Speaking Thursday on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM, Seattle Mariners general manager Justin Hollander made it very clear that Josh Naylor is the team's No. 1 priority in free agency, which officially opened on Thursday afternoon.

"... it was a great fit and it is definitely a priority for us this offseason, if not No. 1, I don't know what else would be. He's No. 1 right now," Hollander said. You can see his full comments in the video player above.

The Naylor file

The 28-year-old Naylor just completed his seventh year in the big leagues with the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Arizona Diamondbacks and Mariners. He's a career .269 hitter who has continued to get better and better with the bat. He hit .295 this season between Arizona and Seattle while also hitting 20 homers, 29 doubles and stealing 30 bases. He had an OPS+ of 128 and has been above 118 in each of the last four seasons.

His impact on the Mariners

Similar to Hollander, most Mariners fans see Naylor as the key to the entire offseason. His ability to make contact is something the M's drastically need to improve (13.7 percent strikeout rate this year), while his power, baserunning ability, defensive acumen and clubhouse leadership all make the team better. The toughness and attitude that he brings are qualities that the Mariners have lacked at times over the years.

The money

Free agency is a total crapshoot, so you never quite know where the contracts and player values are going to go. Naylor was predicted at six years and $120 million by Baseball America, five for $90 million by The Athletic, and just Thursday, three for $52 million by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel.

What's next

Naylor is a free agent free to negotiate with any team, however, it's unlikely that anything happens early in the offseason. The general managers meetings are Nov. 11-13 and groundwork could be laid there. The winter meetings are Dec. 7-10 and deals could come to fruition there.

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