Mariners Predicted To Reunite With All-Star On 4-Year, $88 Million Deal

Is Josh Naylor coming back for the long haul?

Sep 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) runs the bases after hitting a solo-home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Keeping Josh Naylor has been at the forefront of everything the Seattle Mariners are pledging to do this offseason.

Naylor was phenomenal for the Mariners in 54 regular-season games and 12 postseason contests, leading the team in most offensive categories in October. He's entering his age-29 season, and his excellent platform year set him up nicely to get paid.

At this point, it's not a question of whether the Mariners want to retain Naylor, but how much it will cost to bring him back -- and by extension, whether they have the financial means to pay that figure and still accomplish other offseason goals.

What will it cost to bring back Naylor?

Oct 20, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) hits a RBI single in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game seven of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

In a recent article, Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball provided what could be a positive sign for Mariners fans, signaling that he thought a Naylor reunion was well within the realm of financial doability.

Finkelstein predicted Friday that Naylor would re-sign with the Mariners, and that he would land a four-year, $88 million contract to do so.

"A quick fan-favorite, it is a no-brainer to re-up with Naylor, especially since he won’t turn 29 years old until the end of June, giving him plenty of real estate left in his prime," Finkelstein wrote. "If the Mariners went to five years or six years on Naylor to lower the AAV, they can rest easy knowing that even a six-year deal won’t take him past 35.

"But considering the market for first basemen in recent years, I ultimately think Naylor and the Mariners will settle on a four-year deal, and one that is a bit richer in AAV than the three-year deal Christian Walker signed last offseason ($20 million AAV)."

These sorts of contract figures weren't what nearly anyone would have envisioned for Naylor last offseason, when he was getting traded for the first time to what would eventually be just a four-month stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

But it's very realistic to think that Naylor will get more than $20 million per year, and the question now becomes which other teams will become power players in the race to sign him.

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