The Seattle Mariners, who’ve long needed a corner infield slugger to pair alongside switch-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh, have acquired just that in a deal that will send Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the AL West club, a league source told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Ahead of the July 31 deadline, Seattle appeared likely to target a third or first baseman. Rowdy Tellez, who was DFA’d in late June, and his 11 homers stand as the most from any Mariners first baseman. Donovan Solano, who’s played 63 games entering Thursday, has an 85 OPS+ with just three homers.
For the Diamondbacks, the first part of a potential sell-off has become realized. Arizona continues to hang on the periphery of contention, even after it lost ace Corbin Burnes to Tommy John surgery, though its playoff odds, per FanGraphs, sit at just 10.8 percent.
The club still boasts pending free agents Eugenio Suárez, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, among others, and could stand to walk away as one of the deadline’s biggest winners should it decide to sell in full.
In exchange, Seattle will part with No. 11-ranked prospect Brandyn Garcia and right-hander Ashton Izzi, who ranked No. 19 on Keith Law’s Top 20 Seattle prospects list ahead of the season.
A left-handed-hitting first baseman, Naylor entered play on Thursday with a .292/.360/.447 slash line, 11 homers and 59 RBI, good enough for a 124 OPS+. His contributions have been worth 1.0 bWAR.
The Cleveland Guardians traded Naylor to Arizona in December ahead of his final year before free agency. In exchange, the Diamondbacks sent pitcher Slade Cecconi and the No. 70 draft pick to Cleveland. Naylor was coming off a season in which he socked a career-high 31 homers and was named to his first All-Star team. This year, however, he has more resembled his 2023 version, with a healthier batting average and on-base percentage, an impressively low strikeout rate and a more modest home run total.
Naylor turned 28 in June, so though the free-agent market isn’t always kind to first basemen these days, he should be young enough to command a solid, multiyear contract.
Trade grades
Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto approached this trade deadline with clear deficiencies in the corners of his infield. The addition of Naylor will improve the offensive production at first base. Naylor entered Thursday with a 123 wRC+, a decent upgrade over the incumbent Luke Raley’s 108 wRC+. Naylor will lengthen the Seattle lineup, but he is unlikely to transform it. Most of his value stems from his ability to get on base, and his power might be suppressed as he exchanges the hitter-friendly confines of Chase Field for the less forgiving T-Mobile Park.
Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen approached this deadline unsure just how much of his roster he might trade away. This move could be the first of a flurry after Arizona was swept by Houston earlier this week. On the surface, the return for Naylor looks light. Garcia made his big-league debut on Monday after converting to relief this season. Izzi, 21, has struggled to throw strikes with Class-A Everett.
Garcia, a 25-year-old lefty, can help a Diamondbacks bullpen that has been wrecked by injuries this season. Izzi might also be bound for a relief role if he can ever reach the majors. That may just be the going rate for a rental like Naylor. The timing also reflects the reality for Hazen, with the deadline more than a week away. He still needs to maximize a return for third baseman Suárez, while deciding whether to move starting pitchers Zac Gallen or Merril Kelly. Either way, he will probably stay in touch with Dipoto. Seattle still needs a third baseman. — Andy McCullough
Mariners: B
Diamondbacks: B-
Naturally, it was Jerry Dipoto getting the dealing started with a week to go until the trade deadline. The Mariners GM linked up again with his Arizona Diamondbacks counterpart and frequent trade partner, Mike Hazen, to land a left-handed power bat that will pair well with the one Cal Raleigh is swinging. Naylor ranked 17th on The Athletic’s trade deadline Big Board, one spot behind fellow first baseman Ryan O’Hearn of the Baltimore Orioles.
For Dipoto, there’s value in striking early and securing his guy before the market starts moving too rapidly. Dipoto engaged in preliminary trade talks with the Cleveland Guardians regarding Naylor last December before he was traded to Arizona for pitcher Slade Cecconi and a draft pick. So far this season, Seattle has split starts at first base between Luke Raley, Donovan Solano and Rowdy Tellez, who was released in June.
Naylor represents a significant upgrade. After hitting 31 homers last season, he’s batting .292 with 11 homers and 11 steals in 93 games this year. He’s one of the hardest regulars in the sport to strike out; the Mariners have been a bottom-five team in strikeouts the past three seasons. It’s a nice match. And while Naylor’s barrel rate has lagged this season, he’s still showing plenty of power and is a constant force against righties, batting .310/.390/.493 this season with the platoon advantage.
This trade, from the Diamondbacks’ side, is another reminder that first basemen, especially rentals, aren’t terribly valued in today’s game. Arizona didn’t give up a ton for Naylor in the first place, and they’re certainly not bowled over by this return. However, if Hazen had felt he could get a couple top-10 prospects from any organization in exchange for Naylor, he’d have held him longer.
This is about the going rate. Don’t expect to see O’Hearn fetch much more, barring a late bidding war. The Diamondbacks now have a couple solid pitching prospects with upside, and they’ll turn their attention to the rest of their selling decisions. — Stephen Nesbitt
Mariners: A-
Diamondbacks: B-
Naylor ranked No. 17 on Big Board
Of all the flux around this trade market, the situation at first base has appeared relatively straightforward. The Mariners and Red Sox, who entered Thursday tied for the final two wild card spots in the American League, both needed an upgrade there. And Ryan O’Hearn and Josh Naylor were the two ones available — Nos. 16 and 17 on our Big Board.
Seattle struck first with Naylor, who has the longer track record of the two. While Naylor doesn’t quite hit for prototypical first-base power, he doesn’t strike out and gets on base at an excellent clip. The Mariners finish a big Step 1 in their deadline plan, and the Diamondbacks can concentrate more on unloading at least two more impending free agents in Eugenio Suárez and one of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. — Tim Britton
(Photo: Mark Blinch / Getty Images)