Naylor is an absolute necessity for Seattle this offseason, but does his comment mean anything as far as his future goes?
Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor sparked some concern among fans on Tuesday night with a precarious comment he left on Cal Raleigh's Instagram post.
Fans are worried that the comment means that Naylor's tenure in Seattle could be done. After being acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline this July, Naylor helped the Mariners reach the American League Championship Series.
He hit .299 with Seattle, also blasting nine home runs and stealing 19 bases. Furthermore, he hit three home runs in the ALCS as Seattle came within one win of the World Series. Many people think that bringing him back is the key to Seattle's offseason. But this comment has people worried.
What Raleigh said on Instagram
To my family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff and the fans who showed up through it all, thank you. This season was special, and I'll carry it with me forever. We came up short of what we set out to do, and that motivates me more than anything. We will bring a World Series to Seattle.'
What Naylor said in response
"My neck still hurts but it was worth it all. See you around my friend <3. Will always be rooting for you. God speed!"
What could it mean?
According to our own Teren Kowatsch, it doesn't mean anything.... yet.
Truth is, we really don't know what Naylor meant by this contract? Inside joke? Statement that he's leaving? Gamesmanship to worry the Mariners and drive up the price? We'll have all offseason to figure out the correlation, but Naylor did speak glowingly of his time in Seattle at multiple points this season.
Naylor's importance
As we recently discussed on the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast, Naylor is a key to the offseason, for many reasons. The team has to find a way to bring him back.
Josh Naylor means everything to this team and he means everything to this off-season. He's 28 years old. He's the youngest of your three free agents. He's younger than most free agents that are out there. We know about the contact ability, .295 hitter this season. We know about the power, 20-plus home runs. We saw the stolen bases, we saw the smarts, we saw the clubhouse attitude, the effort, the energy, the intensity, the leadership. Josh Naylor means everything to this team and everything to this off-season. They have to find a way to get this done.
Again, we'd love for every deal to be team-friendly. They're not all going to be. 4 for 90 is a lot of money (one projected number for Naylor). We as Mariner fans are conditioned to think it's a lot of money. I would do it and I wouldn't look back. They need him. They need him for what he is productivity-wise. They need him for what he represents leadership and clubhouse-wise. They need him for the messages that he delivers to the clubhouse, the fan base, all of the above.
How fans are taking it
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