Mariners Sign Naylor to Five-Year Deal

The Seattle Mariners have agreed to a five-year contract with first baseman Josh Naylor, securing the slugger through the 2030 season just days into Major League Baseball's free agency period. The deal, reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan on Sunday, is pending a physical and marks the team's top offseason priority after acquiring Naylor at the 2025 trade deadline.

Naylor, who turned 28 in June, joined the Mariners from the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 24 in a trade that sent pitchers Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi to Arizona. Prior to that, the Cleveland Guardians had dealt him to the Diamondbacks following the 2024 season, during which he earned All-Star honors. The moves came as Seattle sought to bolster its lineup for a postseason push, ultimately leading to the franchise's deepest playoff run since 2001. The Mariners advanced to the American League Championship Series but fell to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7.

In 54 regular-season games with Seattle after the trade, Naylor posted a .299 batting average, .341 on-base percentage and .490 slugging percentage, along with nine home runs, 33 runs batted in and 19 stolen bases. Those numbers contributed to a 2.2 wins above...