ANAHEIM -- Josh Naylor hasn’t had time for much of anything the last 24 hours. While getting back from dinner during the Diamondbacks’ off-day in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Naylor got the call he was expecting: He had been traded.
Naylor packed his bags, hopped on a flight and flew across the country, landing in Southern California at 4 a.m. Friday. Fourteen hours later, he made his debut as a Mariner, hitting cleanup in Seattle's 3-2 loss in 10 innings to the Angels. His first hit with the club came in the top of the eighth inning when he reached across the strike zone to slap a ground ball up the middle, capping off a 1-for-4 debut with a two-out single.
The whole time, his phone had been constantly buzzing. Blowing up with texts from friends wishing him luck and Arizona teammates saying their goodbyes.
“I haven’t had a chance to look at a lot of things,” Naylor said in his introductory scrum as a Mariner on Friday. “But I’m excited to be here, excited to play hard, excited to win. I love winning. I really enjoy impacting players, just being myself and enjoying the day-to-day.”
Manager Dan Wilson originally gave some thought to giving Naylor the day to rest and get acclimated with his new club, but ultimately decided it was best to get his new first baseman on the field and bring him into the fold as soon as possible.
“There’s a lot on someone’s plate when they come to a new team, just getting comfortable and whatnot,” Wilson said. “But really excited to have not only what he does on the field but his experience, his leadership, that kind of thing in the clubhouse as well.”
Naylor does have some familiarity with at least one of his new teammates in closer Andrés Muñoz, as they both came up in the Padres farm system together. And while he hasn’t had a chance to fully introduce himself in the clubhouse, Naylor has admired what the Mariners have built from afar.
From the pitching staff, to Cal Raleigh slugging his way through the first half of the season, to the leadership and athleticism of Julio Rodríguez — even T-Mobile Park itself — Naylor raved about it all.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about this org, about this team, about how hard they play,” said Naylor, an All-Star with Cleveland last year before being traded to Arizona in the offseason. “They’re a tough group. … It’s just really exciting to be here and be a part of it, and see how I can contribute.”
Naylor projects to fit right in. Through 93 games with Arizona in 2025, he’s carried a .292 batting average, seventh-best in the National League at the time of the trade. His .360 on-base percentage is a career high, something he says is both a product of becoming more familiar with different ballparks over the years and learning how each of them play for him, and the culmination of what he’s learned from his coaches.
When the Mariners and Diamondbacks met for a three-game series in early June, Naylor went off with an 8-for-12 performance to go along with a home run, six RBIs and three runs. Rodríguez noted on Thursday that Naylor’s focus is what has stood out to him the most.
“I’m not really talkative to opponents when I’m on the field,” Naylor said. “Sometimes I feel bad about it, but I’m just focused on the task at hand and trying to do anything I can to help the pitcher get an out, or a pickoff. Just being ready on defense for any opportunity.
“I just like to stay focused and stay in the moment.”
With 59 games left to go in the regular season, the Mariners are five games behind in the AL West, but they are in the thick of the Wild Card race. Wilson believes they can make a run.
That’s why Naylor, a veteran of three postseasons with Cleveland in 2020, '22 and '24, is here.
“He’s a guy who’s been through it,” he said. “Has seen some postseason, so a guy that brings a lot of valuable experience to the group. That’ll do nothing but enhance what has already been a very special season with a special group.”