As the postseason celebration waged on on Tuesday night inside the clubhouse at T-Mobile Park, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller delivered a message about first baseman Josh Naylor, who delivered the game-winning hit to send the M's to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

Miller certainly isn't the only one who feels that way, as most Mariners fans want to see Naylor return in 2026 as well. Naylor, acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline, is a free agent at the end of the season. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has said the team has interest in reuniting with him and Naylor has spoken positively about his time in Seattle.

The 28-year-old is hitting .292 with the M's in 51 games. He has nine home runs, 32 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.

Of course, the future will come down to a handful of things, including....

Always the starting point in any discussions about free agents, right? How much do the Mariners have available? How much does Naylor want? How much will others offer?

For what it's worth, Spotrac has the market value for Naylor at three years and $44 million. Frankly, that seems light for a player who had 97 RBIs in 2023, 108 in 2024 and has 91 this year, but it's at least a good starting point in the conversation.

With Mitch Haniger, Mitch Garver, Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco (probably) likely to come off the books this offseason, the M's figure to have money, though how much remains unclear after arbitration raises for several players and the contract extension figures of Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez.

The Mariners have no first basemen in the minor leagues ready to come and take Naylor's place, and there are no home run options already on the roster, so this seems like a no-brainer on Seattle's side, is it a no-brainer for Naylor?

If the Mariners make a deep run in the playoffs, does Naylor feel like Seattle is close to winning the World Series and want to stay to be a part of it? If they win the World Series, does he want to stay in a winning culture, or does he think that he can go chase more money if he's already got a ring in hand?

If the Mariners go out early, how does that impact things?

No one but Naylor knows, but we'll have all of October to deal with those questions.

The Mariners will take on the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night at 6:40 p.m. PT. A win, or an Astros loss, clinches the American League West for the M's. They haven't won the division since 2001.