Jeff Passan picks a familiar name as Mariners' ideal trade deadline addition

The beginning of this final six-game road trip prior to the All-Star break is only reinforcing that the Seattle Mariners need to bolster their roster ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. And before you ask, this will still be the case even if they take the final game of the Yankees series and then (somehow) sweep the MLB-leading Detroit Tigers.

In this respect, the Mariners front office has apparently been given the green light by ownership to pursue quality targets in the coming weeks. As ESPN's Jeff Passan writes: "Upgrading the lineup is the distinct priority over the next three weeks, and executives expect Seattle to act aggressively."

This sounds encouraging enough, but who should the Mariners be looking for that will at least in theory have a significant impact? Well, we already know about the speculation linking them with a reunion with Eugenio Suárez, but Passan suggests another member of the Arizona Diamondbacks who would also be an excellent match: Josh Naylor.

First base plodding along for the Mariners

First base was one of the prime concerns for the Mariners heading into this season, although in fairness the position has some seen gradual improvement thanks to better play from Donovan Solano combined with Luke Raley's return from injury. Still, the reality is that it's more a case of the team just getting by at the position, which could prove costly when it comes to clinching that elusive playoff spot at the end of September.

This is where Naylor undoubtedly comes in, as he has the ability to galvanize the Mariners if Jerry Dipoto can work some magic combined with a little luck. The 28-year-old received AL MVP votes two years ago, secured his first All-Star selection last season and is having an excellent 2025 campaign so far.

Naylor is currently projected to have the second-best season of his seven years in the majors, highlighted by a .296/.357/.465 slash line, .822 OPS and 127 OPS+. His Baseball Savant page also shows what a tremendous campaign he's having, highlighted by ranking in the 92nd percentile for K% and 94th percentile for xBA.

As Passan notes, Naylor can line up behind J.P. Crawford to improve Cal Raleigh's chances of coming to the plate with more baserunners, or slot between between Raleigh and Randy Arozarena to do the cleaning up himself. Also, at the risk of patting ourselves on the back, we did write just last month about how the Mariners should put the 2015 12th overall draft pick at the top of their trade deadline wish list.

What will it take for the Mariners to secure Josh Naylor?

Pending what kind of funds the Mariners have made available to pursue players, the balance of Naylor's one-year, $10.9 million deal doesn't sound too bad. For us, the concern is more about who the Diamondbacks would want in return to seal a trade for the Ontario, Canada native?

The majority of baseball is in agreement that the Mariners have an excellent farm system with plenty of appealing prospects to entice the Diamondbacks (or whoever). One possibility suggested by The Athletic's Jim Bowden is Harry Ford, but this would be a hard pill for Mariners fans to swallow.

Harry Ford has been killing it in Triple-A this year and has a bright future ahead of him in the majors. We appreciate that his chances of being the main catcher for the Mariners are zero right now, although you also have to balance this with getting rid of him for a player who will effectively by a two-month rental.

Having just read that last paragraph over again, there is a realization that this is the equivalent of a first world problem for the Mariners. In any event, however Dipoto and the front office decides to approach the pending trade deadline it's imperative they find quality upgrades, which includes making a concerted effort to snag Naylor from the Diamondbacks.