Jerry Dipoto hints Mariners could be preparing big offseason contract for slugger

Seattle Mariners fans have made no secret of their desire for Josh Naylor to stay in the Pacific Northwest beyond 2025, and now they have confirmation that the front office is on board, too.

When asked by Darragh McDonald during an interview on MLB Trade Rumors' weekly podcast, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto didn't beat around the bush about whether the team wants to keep Naylor, who's ticketed for free agency this offseason.

“Yeah I think we would [like to retain him],” Dipoto said. “That remains to be seen how Josh feels about the matter. It’s never easy when you’re in a playoff race to open discussions like that. I know that there is interest on our end, and I believe that there is interest on Josh’s end.”

Well, so much for our previous take about Mariners fans setting themselves up for disappointment with their campaign to get Naylor re-signed.

Jerry Dipoto gets Mariners' fans hopes up even higher with Josh Naylor remarks

Dipoto's comments suggest that the love affair between Naylor and Seattle is more like a love triangle, and who can blame him and the rest of the front office for getting in on it?

Naylor was acquired to be an upgrade at first base, and he's been that and more in 41 games since coming over from the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's provided a 118 OPS+ with eight home runs and nine stolen bases, and he's a tone-setter in the clubhouse in addition to a favorite at T-Mobile Park.

Speaking of T-Mobile Park, Naylor apparently either doesn't know or doesn't care about its reputation as an extreme pitchers' park. He has a 1.032 OPS and five homers there this season, and it isn't just the energy of the fans driving his production.

“I’ve always liked hitting here," Naylor told Wyman and Bob of Seattle Sports. "I think it’s a hitter’s park more than a pitcher’s park, to be honest. I think it’s easy to hit here.”

All this said, there are still reasons for Mariners fans to be more cautious than...well, frankly than they have been regarding Naylor's upcoming free agency.

The 28-year-old has only averaged 2.0 rWAR over the last four seasons, which is more in line with a quality role player than a star. He nonetheless could be in for $20 million or more per year annually, which is where the Mariners haven't tended to tread on the open market.

To date, Mitch Garver's two-year, $24 million contract from two winters ago is the richest contract Dipoto has done with a free-agent hitter in 10 years on the job in Seattle.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s a personal plan and certainly not something we discuss here internally," Dipoto said on the MLBTR podcast. "We just haven’t been able to attract the right player that we feel great about investing more than 2/24 in. We’ve tried and we’ve come up short on a number of occasions in trying to recruit those free agents.”

There is an argument that Naylor is the right guy to break the mold for. Whereas the Mariners have in-house infield options to replace Eugenio Suárez at third base once he also becomes a free agent, the same can't be said of Naylor's post at first base. And even if the club does have to stretch its budget for him, that should be on the table after five straight years of contending.

Whatever the case, Naylor, Dipoto and the rest of the Mariners have more pressing matters to see to right now. Yet no matter what happens after that, it's nice to know the Mariners know what they have at the cold corner in the meantime.