The Seattle Mariners traded minor league rightie Ashton Izzi and lefty reliever Brandyn Garcia to the Arizona Diamondbacks one week before last July’s trade deadline, and what they got in return was a masterclass in teambuilding. Its physical form was Josh Naylor, formerly of the Cleveland Guardians, who immediately morphed into a five-tool star from his previous iteration as lumbering first-base slugger.
Naylor, 28, had previously mashed 31 homers in a season (2024), but had never once swiped more
than 10 bags. In just 54 games with the M’s, though, he hit .299/.341/.490 with 9 dingers and 19 steals, his bat and legs helping lead Seattle to a 1st place finish in the American League’s West division and on to an ALCS where they came within a glimpse of defeating the Toronto Blue Jays and making it to the first World Series in franchise history.
That rare combo of power/speed from a corner infielder paired with his relative youth for a free agent made for a pretty perfect platform year for Naylor, who also couldn’t have the Qualifying Offer slapped on his back since he was traded mid-year. Heck, if he’d been just a little bit worse with the bat and way slower on the bags, he may have even been a guy the Cincinnati Reds would’ve looked at for their own lineup!
Sadly, though, Naylor’s excellent finish to 2025 pretty well priced him out of any Reds pursuit, and it’s now becoming clear that he likely was never destined to sign anywhere else than back with Seattle. That’s because reports suggest that he and the M’s settled on the framework of a five-year contract on Sunday, one that will fork over somewhere between $90 and $100 million.
Jeff Passan of ESPN.com was on the news.
For as much as I truly do like Seattle, it’s getting a bit old seeing them spend that kind of money on players I really wish were Cincinnati Reds.
Elsewhere, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com profiled another free agent 1B in Pete Alonso while also detailing the franchises where he’d be a great fit. Not mentioned: the Cincinnati Reds, where Pete Alonso would be a great fit but whose ownership group values dollars over victories.
Mark’s colleague Mike Petriello profiled a trio of top free agent outfielders, though, and two of them were deemed good fits for the Reds this winter based on how they hit and the ball parks that suit them best. Turns out aiming for left-handed power hitters who get a boost from a tiny home park is something of a good idea!
Speaking of guys like that, Jesse Winker is a free agent again coming off an injury-shortened 2025 tenure with the New York Mets. That screams cheap enough for even the Reds to consider if you ask me.
