Copyright yardbarker
Coming into his final year before hitting free agency for the first time, Josh Naylor had the perfect opportunity to show why teams should be vying for his services in the 2025-26 offseason. Naylor took that opportunity and ran with it, putting up one of the best offensive seasons of his career. The 28-year-old started the 2025 season off with the Diamondbacks after being traded to Arizona by the Guardians during the preceding offseason. Once the D-backs decided to sell off some of their assets, he was moved over to the Mariners for their postseason push. Naylor was an offensive threat for both teams. He broke 20 home runs for the third time in his career and 90 RBIs for the third time as well. His 128 wRC+ and 3.1 fWAR were both career highs. He was able to do this despite some of his underlying power metrics declining a bit. His barrel rate (6.7%) and average exit velocity (89.2 mph) both decreased year over year, though his hard-hit rate (41.9%) actually increased. On the other hand, Naylor surprisingly added a new factor to his game: stolen bases. Though he is one of the slowest players in the game, with a 24.4 ft/sec sprint speed that ranked in just the third percentile in MLB, he inexplicably amassed 30 stolen bases on the season. Now in the prime of his career, he enters the free agent market as one of the clear top two options at the first base position, behind only Pete Alonso. This puts him in line for a significant raise. Free Agent Profile: Josh Naylor Age in 2026: 29 2025 Stats: 147 G, .295/.353/.462, 20 HR, 81 RBI, 128 wRC+, 3.1 fWAR 2025 Salary: $10.9 million Qualifying Offer Eligible: No, traded during the 2025 season Contract Projection Contract Length Expectation: 3-5 years Expected AAV: $20-25 million Naylor made just shy of $11 million in his final year of arbitration. Thus, he will likely be doubling his previous year’s salary wherever he ends up signing. Three to five years seems like a very fair estimated contract length for Naylor. While he has been a very good offensive producer in his career, he also hasn’t put up superstar numbers, so we’re not looking at one of those mega-contracts that have become popular in recent years. Many of the recent contracts for free agent first basemen have been on the shorter end. In fact, the only three-year contracts given out over the last three offseasons were to Jose Abreu and Christian Walker – oddly enough, both by the Astros. However, both of those players were a good way into their 30s. This is one of the few offseasons where a first baseman in his prime has become available. Thus, Naylor’s final number may end up breaking the recent mold a bit. And with fellow free agent Alonso expected to land a contract in the $25-35 million AAV range, Naylor will look like the more affordable backup option. That said, $20-25 million isn’t exactly cheap, so Naylor’s suitors will be somewhat limited. Still, there are a number of locations that stand to be perfect landing spots for the free agent first baseman. Free Agent Landing Spots for Josh Naylor Seattle Mariners We’ll start with the most obvious. Naylor was a huge reason why the Mariners nearly made it to their first World Series in franchise history, and it would be a no-brainer to bring him back for more attempts. Prior to their acquisition of Naylor, first base was a clear point of emphasis for the Mariners heading into the trade deadline. Through July 24, the day before he joined the team, Seattle’s first basemen were 21st in MLB with just a 0.1 combined fWAR. They had batted just .223 with a 93 wRC+. Naylor ended up being the perfect salve for the position. His 1.8 fWAR after joining the Mariners was tied for third among all MLB first basemen, behind just Freddie Freeman and likely AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz. To Seattle’s credit, the team has already expressed strong interest in bringing Naylor back, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. Being a clear World Series contender, you’d think they’d be high on Naylor’s list as well. New York Mets Now, if we’re talking teams with a need at first base and money to spend, look no further than the Mets. However, there is one elephant in the room that needs to be addressed first. That, of course, is long-time Mets slugger Pete Alonso. Yes, the former NL Rookie of the Year, five-time All-Star, and franchise leader in career home runs. Alonso tested the free agent waters for the first time last offseason before ultimately returning to New York. His new contract had a contract option for 2026, but he has declined that and will return to free agency once again. The Polar Bear had a down season by his standards in 2024, so a return to the Mets at that point made sense. He was excellent in 2025, though, so with higher earning potential, he may land somewhere else for the first time in his career. Though he doesn’t have the resume of Alonso, Naylor is two years younger, so some might argue as to who is the more attractive candidate. If New York decides that the answer is the latter, the Mets easily have the resources to make the Big Apple Naylor’s next home. San Diego Padres Speaking of teams that are willing to spend, there is a team on the other coast in the Padres that also likes to do so. San Diego has had a top-10 MLB payroll every year this decade. They happen to have a hole at first base as well. Luis Arraez, one of the best contact hitters in the league and a three-time batting champ, is also a free agent this offseason. He isn’t the only former Padre headed that way, either. Ryan O’Hearn, who was acquired at this year’s trade deadline, was a rental and is a free agent for the first time in his career. While Arraez was solid last year, the Padres would probably love to have a prototypical first baseman manning the position in 2026. Not since 2019 (Eric Hosmer, 22) has San Diego’s primary first baseman cracked even 20 home runs in a season. Naylor has averaged 22 home runs per season over the last four years, so that would be a welcome power boost at first base for the Padres. Keep an eye on them this offseason as a strong suitor. Washington Nationals When it comes to spending big, one doesn’t generally think of the Nationals, at least not in recent seasons. However, there are reasons to believe that Washington could be a dark horse player for the services of a hitter like Naylor. For one, they certainly have the need. The Nationals were god awful at first base in 2025 with a -1.1 fWAR at the position that was second-worst in MLB. Designating starting first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for assignment didn’t make things much better. And though Washington hasn’t spent highly in recent years, they have in the past when the team has been good enough to necessitate it. The team had top-10 payrolls from 2017 to 2019, which culminated in the franchise’s sole championship. One could argue that the team has the talent to start spending. Despite just a 66-96 record in 2025, some strong, young talent like James Wood, CJ Abrams, and MacKenzie Gore, plus some top prospects in the pipeline, could have Washington on the verge of competitiveness soon. To take that next step, the Nationals will eventually have to surround their young stars with some talented veterans. Naylor could be the first step in doing just that. Texas Rangers The Rangers are the one team listed here that could be considered set at the first base position. But here’s why it would still make a lot of sense for them to take a swing at a player like Naylor. Despite running a top-10 payroll in baseball, Texas did not have a good offense in 2025. Their 4.22 runs per game were 22nd in MLB. Rangers first basemen were a big part of the team’s low offensive output. Their combined 0.1 fWAR was tied for fourth-worst in MLB and was the worst mark in the AL. They compiled just a 90 wRC+. Texas brought in Jake Burger to try to bolster the position. But he fought through injuries to post just a .236/.269/.419 slash line, an 89 wRC+, and -0.1 fWAR in only 103 games. The hope is that a healthy Burger will produce a better offensive line in 2026. Even if that is the case, there is a world where he and Naylor could coexist. The two could. make for a solid platoon at first. To that end, the Rangers could really use Naylor’s lefty bat, considering how badly DH Joc Pederson struggled in 2025. It’s not the most likely of landing spots, but the Rangers need to invest in their offense, and there are few better offensive investments they could make than Naylor.
