The MLB Season of Changes Begins!
The MLB’s season of changes is in full swing, with teams looking to reinforce their squads for the final stretch of the season. From the first strategic moves to the last-minute transactions, every decision can be crucial. Here’s a detailed analysis of the most important movements, with evaluations and ratings for each. Stay tuned, as this information will be constantly updated with the latest news and market analysis.Mariners Acquire Naylor to Initiate Trades
The Seattle Mariners have made the first move in the trade market by acquiring first baseman Josh Naylor.Sailors receive:Josh NaylorDiamondbacks receive:
Brandyn Garcia Ashton IzziMariners’ Grade: B+ This is the first significant exchange before the final week leading up to the deadline, and it’s interesting in part because it indicates that the Diamondbacks will make moves. Naylor could be the first of a group that could include Eugenio Suárez, Merrill Kelly, and Zac Gallen, potentially giving excitement to the deadline with some interesting names. While third base was the Mariners’ biggest offensive need, 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 13th-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 batted .248/.370/.397 against right-handed pitchers, but is only 1-for-20 against lefties, 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 strikeout rate, so his contact ability will be a good addition. He also improves Seattle’s bench, as Raley can now cover right field (although Dominic Canzone has been hitting well) or DH, with Jorge Polanco perhaps playing a bit 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 issue 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 Seattle’s president of baseball operations, Jerry Dipoto, and Arizona’s general manager, Mike Hazen, haven’t finished texting each other.Diamondbacks Grade: B While Garcia and Izzi didn’t rank among the top 10 Mariners prospects by Kiley McDaniel, that’s not necessarily a knock on their potential: Seattle’s top 10 are loaded with top 100 overall prospects. Garcia was ranked No. 13 on MLB.com’s team list and Izzi at No. 16. Selected in the 11th round by Texas A&M in 2023, García was a surprising success story as a starter in 2024, but the Mariners moved him to the bullpen this season, and he made his MLB debut after posting a 3.51 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A with 42 strikeouts in 33⅔ 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 maybe some back-end starter potential. Izzi is a 21-year-old righty 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 prospect.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 1B/BD class, so Arizona probably thought they had to strike first with Naylor, giving the team more time to discuss deals for their other pending free agents.
