The Seattle Mariners have re-signed free-agent first baseman Josh Naylor to a five-year contract worth $92.5 million, marking the first major free-agent signing of the offseason. Naylor, who was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the 2025 trade deadline, returns to the team that reached the ALCS. The deal includes a full no-trade clause and runs through the 2030 season.
Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto announced the signing on Monday, following Naylor's completion of a physical in Seattle. The contract, confirmed by multiple sources, averages $18.5 million annually and represents the richest free-agent deal for a position player in Seattle since Dipoto took over after the 2015 season, surpassing the previous high of a two-year, $24 million pact with Mitch Garver in the 2023-24 offseason.
Naylor, 28, enjoyed a strong 2025 season split between the Diamondbacks and Mariners, slashing .295/.353/.462 with 20 home runs, 29 doubles, 92 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases in 147 games. After joining Seattle on July 24, he appeared in 54 regular-season games, hitting .299 with nine homers, 33 RBIs, and 19 steals while posting a 138 OPS+. In the postseason, Naylor batted .340 with three home runs and a .967 OPS over 12 games as the Mariners won the AL West for the first time since 2001 but fell to the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games in the ALCS.
"Ensuring that Josh remains a Mariner for the long haul was a priority for us," Dipoto said in a statement. "Josh’s intelligence, intensity, toughness, and competitiveness show up every day. He’s simply a winner."
Naylor expressed excitement about returning, stating, "I’m going to be a Mariner again and I couldn’t be more excited. ... Seattle has the best fanbase in baseball. They’re electric and support us through and through."
The quick agreement, initiated during last week's General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, prevented other teams from pursuing Naylor seriously. Seattle now turns to addressing needs at second and third base, with free agents Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suárez pending. Internal option Cole Young is eyed for second base.
