Did Naylor have any serious suitors other than the Mariners, and if so, where do they pivot?
The Mariners made it clear from the get-go that re-signing Naylor was their top priority this offseason, and Naylor was just as interested in a reunion with Seattle. The two sides began to talk during the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas last week, leading to a quick deal that was finalized over the weekend. The mutual interest and quick action prevented any other teams from getting involved in any meaningful way.
Does this deal have any impact on the other top first baseman on the market, notably Pete Alonso, and to a lesser extent Cody Bellinger?
Alonso and Bellinger are expected to land bigger deals than Naylor, so aside from taking the Mariners out of the market for a first baseman, Naylor’s signing shouldn’t have a major impact on either of them. If anything, Naylor’s deal takes one option off the market for clubs not looking to sign one of those big two, narrowing the field for players like Ryan O’Hearn, Luis Arraez and Rhys Hoskins.
Is this going to be the Mariners’ biggest move of the winter, or is there an expectation they are going to be very active?
Naylor’s deal will be the biggest free-agent deal handed out during Jerry Dipoto’s decade-long tenure running the Mariners’ baseball operations department, but Seattle must still address second and third base, with Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suárez both on the free-agent market. The Mariners have internal options at second base (Cole Young is the likely candidate), but third base figures to be a spot that Seattle looks to fill from the outside.
Who do you think is going to be the next big free agent to sign after this?
Free agency tends to be a slow burn, so it’s hard to say which free agent might be the next to come off the board. Just as Naylor and the Mariners had mutual interest in getting a deal done, the likely candidates are players with an eye on returning to their former club, making Kyle Schwarber (Phillies) and Bo Bichette (Blue Jays) the two favorites to be the next to sign. Both Philadelphia and Toronto have made it known that they would like to re-sign their star players, and Schwarber and Bichette appear to prefer a return to their long-time clubs. It would not be a shock for either or both to work out new deals prior to next month’s Winter Meetings.
