Guardians fan favorite gets paid in free agency after finding a permanent home

When Josh Naylor returned to Progressive Field as a visitor for the first time last season, he said that he knew that some team would eventually value what he brought to the table enough to give him a long-term contract. 

That premonition came true on Sunday when he and the Mariners agreed on a five-year deal that will keep him in Seattle long-term. The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

The financials of the deal aren’t yet known, and it’s pending a physical which he’s expected to take later today. The contract is in the range of $90-$100 million, per WHDH’s Ari Alexander.

For 4 1/2 seasons, Josh Naylor called Progressive Field home. And in that time, he turned from an electrifying outfielder to a slugging first baseman who was a powerful presence in the middle of the lineup and a key figure in the clubhouse. 

But that time came to an end last winter when the Guardians traded him to the Diamondbacks at the Winter Meetings in exchange for starting pitcher Slade Cecconi and a draft pick that they used on 18-year-old left-hander Will Hynes. 

Naylor spent a half-season in the desert before being dealt to the Mariners at the trade deadline, where he played a huge part for a Seattle team that pushed the Blue Jays to seven games in the American League Championship Series. 

In total, Naylor finished 2025 with a .295/.353/.462 slashline with 20 home runs, 92 RBI and 30 stolen bases. He went 19-for-19 on stolen bases with the Mariners despite ranking as one of the slowest runners in the sport. 

He followed that up by hitting .340 with three home runs in the postseason.

Josh Naylor has found a new long-term home in Seattle

Naylor returning to the Mariners isn’t much of a surprise given the beautiful music the two parties made during his half-season in the Pacific Northwest (and GM Justin Hollander’s public statements about how much he wanted Naylor back). 

While it’s exciting to see Naylor finally earn the payday that he deserves, it’s still a bit bittersweet to see it happen elsewhere. 

He made a great first impression to Guardians fans in 2020 with a strong performance against the Yankees in the Wild Card Series, but his ascension came to a halt in 2021 when he suffered a gruesome leg injury against the Twins that ended his season. 

He came back a season later as a more prototypical slugging first baseman, which kicked off a three-year run where he hit 68 home runs across 365 games that was highlighted by an All-Star season in 2024. 

The Guardians won’t have to wait long to see Naylor again, as they’ll open the season at T-Mobile Park against his Mariners on March 26.