SEATTLE – The most obvious move the Mariners could make is also the best move they could have made to kick-start their offseason.
Yes, the Mariners had to bring back Josh Naylor. Had to.
And the commitment they made to keep the free-agent first baseman in Seattle – a five-year contract, sources say, on a deal that’s expected to approach nine figures – is an obvious indication that the Mariners knew just how vital Naylor is to their offseason plans, and to their clubhouse makeup going forward.
The deal became official after Naylor completed a standard physical exam Monday, netting the first baseman $92.5 million, a full no-trade clause and a $6.5 million signing bonus.
Naylor is the first free agent to sign a major league contract this offseason.
Naylor could have waited for the Mets, the Red Sox and the Yankees – teams with deep pockets who need a first baseman – to maximize his leverage in contract negotiations.
That he didn’t – that he has agreed to a deal this early in the offseason, before the MLB Winter Meetings next month in Orlando, Florida – is an obvious indication of just how much he valued his time with the Mariners.
It’s a great deal for the 28-year-old Naylor, who is now one of the highest-paid first basemen in baseball.
It’s a better one for the Mariners, who haven taken the first step to capitalize on the deepest postseason run in franchise history.
There’s more work to be done, and they know it.
What’s next?
The contract talks between the Mariners front office and Naylor’s representative, Mark Pieper at Independent Sports & Entertainment, coalesced over just a few days late last week.
A new deal for Jorge Polanco, also a free agent, doesn’t need to be much more complicated. Polanco was a key figure in the Mariners’ first AL West title since 2001, and by all accounts he has enjoyed Seattle as much as Naylor has.
And the Mariners have a specific need for Polanco, a middle-of-the-order switch-hitter who spent most of his time at designated hitter in 2025, and could be part of the equation at second base for 2026 (and would likely be Naylor’s backup at first base).
For all the criticism lobbed at Mariners ownership in recent years over payroll constraints, the club has invested in core players who have proved they fit into their culture – J.P. Crawford, Julio Rodriguez, Luis Castillo, Cal Raleigh and, now, Naylor – and Polanco belongs in that.
Polanco, at 32 years old, won’t command the same deal as Naylor – something like $25 million over two years, which is reasonable for a player who, when healthy, can be a driving force for an offense.
Much the same can be said for veteran third baseman Eugenio Suárez, as popular and respected as any player in the Mariners clubhouse in recent memory.
Suárez, even at 34 years old, could have a fairly robust free-agent market this winter, to be expected for a player who hit 49 homers during the regular season (and three more in the postseason, including an ALCS Game 5 grand slam that will be remembered as one of the biggest swings in Mariners history).
It’s unlikely the Mariners could afford to sign Polanco and Suárez, and the M’s do have two young infielders in Ben Williamson and Colt Emerson who are expected to vie for the third-base job in spring training, making it more likely that Suárez ends up signing elsewhere.
As they try to maintain their momentum from their captivating October run, the Mariners will no doubt continue to be linked to various trade targets – the most prominent of which is Detroit ace Tarik Skubal.
Skubal, the Seattle U Hall of Fame left-hander, will be a free agent after the 2026 season, and the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner and the Tigers are reportedly far apart on contract talks, leading to rampant speculation that he could be on the trade block this winter.
There is no indication the Tigers are willing to deal Skubal, but they have not publicly ruled it out.
And in an offseason already off to a resounding start, the Mariners would surely love to make another major splash.