SEATTLE — Whether it was his teammates, coaches, kitchen crew or club managers, Josh Naylor felt completely comfortable during his three months with the team. Seattle Mariners.
And thanks to her furry friend, Naylor felt right at home. The day before signing a five-year, $92.5 million contract, Naylor credited Seattle's Labrador retriever Tucker for helping him win over.
“When I found out we had Tucker, he drove me crazy, man,” Naylor said with a toothy grin. “I love this little guy.”
Naylor loves Seattle and vice versa.
The 28-year-old free agent appeared in 54 games with the Mariners after being acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the 2025 trade deadline and hit .299 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. Naylor endeared himself to Seattle fans with his hard-nosed play and by giving away pairs of his cleats to kids.
“I always tell players or even little kids that I work with in the offseason, like, play for the little kid in you,” Naylor said. “Always remind that child that it’s just a game and you’re here to have fun, you’re here to play hard, and you’re here to compete.”
Seattle reached Game 7 of the American League Championship Series before losing to Toronto and falling one win short of its first World Series. After a stellar postseason in which he hit .340 with three home runs, five RBIs and two stolen bases, Naylor felt he had unfinished business in Seattle.
“I wanted to come back to give this fan base, this city, my teammates and their families a World Series in the next five years,” Naylor said, “or multiple World Series or multiple pennants.”
President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto believes Naylor can be a key factor in winning the first World Series for the franchise, which began playing in 1977. He called Naylor's return “a no-brainer.”
“It was the easiest decision we could make from an organizational standpoint,” Dipoto said. “After acquiring Josh mid-season at the trade deadline, the way he fit into our club, the community, the way he was received by the fans.”
Naylor felt no need to test the open market. He felt confident in the Mariners' starting lineup and couldn't face Seattle's starting pitchers for the foreseeable future.
Instead, Naylor will be lucky to beat out Cal Raley and Julio Rodriguez, who finished second and sixth in MVP voting.
Staying in Seattle means a lot to Naylor, who became a father for the first time this year. With several family members present at Tuesday's news conference, Naylor, whose younger brother Beau is a Cleveland catcher, discussed his desire to settle in the Emerald City.
“I would love to spend the rest of my career here and raise my family here,” Naylor said, “and have my family come to Seattle more and watch baseball games and hopefully win a World Series here.”
Naylor's biggest motivator is winning, which has happened more often than not throughout his seven-year major league career.
“In my opinion, it hasn’t been done,” Naylor said. “We still have a lot to do, and it's exciting not only for them, but for me and for the whole city. The teammates we have here, I think it's going to be an amazing offseason.”
