Did Diamondbacks Get Enough Return in Josh Naylor Trade?

A deep-dive analysis and grade of the Josh Naylor trade with reaction from Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen.

Jul 21, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Brandyn Garcia (43) throws against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks made their first trade of what many expect to be at least several, if not many in the run up to the MLB July 31 trade deadline. With a 50-53 record, and sitting 5.5 games out of the NL Wild card, the D-backs are clearly sellers as this point.

On Thursday night they sent first baseman Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners for two minor league pitching prospects, left-hander Brandyn Garcia and right-hander Ashton Izzi.

The Diamondbacks also made an immediate roster move, recalling first baseman Tristin English to the major league club to fill first base, and optioned Garcia to Triple-A Reno (Garcia had been called up to the Mariners' major league roster).

What the Arizona Diamondbacks Gave Up

Being in an obvious sell situation due to their record and position in the standings, it makes sense for the D-backs to trade a player who is on an expiring contract and will be a free agent at the end of 2025.

Naylor is is making $10.9 million in 2025, and the D-backs will save about $3.7 million of that salary.

Naylor is a solid left-hand hitter, boasting a .292/.360/.447 batting line. His .807 OPS works out to a 123 OPS+, solidly above league average. While he only has 11 home runs, he has 19 doubles and has driven in 59 runs, a pace for 93.

The caveats to Naylor's game are the same as always. His defense is subpar (-6 defensive runs saved), cutting into his value. While he holds his own against left-hand pitching, there is a significant drop off in his production as compared to when he faces righties (.884 versus .665 OPS).

The Diamondbacks had to make a decision whether or not to hold on to Naylor and make a qualifying offer for one year, worth $21-22 million. If they did that and he rejected the offer, then the team would get a compensation draft pick.

If Naylor, who will be entering his age-29 season, signed with another team for over $50 million, that pick would come immediately after the first round of the draft. If he signed for less than $50 million then the pick would come after the second round, thus being far less valuable.

Asked if there were any concern Naylor would not have cleared the $50 million threshold, Mike Hazen said, "No, there wasn't. That wasn't part of our conversation. I believe he is going to be 29 years old as a free agent, he's going to do very well for himself."

What the Arizona Diamondbacks Received from the Mariners

Brandyn Garcia is a 25-year-old left-hander that was taken by Seattle in the 11th round of the 2023 draft out of Texas A&M. Already 23 at the time he was drafted, the big lefty (6'4", 235 lbs) cruised through the lower levels in 2023 and 2024. Working as a starter last year Garcia posted a 2.25 ERA in 116 innings.

The Mariners converted him to reliever this year, and he put up a 3.51 ERA in 33.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He had just earned his first major league call-up, appearing in two games July 21 and 23 before being traded.

Newest Diamondback Brandyn Garcia gets plenty of movement with sinker https://t.co/RzB6kuVBiY #MLBFilmRoom via @MLB

— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) July 25, 2025

Garcia rode his 97 MPH sinker and sharp sweeper/slider combination to being ranked the Mariners' No. 13 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Hazen made clear that Garcia will be working out the bullpen and not converted back to starting pitching. "[Garcia has] a big arm that's going to fit into our pen between now and in the future," Hazen said.

Since Garcia was optioned to Triple-A, the question then becomes how long before he will be called up to help the bullpen.

As with many young pitchers, commanding his stuff is still a work in progress. He walked 17 batters in 33.1 innings this year in the minors, and three more in his two major league innings.

Hazen couldn't say if Garcia would be called up quickly or not. "I do know the stuff is really good. And if we can harness it into attacking the strike zone and hitters, I think we'll be in a decent spot."

UPDATE: Garcia will in fact be called up quickly according to a report.

The Diamondbacks expect to have newly acquired left-handed reliever Brandyn Garcia with the big-league club tomorrow - there will be a corresponding move likely one of the relivers among Woodford, Curtiss or Richards.

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) July 25, 2025

Ashton Izzi is a much different type of prospect. He was drafted out of high school, and has not yet pitched above High-A. He has not yet achieved the results at that level that would warrant a promotion to Double-A. In 12 starts, 47 innings he has a 5.51 ERA and 4.91 FIP.

Izzi has a very healthy strikeout rate of 10.3 per nine innings, but his walk rate of 3.99 per nine and home run rate of 1.52 per nine are elevated. His most recent outing was his best though, throwing six innings of shutout ball on July 22nd. It seems likely the D-backs had a scout at that outing.

Izzi throws his fastball and sinker in the 94 MPH range, and also has a slider, a sweeper, and a changeup. He gets excellent extension, out to seven feet, which helps his fastball play up.

Still just 21 years old, Izzi was ranked 16 overall in the Mariners system by MLB Pipeline. Interestingly, Pipeline has just updated their Diamondbacks top 30 ranking, inserting Izzi at No. 11 and Garcia at No. 16, thus reversing their overall ranking.

Mike Hazen said Izzi has "long-term starter potential. We see all the ingredients, the ability to mix pitches. He's young. He's obviously already in high-A. He's a little bit further away. But we were looking to capture as much value as we could."

Summary Grade: B

Hazen stated that he was very cognizant of the compensation pick that would be available if he held on to Naylor through the end of the season. That has to be the minimum bar to pass in these types of trades for players on expiring contracts.

Hazen clearly believes that what he received back was of greater value than that compensation pick.

It should be noted that this year's compensation pick for the Diamondbacks, 29th overall Patrick Forbes, is ranked No. 13 by Baseball America. That makes these two pitchers both comparable to Forbes if one were to put a lot of faith in that ranking.

On the other hand, the previous year's compensation pick, outfielder Slade Caldwell, is ranked second by MLB Pipeline and third by Baseball America. And he is ranked No. 1 in our own prospect ranking here at Arizona Diamondbacks On SI.

These rankings are all extremely subjective of course. It appears that the Diamondbacks at least got close to, and might have exceeded the value of the draft pick compensation by getting two pitchers instead of one.

They also saved nearly $4 million and will get a look at a player in Tristin English, and going forward Pavin Smith at first base, who they need to make decisions on. There is value in being able to assess your young players and figure out who can contribute going forward.

It's a good trade in terms of prospect ranking, hence the B grade here. But it's not a home run. How long Garcia will take to "harness his stuff" and how long it will take for Izzi to advance closer to MLB remains to be seen. As with all pitching prospects, the attrition rate is high.