The Mariners have made the first significant move ahead of the trade deadline and it’s one which fans should be extremely happy with.
Eugenio Suárez has been touted for a while now as arguably the main target for the Seattle Mariners, and he may well still end up making his way to the Pacific Northwest. However, Jerry Dipoto and company made a move on Thursday which we contend was even more important for the roster, in trading for Josh Naylor.
Naylor will automatically take over as the Mariners’ main first baseman and with all due respect to Donovan Salano and Luke Raley, represents a significant upgrade at the position. The Arizona Diamonbacks received pitching prospects Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi in the return package, with them ranked 13th and 16th respectively in the M’s farm system by MLB Pipeline.
Interestingly, we previously wrote about the Mariners having an interest in Naylor following the 2023 season, but obviously this never came to fruition. Well, it’s better late than never, with the 2024 All-Star expected to immediately boost the lineup and help the charge towards a return to the playoffs.
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Mariners getting an excellent bat for the lineup
That 2023 season represented the best of Naylor’s seven years in the majors, with him setting career highs which included a 2.3 WAR, .308 batting average, .489 slugging percentage, .842 OPS and 130 OPS+. Well he’s doing just fine so far in 2025 as well, with him currently projected to have the second-best batting average, OPS and OPS+ of his Major League career, as well as set a new personal best for .OBP.
In respect of the 28-year-old’s Baseball Savant page, his overall batting value is excellent. Highlights include ranking in the 93rd percentile for K%, 90th percentile for xBA and 89th percentile for Squared-Up %.
As you would expect, there are critics who believe the Mariners gave up too much for a player who could effectively be just a two-month rental. However, aside from the fact he helps the team right now, there’s nothing to stop the M’s begin looking into offering/negotiating a contract extension while he’s actually in Seattle.
Adding Naylor now also adds more credence to the Mariners claiming the necessary finances will be made available to help boost the team ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. His salary for this season is $10.9 million, which means the M’s will be paying him nearly $4 million of what remains for 2025.
Dan Wilson delighted with the addition of Josh Naylor
Mariners manager Dan Wilson spoke to the media ahead of Friday’s 4-2 win versus the Angels in Anaheim, about what it means to add Naylor. As per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, he said:
“It’s huge. Looking forward to welcoming Josh into a Mariner uniform. A tremendous player, a tremendous bat, and really looking forward to how he fits into this lineup. It’s going to be a tough lineup, and it makes us so much deeper.”
In one respect, the Mariners could make no more moves and you could conceivably call this trade deadline a successful one in Seattle. However, fans will be hoping there is more to come and in fairness, Dipoto and company will still like to do more as well – stay tuned ……
Photos courtesy of Tim Rodgers Photography
Many want to believe there’s still more to come ahead of July 31. What other significant moves — if any — do you predict the Mariners will make prior to the trade deadline? Let us know in the comments section below.
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