CLEVELAND, Ohio — One of the first things General Manager Justin Hollander said after his team was eliminated by Toronto in the American League Championship Series was that keeping free agent Josh Naylor in a Seattle uniform was his No. 1 priority.
It appears Hollander is close to achieving that goal.
Naylor, who played with the Guardians from 2020 through 2024, seems to be close to signing a five-year deal with the Mariners. He still needs to pass a physical to make the deal official.
Naylor, whose younger brother Bo still plays for Cleveland, would be the first big-name free agent to sign this winter if the deal goes through.
It has been a busy and rewarding year for Naylor.
The Guardians traded him to Arizona in December rather than keep him through his free agent season (2025). When Arizona fell out of contention, it traded Naylor to Seattle just before the July 31 trade deadline.
Naylor caught fire with the Mariners, helping them win the AL West. In the postseason, Seattle beat Detrot in five games in the ALDS after Detroit beat the Guardians in the wild card series.
The Mariners, however, fell to Toronto in the ALCS in an exciting seven-game series.
In the regular season, Naylor hit .295 (160 for 543) with 20 homers and 92 RBI. He set a career high with 30 steals in 32 attempts.
The left-handed hitting Naylor hit .261 (6 for 23) in the ALDS, but didn’t hit a home run or drive in a run.
In the ALCS, with Seattle on the verge of going to the World Series for the first time in franchise history, Naylor hit .417 (10 for 24) with three homers, five RBI and a 1.273 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage).
Naylor, 28, was Miami’s No. 1 pick in 2015.
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