The Seattle Mariners have been as up front as can be about wanting to bring back Josh Naylor for the 2026 season and beyond.
But the comments that general manager Justin Hollander made this week really hammer home just how serious the M’s seem to be about getting the veteran first baseman back under contract.
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Hollander joined MLB Network Radio just ahead of free agency officially opening in baseball on Thursday, and the way he talked about Naylor being Seattle’s No. 1 priority was almost surprisingly candid.
“For whatever reason, he’s just always seen the ball well at T-Mobile (Park) and sort of instantly took off from the moment we acquired him,” Hollander said. “And it was a great fit and it is definitely a priority for us this offseason. If (Naylor isn’t the Mariners’ No. 1 priority), I don’t know what else would be. He’s No. 1 right now.”
Hollander then explained why the Mariners are making it no secret that they want Naylor back at first base.
“There’s no advantage to hiding the ball, to telling people that,” he said. “… It was awesome. It was a great fit for the two months, and we’d like to make it last a lot longer. He fits in our clubhouse. Positionally, he fills a position of need. It’s a real left-handed bat that plays an excellent first base, that runs the bases well. He does a lot of things well.
“Why wouldn’t you say that this would be awesome if we could have Josh in the long term? He fits great and he’s our priority.”
Josh Naylor, Priority No. 1
The Mariners made a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Naylor about a week before the July 31 MLB trade deadline this year, and the addition proved to be huge as he was one of Seattle’s best hitters throughout the rest of the season and played a big part in the deepest playoff run in team history.
Naylor slashed .299/.341/.490 for an .831 OPS with nine home runs and a 2.2 bWAR in 54 games with Seattle in the regular season, which included the go-ahead RBI double that clinched a postseason spot for the M’s. He was even better in the playoffs, slashing .340/.392/.574 for a .966 OPS with three homers in 12 games.
What will free agent Josh Naylor’s market be?
Perhaps most importantly, his left-handed swing has proven to be a rare one that’s tailor made for Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, which is statistically the toughest stadium on hitters in baseball. In 43 career games in Seattle, Naylor has a .304/.335/.534 slash for an .869 OPS with nine homers and seven doubles. Naylor even spoke about his belief that T-Mobile Park is a hitter’s park in a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob in August.
Naylor’s market in free agency will be interesting to watch, though. While first basemen have seemingly been valued less in recent years in free agency, Naylor is on the young side at 28 years old. Complicating matters is that the New York Yankees and New York Mets, both teams with deep pockets, are looking to fill holes at first base this offseason.
More: M’s fans should be ready for an uncomfortable Josh Naylor free agency
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