The Seattle Mariners front office has potentially the most crucial offseason in front of them since president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto joined the organization in 2015.

Coming off the team's first American League West title and first trip to the American League Championship Series since 2001, more money to spend in the offseason than previous years and a returning core that includes multiple All-Stars, Gold Glovers and (potential) Silver Sluggers, there's more expectations than ever before for the franchise to win its first-ever pennant in 2026.

The front office has said that bringing back 2025 trade deadline acquisition Josh Naylor is a top priority, as it should be.

The seventh-year first baseman was one of the best players in the clubhouse since the Mariners made the deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 24. He scored 32 runs in 54 games with Seattle and hit 10 doubles and nine home runs with 33 RBIs. He slashed .299/.341/.490 with an .831 OPS and was 19-for-19 in stolen base attempts. He slashed .340/.392/.574 with a .966 OPS in the playoffs.

Naylor was projected to earn a four-year, $90 million contract ($22.5 million AAV) in free agency by MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic — well within the Mariners' projected $30-35 million available to spend in free agency

But Naylor recently shared a post on social media that had Seattle fans worried about a potential reunion between him and the Mariners.

Catcher Cal Raleigh shared a post on Instagram (@calraleigh_) in which he thanked fans, teammates, coaches and team staff members for the season, which included him setting the single-season record for the most home runs by a catcher and switch-hitter (60). 

Naylor shared a since-deleted comment in the post that said:

"My neck still hurts but it was worth it all. See you around my friend. Will always be rooting for you, God Speed!"

Fans on social media were immediately worried about the language of the comment. After all, "see you around," and "will always be rooting for you," doesn't sound like the words of someone who plans to see him for spring training in February.

But, there's important things to think about before fans assume that Naylor isn't planning on returning.

For one, Naylor is an unrestricted free agent. As such, he will pursue his options on the open market. Even if he does want to sign a contract with Seattle, he's not going to make comments assuming that to be a done deal before free agency officially opens, especially not in a public forum.

Naylor has also been traded twice in the last calendar year. He was dealt from the Cleveland Guardians to the Diamondbacks on Dec. 21, 2024, before being shipped to the Pacific Northwest seven months later. Naylor understands the business of baseball. He was one of the best players on teams that made the ALCS two years in a row and still played for three different teams in a year. If anyone knows not to assume what the future has in store, it's him.

The last thing — Naylor appeared to delete the comment on the post. That could simply be to avoid the influx of notifications and questions from fans (the comment had over 100 replies before it was deleted), but it could also simply be him not wanting anything out there that anyone could perceive as him leaning a certain direction in free agency.

This is an offseason the front office needs to get right. Bringing back Naylor would be an instant win for Seattle and would help bolster an already-solid foundation of players for several years to come. Another lackluster offseason would be a disaster considering the window, quality roster and money the organization has.

As such, it's understandable why Seattle fans are worried about Naylor's comment. Past lackluster free agency periods from the organization also haven't forged goodwill.

But the offseason hasn't even started yet. Nothing is for sure until pen is put to paper.

RELATED MARINERS STORIES

JP CRAWFORD'S ALDS-WINNING SPIKES WILL GO TO HALL OF FAME: The veteran shortstop scored the winning run in Game 5 of the American League Divisional Series against the Detroit Tigers. CLICK HERE

MARINERS PLAYERS HAVE KIND WORDS FOR JOSH NAYLOR WITH FREE AGENCY LOOMING: The front office aren't the only people within the organization advocating for bringing back Naylor. CLICK HERE

MLB INSIDER RELEASES CONTRACT PROJECTIONS FOR POTENTIAL MARINERS FREE AGENT TARGETS: Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto are both within the Mariners' price range this offseason. CLICK HERE

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!