Following their longest run since 2001, the Seattle Mariners have officially re-signed their number one target this offseason. ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news early Sunday evening that Josh Naylor would be returning to the Mariners on a five-year deal.
Seattle acquired Naylor at the trade deadline last season, sending Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Rizzi to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Naylor quickly became a locker room leader, a fan favorite, and a key part of the Mariners’ run to the ALCS. The Mariners’ front office made it known at the end of their season that re-signing Naylor was a priority. The Mariners can now shift their focus on filling other gaps in their roster, like another high-leverage bullpen arm.
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At 28 years old, Naylor is coming off one of his best seasons. He slashed .295/.353/.462 in a combined 147 games for the Diamondbacks and Mariners. His numbers were drastically better in the 54 games that he played with the Mariners. During that time, he slashed .299/.341/.490 with a .831 OPS, 10 doubles, nine home runs, 33 RBI’s and 19 stolen bases. It also seemed like he loved playing in Seattle.
Naylor joins a strong core in Seattle with Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and the Mariners starting rotation.
According to Jeff Passan, the deal is worth $92.5 million over the five years. It also includes a full no-trade clause and a $6.5M signing bonus. The deal also has no deferrals. It becomes the largest free agent contract that Seattle has signed in the Jerry Dipoto era. It’s also the largest that the Mariners have signed since the Robinson Cano deal back in 2013. This is the first major deal of the offseason, so be sure to watch this space.
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Although, it was the most important one, the deal between the Mariners and Josh Naylor was not the only move that the Mariners made Sunday Evening. They also made a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers to acquire left-handed relief pitcher Robinson Ortiz in exchange for Tyler Gough.
