The key figures of the Seattle Mariners reiterated their desire to re-sign first baseman Josh Naylor during end-of-season media availability on Thursday.

“Definitely a priority for us. He fits in great here,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said of Naylor, a midseason trade addition by the Seattle who is now set to hit free agency for the first time in his career.

Every reason the Mariners ‘have to have Josh Naylor’ back in 2026

The 28-year-old Naylor hit .299 with an .831 OPS in 54 regular season games after joining the M’s, was Seattle’s top batter in the postseason with a .340 average in 12 playoff games, and endeared himself to just about everybody in the Pacific Northwest with his play over the past two-plus months.

It wasn’t just what Naylor did with the bat that turned him into a quick fan favorite and respected presence on the Mariners’ roster. He also was a perfect 21 for 21 in stolen bases (regular season and postseason combined) after joining the M’s, played solid defense and brought a no-nonsense mentality to the field that was widely appreciated both in the fan base and in the Mariners’ front office.

“I got asked a couple times this year, do you feel the pressure of you got to bring this guy back?” Hollander said. “I said I’d feel much worse if our fans were like, wow, that was a terrible trade, get this guy out of here… The best thing that you can hope for when you acquire someone is they go play great, you go deep in the playoffs, they love it and they want to be here, and I think we checked all those boxes. So we’ll try and figure it out.”

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto shared a similar sentiment.

“We didn’t quite know what we would get in the big picture with ‘Naylz.’ We knew we were getting a hardcore player who was going to go out and drive,” Dipoto said. “He played with a grit and a fire that we really wanted. Couldn’t have been more impressed with everything he brings to the table. The leadership, just a quality human being. He’s got the snarl on the field, but he is a wonderful guy. Incredibly smart, high baseball IQ, good teammate. Hits just about every box and couldn’t have performed any better for us from start to finish.”

Manager Dan Wilson spoke to the importance of having Naylor’s attitude in the clubhouse.

“You need that intensity, you need that drive,” Wilson said. “I think his drive to win is incredible… That’s a big part of what he brought to this club.”

Naylor’s baseball IQ, which could be seen with his success on the basepaths, knack for double plays in the postseason and even the play that ended up getting him called for interference in Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday, came up more than once on Thursday.

THINK FAST ⚡️ #SeizeTheMoment pic.twitter.com/IeW6tmYYy0

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“He’s an incredible player from a physical standpoint and the way he hits and the way he plays defense, pretty phenomenal,” Wilson said. “But what he does off the field in terms of the clubhouse and just his mental approach to the game and the smarts that he has, the headiness that he plays with, he’s quite the player on both sides, whether it’s mental or physical.

“He’s the type of guy that came over here into a new team but fit right in, and fit right in quickly. It’s pretty impressive that he was able to do that, and that shows you the type of person and player he is.”

The Mariners have made no secret of their interest in re-signing Naylor, and there’s hope that his time in Seattle will play a factor in ensuing negotiations.

“Everything I got from him was that he really liked it here,” Hollander said. “… Josh just got two months plus the playoffs of what Seattle is like as a sports town. … He’s a really good dude and I really do think he liked it here a lot. Not just downstairs – teammates, coaches, hopefully Jerry and I – but I think the city, the environment, the region, the whole vibe of it all, I think it was a big positive for him, and that’s what you want.”

Dipoto said the Mariners have tried to use the late July MLB trade deadline to their advantage to help in negotiations with players they may want to re-sign or extend, as was the case in 2022 with All-Star pitcher Luis Castillo.

“Part of our roster-building plan has become what we do at the deadline. It’s a way for us to access players that we’ve generally taken advantage of,” Dipoto said. “We lean into our prospect system, we lean into where we are on the win curve at that time, and we rely on Seattle, our fan base, on the beauty of the city, the weather that we get.

“You pick somebody up in July and bring them into Seattle, they’re probably not going to be disappointed by what happens over the next three months. And when you’re on a great run like our team was on at the end, and you experience our fan base in full force the way we did in September and into October, I don’t know how you couldn’t fall in love. And that’s part of the calculus.”

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