What will it take for the Mariners to Re-Sign Free Agent Josh Naylor?
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As Major League Baseball's free agent period is set to begin, the Seattle Mariners are planning out their strategy to retain first baseman Josh Naylor. The Seattle slugger was a late addition to the club for their successful chase of the American League West Division title, and now, the M's would like to bring him back with a multi=year deal.
Naylor hit 31 home runs and drove in 108 RBIs during the 2025 season with the Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners, and has entered free agency. Acquired near the trade deadline, he ended up hitting .299 with an .831 OPS and 19 extra-base hits in 54 games with Seattle. Now, the M's are pursuing him with a projected five-year, $110 million deal.
MLB writer Jeff Passan believes the Mariners can make it happen, based on the fact that players at his position don't command the same dollar amounts that they used to on the open market.
“That’s the thing about it, first basemen in free agency, they don’t do great,” Passan told Seattle Sports recently. “We’ve seen this with Pete Alonso. We’ve seen this with Freddie Freeman. And the reason Freddie Freeman is a Dodger is because of the industry aversion to signing first basemen to long-term contracts.”
Naylor Immediately Fit In With Seattle
Upon his arrival in Seattle, the veteran was certainly well-received by his Mariners mates. He became an almost immediate favorite in the locker room.
“He fits in great,” Mariners GM Justin Hollander recently commented to The Seattle Times. “Josh just got two months, plus the playoffs, of what Seattle was like as a sports town. The best thing that you can hope for when you acquire someone is [that] they go play great. You go deep in the playoffs. They love it and want to be here. And I think we checked all those boxes, so we’ll try and figure it out.”
"The best thing you can hope for when you acquire someone is they go play great, you go deep in the playoffs, they love it and they want to be here. I think we checked all those boxes, so we’ll try and figure it out.” - #Mariners GM on Josh Naylorhttps://t.co/3B9nweYG1u
— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) October 24, 2025
Joining Naylor in free agency will be M's third baseman Eugenio Suarez and second baseman Jorge Polanco. What happens with Naylor could very well determine if one (or both) infielders depart Seattle. MLB free agency will begin five days after the World Series is concluded.
