The Seattle Mariners have made the first big move of the offseason by bringing back Josh Naylor. The first baseman, who was part of the Mariners' postseason roster, re-signed on a five-year contract.
The infielder arrived in Seattle after a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline in July. Naylor was also instrumental in the Mariners' postseason run this year.
After the news of his re-signing, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh reacted with a five-word message.
"Jim is here to stay," Raleigh captioned his story featuring Naylor's image.
Josh Naylor batted .299 with an .831 OPS in 54 games for the Mariners and came clutch for the team during the postseason. He smashed three home runs with five RBIs, batting .340 with a .967 OPS in 12 postseason games before their World Series hopes were ended by the Toronto Blue Jays in the championship series.
He slashed .295/.353/.462 for an .816 OPS (128 OPS+) in 147 games, along with 30 stolen bases. He struck 29 doubles, 20 home runs, while driving in 92 runs last season.
Mariners GM Justin Hollander claimed re-signing Josh Naylor was Seattle's priority in offseason
Earlier this month, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander revealed that re-signing Josh Naylor in the offseason was the team's priority.
“It was a great fit and it’s definitely a priority for us this offseason -- if not one, I don’t know what else would be, he’s No. 1 right now,” Hollander said.
The Mariners GM shared his feelings on Naylor's stint with the team after joining the Mariners at the trade deadline.
“I don’t really see a reason, there’s no advantage to hiding the ball, to telling people, ‘It was just fine.’ It wasn’t just fine. It was awesome,” Hollander said. “It was a great fit for the two months, and we’d like to make it last a lot longer.”
With Naylor signing a long-term deal with the Mariners, former New York Mets star Pete Alonso remains the biggest first baseman available in free agency.