In recent days, it has been rumored that the Seattle Mariners are looking for a solid hitter to shore up their lineup.
They have lost several top players in the offseason, such as Jarred Kelenic, Teoscar Hernandez, Eugenio Suarez, and others.
Now, they want to get a quality batter or two.
They have reportedly set their sights on Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor.
Now, it wouldn’t make sense for Cleveland to trade Naylor considering that power is the thing they need the most.
It’s pointless to enter 2024 without Naylor, unless the return is package is so good that Cleveland can’t say no.
Naylor might have had a slow start in 2023, but stats show he is quite the slugger and could fit in any lineup.
“Josh Naylor 2023 Splits: First 46 Games: .226/.280/.390 (.670 OPS), .281 wOBA, 43.8 Hard Hit%, 8.5 Barrel%, 18.6 K%, 5.8 BB%. Next (Final) 75 Games: .352/.394/.543 (.937 OPS), .393 wOBA, 39.8 Hard Hit%, 8.0 Barrel%, 11.5 K%, 4.5 BB%. It’s unlikely, but he’d be a good acquisition,” Mariners fan account @IISwitchII tweeted.
Josh Naylor 2023 Splits
First 46 Games
.226/.280/.390 (.670 OPS), .281 wOBA
43.8 Hard Hit%, 8.5 Barrel%, 18.6 K%, 5.8 BB%Next (Final) 75 Games
.352/.394/.543 (.937 OPS), .393 wOBA
39.8 Hard Hit%, 8.0 Barrel%, 11.5 K%, 4.5 BB%It’s unlikely, but he’d be a good acquisition. https://t.co/bDg7uXikSu pic.twitter.com/mRvCGnYAa6
— victim of Mariners baseball (@IISwitchII) December 21, 2023
Of course he would be a good acquisition: he just had a career-high .842 OPS and is still in the prime of his career at 26 years old.
He is still maturing as a hitter and there might be untapped potential considering his career-high in games played is 122.
If he manages to stay healthy for at least 145-150 games and performs like he did in the second half (or after his first 46 games), we could be talking about a guy who can hit 35 doubles and close to 30 home runs with an OPS well over .800.
He has that kind of ceiling, and it’s not something the Guardians will be giving away.
NEXT: Yankees Analyst Pitches A Shane Bieber Trade
