The Mariners are bringing back Naylor on a five-year deal, and the fanbase is pumped on social media.
The Seattle Mariners are bringing back first baseman Josh Naylor on a five-year contract, as noted by ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan on Sunday night.
Though the money is not known yet at this time, it's expected to be between $90-100 million.
It will be the biggest free agent contract ever given to a hitter in the decade-long run with Jerry Dipoto as the head of the front office, and it will set up the Mariners well to compete in the American League West moving forward.
Why this move had to get done
Naylor proved to be an impact player after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Arizona Diamondback, hitting .299 while popping nine regular season home runs and stealing 19 bases. He is a leader in the clubhouse and solid defensively. Bringing him back was priority No. 1 for the organization, and for most fans, this offseason.
Naylor also tagged three home runs in the American League Championship Series, which Seattle lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in heartbreaking fashion.
Furthermore, he became a fan-favorite because of his play style, his attitude and his impact on the organization. While the Mariners have a number of highly-touted prospects, none of them are first basemen, meaning the M's did not have a built-in replacement for him.
Fans react on social media
To that point of him being a fan-favorite, fans were thrilled when the news came out. Here's a compilation of some of the best reactions on "X."
What's next for the M's?
The Mariners still have questions to answer this offseason, but with the biggest one off their plate, they will look to answer them with a little less pressure surrounding them.
Seattle still needs to re-sign or replace Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez, and they also need help in the bullpen, where there are expected to be several options available to choose from.
Timing
It's unclear when the rest of the free agent market might come together for the Mariners, but the winter meetings (Dec. 7-10) are the next big event on the baseball offseason calendar. It's possible that things materialize then for Seattle, but as they just showed, they aren't afraid to strike at times when the rest of the baseball world is idle.
We will keep you posted as the contract details come out and we will have more on the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast on Tuesday.
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