The Seattle Mariners have discussed a potential trade with the Cleveland Guardians centered around first baseman Josh Naylor, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported Thursday morning.
A previous report suggested that the Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs showed interest in Naylor at the Winter Meetings. It appears as if the Mariners are taking that interest to the next level as they actively try to upgrade their lineup.
Naylor has emerged as a high-level slugger over the past two seasons. The Guardians finally made Naylor an everyday player in 2022, two years after acquiring him from the San Diego Padres.
After racking up 20 home runs, 79 RBI and a 1.8 WAR in 2022, Naylor recorded 17 homers, 97 RBI and a 2.5 WAR in 2023. His batting average went from .256 to .308, while he improved his OPS from .771 to .842 in his age 26 campaign.
The Mariners could use a bat like Naylor, considering the holes that have opened up in their lineup over the past few weeks.
After electing not to extend right fielder Teoscar Hernández a qualifying offer, Seattle dealt third baseman Eugenio Suárez to the Arizona Diamondbacks, then first baseman Evan White and outfielder Jared Kelenic to the Atlanta Braves. Catcher Tom Murphy and designated hitter Mike Ford hit free agency, with the former joining the San Francisco Giants on Monday.
As it stands, Fangraphs is projecting Taylor Trammell to be the Mariners' designated hitter on Opening Day next spring.
Should Cleveland decide to trade Naylor to Seattle, it would separate him from his brother, Bo Naylor, who is Cleveland's catcher.
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