Mariners' Plan B for re-signing Josh Naylor must be a game-changing blockbuster trade

Everyone seemingly wants Josh Naylor to return to Seattle next season with a new long-term deal in place, whether it be his Mariners teammates, the fans, the media or the player himself. And as per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, the organization has indicated that re-signing the 28-year-old will indeed by an offseason priority.

It's no surprise how Naylor is perceived after everything he achieved following his trade from the Arizona Diamonbacks near the end of July, with him proving to be a galvanizing force in the Mariners clubhouse. Heck, he even seems to be a rarity in that he actually enjoys hitting at T-Mobile Park, and there's no denying how much getting him tied down to a contract extension would mean to the M's.

However, just because the majority of people want this to happen doesn't guarantee it will. Naylor is set to become a free agent five days after the end of the World Series, and he figures to be in high demand, especially after what the baseball world saw him do during the playoffs, as highlighted by batting .340 with a .967 OPS in 12 games for the Mariners.

Potential obstacles to Mariners re-signing Josh Naylor

As SoDo Mojo's Jason Wang wrote last week, the Mariners might need to move some money in order to help facilitate bringing Naylor back, which could involve moving someone such as Luis Castillo. At the same time, the M's will have to contend with other teams making their pitch, with only one extravagant offer being required to turn Naylor's head and have him sign elsewhere.

If Naylor was to end up going to a new team, you know that a significant portion of the local fanbase would claim it's a case of the same old Mariners not being prepared to make the necessary financial commitment to help the team finally make it to the World Series. If this nightmare scenario comes to fruition it's going to take a game-changing blockbuster trade to appease that same fanbase, but there might be such a solution out there, as teased right here:

When someone such as MLB Network insider Joel Sherman claims Bryce Harper being traded wouldn't shock him, this has to carry at least some gravitas. As for the Mariners specifically being in the running to acquire the two-time NL MVP, FanSided's Christopher Kline actually has them as one of the top potential destinations.

In an interview with Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski insisted that Harper is "not getting traded." Yet at least one person is clearly upset by Dombrowski's public skepticism on Harper's future after his down year in 2025, and that is Harper himself.

“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper told Matt Gelb of The Athletic. “Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It’s all I heard in D.C. (with the Nationals). I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

Now, we acknowledge Harper's 13-year, $330 million contract sounds scary, but he's going to be down to six years and $153 million from next season. This works out to $25.5 million per year and you know he'd almost certainly get more if he went out on the open market.

The eight-time All-Star does have a no-trade clause, so he might need the Mariners to tack on some extra money to get his approval for a deal. Even then, the M's will still need to put enough on the table to entice the Phillies to bite. As an example, here's a compelling trade proposal:

Just because of what Castillo has meant to the Mariners during his time in Seattle, this is the toughest part of the potential trade to swallow. However, it would help necessitate a part bad contract swap, part prospect cash-in for the Phillies which would theoretically satisfy everyone.

While there's no doubting how much everyone loves Naylor, the hard reality is that Harper is the better hitter and really the better player, as evidenced by reviewing their respective Baseball Savant pages for this season. Harper has also been around a long time so has a longer track record of success, while also having logged a ton of playoff at-bats.

To be clear, we are entirely on board with the Mariners doing whatever it takes to bring Naylor back to Seattle next season. However, if for some reason this doesn't happen, then at least there's a Plan B which can make up for this, at least as long as the M's organization is prepared to prove to fans how serious they are about contending for the World Series again.