Seattle Mariners Acquire Josh Naylor From The Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks have traded 1B/OF Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Pitchers Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Arizona Diamondbacks were rumored to be the league’s top sellers at this year’s trade deadline, and they’ve struck their first deal. Let’s break down this trade from both sides of the deal and talk about what it means for each team. 

Josh Naylor Is Going To Help the Mariners’ Offense 

The Mariners are getting an impact bat in Josh Naylor. In 93 games so far this season, he’s hitting .292 with 11 home runs, 59 RBI, and an OPS of .807. His OPS+ is 124, which means he’s been 24% above league average offensively this season. Josh Naylor is going to fit perfectly in the Mariners lineup, which desperately needed another impact bat to complement Cal Raleigh. 

With this move, Seattle’s offense is transformed from a lineup with one elite hitter and many good complementary bats into a lineup that has two legit bats in the middle of the order that can do damage. Over the past few seasons, the Mariners’ offense has been their weakness under their elite starting position, but now it looks like that’s evened out a bit. This is the type of move they needed. 

Who Are the Players Arizona Got In Return? 

Brandyn Garcia was listed as the No. 13 prospect in the Mariners system. In 32 games in AA and AAA, Garcia has a 5-4 record with a 3.51 ERA. He’s also pitched two innings up in the majors with Seattle and had a 4.50 ERA. Izzi is a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher whose highest level of Minor League Baseball is A+. He’s pitched 12 games in A+ with a 5.51 ERA. 

Overall, the Diamondbacks didn’t do too badly here. They traded the best player in the deal, but Garcia looks like a pitcher who could crack the big league the next year, and Izzi has a promising pitch arsenal.