Seattle Mariners Trading For First Baseman Josh Naylor Remains "Unlikely," Per Report
On Thursday afternoon, we heard that the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Guardians have engaged in trade talks centered around Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor.
On Thursday night, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reported that a deal between the two sides was "unlikely."
Mariners rumor mill:
M’s have checked in on numerous trade possibilities at first base and third base. Cleveland 1B Josh Naylor is among those, but a deal is “highly unlikely,” per source, after the Guardians offloaded Andres Gimenez’s contract last week.
Mariners rumor mill:
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) December 19, 2024
M’s have checked in on numerous trade possibilities at first base and third base. Cleveland 1B Josh Naylor is among those, but a deal is “highly unlikely,” per source, after the Guardians offloaded Andres Gimenez’s contract last week.
Naylor is projected to make about $12 million in his final year of arbitration, so moving him might have been desirable for Cleveland, but after getting rid of nearly $100 million in salary from Gimenez, they likely no longer see the need to shed salary. Furthermore, Cleveland got to the ALCS last season after winning the American League Central and they'd likely want to keep Naylor and his production in the lineup.
The 27-year-old was an All-Star this season after hitting .243 with 31 homers and 108 RBI. He had 97 RBI in 2023 and is one of the most productive run producers in the American League.
However, he's not necessarily a great fit for Seattle. First, he's a free agent at the end of 2025. The $12 million price tag is palatable, but it would eat into almost all of the M's available funds this offseason. Finally, the Mariners already have a left-handed hitting first baseman in Luke Raley. They have been more connected to right-handing hitting options like Justin Turner, or Carlos Santana, a switch-hitter.
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