The 2025-26 MLB season is officially here! At Alofoke Deportes, we keep you informed with analysis and ratings of every important move this winter.
From free agent signings that change the course of your team to shocking trades, we inform you about what they mean for next season and beyond.
Stay tuned for the latest updates and analysis as spring training progresses.
Mariners secure Naylor: First move of the winter
The Seattle Mariners have begun the winter with a significant renovation, securing Josh Naylor with a five-year contract.
The agreement: Five years
Rating: A-
The renewal of Josh Naylor with the Seattle Mariners was one of the most probable predictions, so it’s not surprising that he is the first significant signing of the offseason. The management made it clear that re-signing Naylor was their priority.
The Mariners have been searching for a long-term solution at first base for nearly 20 years. Naylor, who arrived in the trade deadline from Arizona, provided a significant spark, batting .299/.341/.490 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs in 54 games, earning him 2.2 WAR.
Including his time with the Diamondbacks, he finished with .295/.353/.462 with 20 home runs in 2025. Given the favorable environment for pitchers at T-Mobile Park, it’s not easy to attract free agent hitters to Seattle, but Naylor has expressed his liking for playing there. The stats back it up: In 43 games at T-Mobile, he has batted .304 and slugged .534.
For a Seattle lineup with many strikeouts, Naylor is a high-contact hitter in the middle of the order; he finished with the seventeenth-best strikeout rate among qualified hitters in 2025. His game is a bit paradoxical. He has a low chase rate, but still had a nearly league-average walk rate with an excellent contact rate. He’s not fast running, but he stole 30 bases in 32 attempts, including 19 of 19 after joining the Mariners. His Statcast defensive metrics have been above average in each of the last four seasons.
It’s not a star, but he’s a reliable and predictable player to count on in the coming years. This deal extends to his age 33 season, so there may be some risk at the end of the contract, but for a team with championship aspirations in 2026, the Mariners needed Naylor back. The management will be happy with this signing, and so will the Mariners fans.
