How Josh Naylor helps the Mariners in multiple ways

Jul 26, 2025, 11:58 PM | Updated: Jul 28, 2025, 9:38 am

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Mariners kicked off the MLB trade deadline season on Thursday when they acquired left-handed-hitting first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for pitching prospects Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi.

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Who is the 28-year-old Naylor and what does he bring to the playoff-contending Mariners? Here’s a closer look.

A well-rounded hitter

The 5-foot-10, 235-pound Naylor is a well-rounded hitter with a strong track record of production in recent years.

Since 2022, Naylor is batting .272 with 79 home runs and a 123 OPS+. He’s shown an ability to hit for both average and power, batting a career-high .308 with the Cleveland Guardians in 2023 and then clubbing a career-high 31 homers with the Guardians during his All-Star 2024 campaign.

This season, he’s hitting .292 with 11 homers and an .803 OPS through 94 games. He ranks 15th in the majors in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage and 23rd in OPS. He also ranks in the 60th percentile with a 9.3% walk rate and the 91st percentage with just a 12.8% strikeout rate, according to Baseball Savant.

“He’s a guy that does everything well,” Mike Salk said Friday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “I think that’s probably the best way to describe him. He’s a professional hitter.

“He’s a really high average guy,” Salk added. “He (also) has pop, though. He’s not a zero-pop guy. … He will still take a walk, but he never strikes out. He’s running a 12% strikeout rate in a league where anything under 25% is considered passable.”

Naylor lengthens the Mariners’ lineup, giving them hitters with at least a 115 OPS+ in each of their top six spots: J.P. Crawford (119 OPS+), Julio Rodríguez (115), Cal Raleigh (179), Naylor (122), Randy Arozarena (137) and Jorge Polanco (123).

“He’s going to make this lineup much deeper,” Salk said. “He’s gonna hit cleanup – he’s gonna hit behind Cal and protect him. He moves Randy and Polo down a spot. He adds more length to that lineup.”

Postseason experience

Naylor also brings valuable postseason experience to a Mariners team that’s looking to reach the playoffs and make a deep run.

Naylor helped the Guardians reach the playoffs in three of his five seasons with the team, including a trip to the American League Championship Series last fall. With 19 career postseason games, Naylor has more playoff experience than every player on Seattle’s roster aside from Arozarena.

“Naylor was a major reason why the Guardians got to the ALCS a year ago,” MLB Network’s Jon Morosi said Friday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “He is not afraid of a big moment. He has played a lot of high-level baseball on some very competitive teams. (And) you’re getting him in his peak. This is like mid-career, peak Josh Naylor. I still think he has a big second half to come.

“I think (when) Josh Naylor walks in the door, people respect him and they know he’s played in big games before,” Morosi added. “I think he’s a really good addition – clubhouse and performance – for the Seattle Mariners.”

Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Hear the full conversation with Jon Morosi at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story.