Josh Naylor’s Unexpected Re-Sign Ignites Free Agent Frenzy Among First Basemen: What’s Next?

After a quiet spell in the baseball offseason, the first ripple turned into a splash Sunday night when Josh Naylor locked down a five-year deal with the Seattle Mariners—talk about shaking up the first baseman market. Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks midseason, Naylor dazzled with a .299 average and solid .831 OPS in just 54 games, then turned up the heat in the postseason. His encore performance in Seattle’s ALCS run wasn’t just impressive—it was one of the bold notes pushing Seattle to prioritize re-signing him this offseason.

Naylor’s new contract isn’t just a win for the Mariners; it also leaves Pete Alonso standing alone as the premier first-base free agent, with a sparser pool of alternatives trailing behind him. Alonso, fresh off a Silver Slugger season with the Mets, is eyeing a lengthy pact that could outlast Naylor’s by a couple years—a challenge given his nearing 31st birthday compared to Naylor’s 28.

This move rapidly shifts the landscape ahead of what promises to be an intriguing and prolonged free agency saga, especially as teammates Juan Soto and Mets legend Carlos Beltran voice their hopes to keep the electric Alonso in New York. With the hot stove warming up again, the offseason drama is far from over—there’s way more to unfold yet.

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The hot stove had been safe to touch for a few days, but that may be starting to change.

The first big domino in the market for first basemen fell on Sunday night as Josh Naylor and the Seattle Mariners reached an agreement on a five-year contract, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Naylor, acquired at the trade deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks, batted .299 with an .831 OPS in 54 games after being dealt. He was even better during Seattle’s run to the ALCS, with five extra-base hits (three home runs) and five RBI while batting .340 with a .967 OPS in 12 postseason games. This made re-signing the first baseman one of Seattle’s highest priorities this offseason.

Naylor, who turned 28 in June, now becomes the first big-name signing of baseball’s offseason a year after hitting 29 doubles, 20 home runs, driving in 92 runs, and slashing .295/.353/.462 for an .816 OPS (128 OPS+) across 147 games. He was also 30-for-32 stealing bases, despite being one of the slowest players in MLB.

Naylor’s quick exit from the market means Pete Alonso is the lone top-notch free-agent first baseman on the market and will have very little competition for that claim. Entering the offseason, the class was thin after Alonso and Naylor, with a big drop to other domestic options, including Ryan O’Hearn, Carlos Santana, Luis Arraez, Paul Goldschmidt, and Rhys Hoskins.

A great bounce-back season with the Mets that saw him win a Silver Slugger, in which he slashed .272/.347/.524 with 41 doubles, 38 home runs, and 126 RBI while playing in all 162 games, Alonso is hoping to turn that into a long-term deal. And after opting out of the deal he signed with New York last offseason, Alonso is reportedly seeking a contract of at least seven years. This could be tough as Alonso will soon turn 31, over two years older than Naylor, who took only a five-year deal.

Of course, the Mets and the slugger were able to work through their differences as he sought a long-term deal last offseason. And all indications are that Alonso’s free agency will last quite a bit longer than Naylor’s,

And after the Alonso and Juan Soto, 1-2 punch worked combined for 81 homers last year, Soto made it known that he would like to run it back.

“I hope nothing but the best, and I’m excited to see where he’s going to end up,” Soto told the media this past week. “He’s one of the best power hitters in this generation. I really enjoyed my moment with him in a Mets uniform and I hope we can have more times to come. We can have fun together.”

Carlos Beltran agrees.

“Pete Alonso is another guy that is going to be on the market, I hope we can bring those guys back,” Beltran said on Saturday, referring to closer Edwin Diaz, another free agent. “The front office and the team upstairs are going to do the best we can to make that happen.”