Latest on Josh Naylor – MLB Trade Rumors

22:36: Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports that while the Mariners and Guardians have indeed discussed Naylor, Cleveland is not expected to send him to Seattle after offloading the Gimenez contract. That’s consistent with Lloyd’s earlier reporting that Cleveland seemed increasingly inclined to keep Naylor.

13:26: As the Mariners search for first base upgrades this winter, they have had some conversations with the Guardians about Josh Naylor, by Jon Morosi of MLB Network. There’s no indication the two sides are in any sort of advanced talks, but the fit is natural for a M’s club looking to improve its offense and a Guardians squad that has been open to offers for Naylor and the outfielder Lane Thomas as they enter their final seasons of club control.

Naylor, 27, is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to make $12MM this coming season before he hits free agency next winter. He is fresh off a career-high 31 homers and a .243/.320/.456 batting line (118 wRC+) with a 9.2% walk rate and just a 16.6% strikeout rate. The Mariners have been vocal over the past year-plus about wanting to scale back their teamwide strikeout rate. Adding power while reducing strikeout rate is often at odds with each other, but Naylor is the type of bat that can help them accomplish both goals simultaneously.

A trade of Naylor to a Cleveland club that just re-signed Shane Bieber and is clearly intent on contending in 2025 may seem counterproductive at first glance, but the perpetual cycle of trading quality veterans for young talent while still trying to field a winning club is nothing new for the guards. They just unloaded Andres Gimenez and his contract in what amounted to a three-team trade that brings hard-throwing righties Luis Ortiz to Cleveland from Pittsburgh. That lowered their projected payroll to about $97 million. per RosterResource. Shedding Naylor would scale it back to $85MM while the opening hours of Kyle Manzardo at first base (and perhaps create more room for some minor free agent additions).

At the same time, it should be noted that a trade with Naylor is not a foregone conclusion. The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd wrote recently that he had gotten the sense that a trade for the slugging first baseman was becoming less likely as the guards weren’t impressed with anything being offered by other clubs. (A simple text or phone call can change that, of course.) Understandably, Cleveland won’t move a player with Naylor’s ability just to shed salary; they need to feel like they’re getting legitimate value in return — especially since with a season comparable to his 2022-24 showings, a then-28-year-old Naylor will be an eligible offer candidate next season.

For the Mariners, Naylor would provide a boost to a club that was watching Justin Turner reach free agency at the end of the season. Turner was the club’s primary first baseman down the stretch last year after a deadline trade that brought him to Seattle. The M’s have Luke Raley as an option at first base, but he could also mix in the outfield and at designated hitter. View Tyler Locklear is ready for a big league look, but a postseason hopeful like the Mariners might not just hand first base to an unproven 24-year-old who posted league-average numbers in Triple-A last season, slashing .156/.224. /.311 with a 41% strikeout rate in his first 49 MLB plate appearances.

The M’s also have interest in bringing in either Turner or veteran Carlos Santana back to Seattle. (Santana played with the M’s in 2023.) The team’s top priority right now seems to be upgrading at first base and then adding help at either third or second base — likely the former. In-house options such as Dylan Moore, Ryan Bliss and (gradually) top perspective Cole Young could contribute at second base if the bottom line is upgraded in both corners.

Naylor’s projected salary likely fits within the Mariners’ reported budget — about $15 million to spend, give or take, according to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times — but likely leaves no room for another notable addition. The Mariners would certainly love to find a way to unload the contracts Mitch Haniger $15.5 MM in 2025) and/or Mitch Garver ($12.5MM in 2025), but both would be a tall order. The presence of those onerous contracts, combined with another offseason with a tight budget from ownership, makes another round of trades from the ever-active Seattle front office more likely than a slew of free agents aiming to once again revamp an offense. who have struggled to produce in an extremely pitcher-friendly environment.