Free-agent first baseman Josh Naylor is returning to the Seattle Mariners on a five-year contract, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.
The two sides were finalizing a contract Sunday evening, per the report. Terms of the deal were not initially reported. Naylor’s deal represents the first significant free-agent signing of the offseason. He was ranked as the No. 15 free agent on the market by Yahoo Sports.
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A former All-Star with the Cleveland Guardians, Naylor joined the Mariners at the trade deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was a key player on a Mariners team that advanced to the ALCS and came up one win short of advancing to the franchise’s first World Series.
Naylor, 28, delivered after joining the Mariners and now has a long-term future with the franchise that projects to return to contention next season. In 54 regular-season games, Naylor slashed .299/.341/.490 with 9 home runs, 33 RBI and 19 stolen bases.
He was one of Seattle’s best players in the postseason while slashing .340/.392/.574 with 3 home runs, 5 RBI and 2 stolen bases in 12 games. By the end of Seattle’s postseason run, he moved into the top four of Seattle’s lineup and was a favorite among a frenetic Mariners fan base. His return on a long-term contract should be welcome news in Seattle.