[Anderson] Josh Naylor will join Freddie Freeman as the only free-agent first basemen since 2018 to sign for more than four years. Others to do it over the past decade: Eric Hosmer, Chris Davis, and Ian Desmond, per MLB Trade Rumors’ contract database.

20 comments

  4. This is…not an inspiring group, but also Desmond is a really bad basis for comparison here considering he was literally not a first baseman when Colorado signed him. Davis and Hosmer, sure, bad recent precedents.

    Naylor was far and away the best 1B option for Seattle this winter – really the only viable option. They had to bring him back. We also still don’t know the AAV or whether the contract has any options; kind of impossible to judge whether it’s a “good” deal until we know that

  5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr could count as a technicality since Blue Jays had no additional control when he signed his deal (was all FA years, no arb).

  7. The Mariners have only had 2 2-WAR seasons from a first baseman since Russell Branyan in 2009 (Ty France in ’21 and ’22), and they traded their only 1B prospect to get him in the first place. So there was no choice but to be aggressive with a free-agent 1B this year. Damn lucky that he hit as well as he did and liked his time in Seattle enough to return.

    Naylor was also the youngest available 1B at 28. I don’t think there are any others under 30 and they’re not likely to get 5-year deals.

  8. If they get three good years out of him and he falls off after that it’s worth it, given their window

  10. This feels misleading because multiple legit first basemen over the past decade have signed extensions with their current team (which is not dissimilar from what happened here), including Goldschmidt with St. Louis, Vladito this past season, and Olson with the Braves.

    It seems like they’re trying to say long deals for first base are all bad, but that’s not the case

  11. Basically as long as he stays relatively healthy I think he’s more than worth it in the mariners context, 1B has been a literal void for multiple decades outside of half a season of Ty France. Gimme 2.5 WaR for a few seasons and I’m stoked

  12. Naylor has a decent floor bc his contact ability is his carrying tool. He might regress to league average, especially in Seattle, but he has enough patience and power to still stay productive even then. Only way I see the contract aging poorly is if he has basically any of the health issues that plagued him in Cleveland.

  13. That list hasn’t been promising aside from Freddie Freeman. I like Naylor and think he found a home in Seattle. His personality fits right in with the Mariners.

  14. its so refreshing to see a guy enter free agency, and not make it show of “i want a gajillion dollars cus the other guy got that much”. 5 years puts him towards the end his physical prime, and he’ll just get a new contract that reflects his present prowess at the time, instead of recent “pay me 36 million when i’m 41 even though i stopped being good at 35”.

    i hate to admit it, but he seems like a *really* good dude

  15. Are all of these bad contracts? Yes, but…

    – Desmond was never all that good of a hitter.
    – Davis clearly was boosted by steroids and his slide was possibly more mental than physical.
    – Hosmer is probably the best comparison, but Naylor’s bat-to-ball skills are better. He also wasn’t a complete zero by the end.

  19. Desmond shouldn’t count because he literally played 0 pro innings at first before that contract

  20. With that list of names it’s not super surprising why there hasn’t been many long term 1B deals.

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