Seattle Mariners First Baseman Continues to Endear Himself to City

The Seattle Mariners are entering this season at a very different place than last season in terms of roster construction

The Mariners will be looking at potential replacements at left field and third base and support in the bullpen. Last year, Seattle had a need at first base entering the offseason following 2025 trade acquisition Josh Naylor hitting free agency.

The Mariners opted to fill that need with Naylor, himself, and brought the one-time All-Star back to the Pacific Northwest on a five-year, $92.5 million deal.

That contract will extend through 2030, which will give Seattle and Naylor valuable stability.

Naylor was traded to the Mariners from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2025. It was the second time in seven months and fourth time in his career, extended to his time as a minor league, that he was traded.

Since finding a long-term home in the Emerald City, Naylor has been a common face at other professional sporting events.

In pregame warmups, Naylor has often worn a Sue Bird jersey, the best player in the history of the city's WNBA team, the Seattle Storm.

Naylor, a native Canadian, has also attented multiple games played by the Seattle Kraken, a National League Hockey team, since finding a permanent home in the Pacific Northwest.

The first baseman was interviewed on the Kraken's in-house station, the Kraken Hockey Network (KHN) on Saturday before the team's eventual 5-1 loss against the Minnesota Wild, and spoke on wanting to give back to Seattle and support other professional teams in the city.

"I love supporting other athletes. Especially from this city. I'm here for a long time now, hopefully even longer after this contract. I've just fallen in love with everything. The people, the passion for the sports. The opportunities that they've given to me, I just want to give so much back and show support to other athletes around the city, too. So, that's a big thing for me."

Naylor underwent offseason wrist surgery to repair an issue that hampered him throughout the 2026 season.

In his first full season with the Mariners, Naylor slashed .261/.317/.350 with a .667 OPS in 152 games and hit 23 doubles and 10 home runs with 57 RBIs. He stole 30 bases in 39 attempts.

Naylor is one of several players a part of the nucleus for Seattle signed for the rest of the decade, alongside former All-Stars such as center fielder Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh.