are finalizing a five-year contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. The first major free agent to sign this winter goes back to Seattle, where he was beloved after joining the Mariners in a deadline trade. The Mariners made Josh Naylor their top priority entering the winter, and his excellence down the stretch got him a long-term deal to join Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and the Mariners’ rotation as a foundational piece. His energy was infectious. Seattle didn’t want to lose it.”
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It’s a massive win for the Mariners.
They knew when they got Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a late-July trade that he was in the final year of his deal. They would have to figure things out when the season ended.
If the partnership hadn’t worked, they could’ve let him go.
But the partnership really, really worked.
Not only did Naylor hit the ball hard, show off his power and bring the energy. He also stole bases and was never caught.
He’s one of the slowest runners in baseball but he made it his mission to school pitchers and catchers, again and again.
Talk about endearing yourself to a fanbase quickly.
Whatever the Mariners do from here this offseason, they’ll earn a good grade. Bringing back Naylor was the whole key.
Now they can decide if they want to pursue reconnecting with Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco or not.
They can also look into upgrades from elsewhere in free agency.
But Naylor was the whole key to the Seattle offseason after journeying all the way to ALCS Game 7.
And quite early in free agency, the Mariners already know they’ve got their guy.
