The MLB offseason is underway!
The MLB’s season of changes has begun, and at Alofoke Deportes we keep you informed of every move. From the first agreements to the frenetic activity of the deadline day, we offer you a complete analysis of each transfer. Keep a close eye on how our experts evaluate and rate each move, with the most recent ratings at the top. Stay tuned so you don’t miss any details!Mariners Acquire Naylor to Kickstart Trades
The Mariners acquire Josh Naylor in a move that marks the beginning of transactions.Sailors receive:
Josh Naylor, first base.Diamondbacks receive:
Brandyn Garcia, left-handed pitcher. Ashton Izzi, right-handed pitcher.Mariners’ Grade: B+This is the first significant exchange before the final week of the deadline, and it’s interesting because it indicates that the Diamondbacks are willing to negotiate. Naylor could be the first of a group that could include Eugenio Suárez, Merrill Kelly, and Zac Gallen, which could add excitement to the deadline with intriguing names. While third base was Seattle’s biggest offensive problem, Naylor gives them a complete hitter who has been one of the best contact hitters in the majors this season, batting .292/.360/.447 with 11 home runs and the lowest strikeout rate among qualified hitters. Naylor has done most of his damage against right-handed pitchers, batting .310/.390/.493 with nine of his 11 home runs. That’s an improvement over Luke Raley, who has hit .248/.370/.397 against right-handers, but only has one hit in 20 at-bats against left-handers, with Donovan Solano as his teammate. Naylor can play every day and fits somewhere in the middle of the lineup, which ranks among the bottom 10 in the majors in terms of strikeout rate, so his contact ability will be a good addition. He also improves Seattle’s bench, as Raley can now play in right field (although Dominic Canzone has been hitting well) or as a designated hitter, with Jorge Polanco perhaps playing some time at second base over Cole Young. Rookie third baseman Ben Williamson is an excellent defender, but has only one home run in 256 at-bats. While Polanco has a lot of experience at third base in his career, he hasn’t started there since April 4, as a shoulder problem has limited his throwing. In other words: The Mariners could still look for an upgrade at third base. The Diamondbacks could wait until July 31 to trade Suárez, hoping that one of the several teams that need a third baseman will give in with a good package of prospects. The Mariners didn’t give up any of their top 10 prospects here, so I guess Jerry Dipoto and Mike Hazen aren’t done texting each other.Diamondbacks Grade: B
While Garcia and Izzi didn’t rank in Kiley McDaniel’s top 10 Mariners prospects list, that’s not necessarily a knock on their potential: Seattle’s top 10 is filled with top 100 overall prospects. Garcia was ranked number 13 on MLB.com’s team list and Izzi at number 16. Selected in the eleventh round by Texas A&M in 2023, Garcia was a surprising success story as a starter in 2024, but the Mariners moved him to the bullpen this season and he just made his MLB debut after posting a 3.51 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A with 42 strikeouts in 33.1 innings. He throws a sinker in the mid-90s along with a sweeper and a cutter, and held lefties to a .235 average and a .255 slugging percentage. He can probably go straight to Arizona’s bullpen right now, with the idea that the Diamondbacks will try him as a starter in 2026. He’s a good sleeper prospect in a trade like this, with at least a floor as a reliever and perhaps some back-end starter potential. Izzi is a 21-year-old right-hander with a mid-90s fastball who was drafted in the fourth round out of high school in 2022, but has struggled in High-A Everett with a 5.51 ERA in 12 starts. His fastball/sweeper combination could eventually work as a reliever, though right-handed hitters have hit him just as hard as lefties. He’s a developmental project.Nothing too flashy here, but there wasn’t going to be a huge market for Naylor and he was competing with players like Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna in the first base/designated hitter class, so Arizona probably thought it was best to strike first with Naylor, and give them more time to discuss deals for their other pending free agents.
