$92.5 million deal for Mississauga baseball slugger

Published November 17, 2025 at 2:02 am

naylor mississauga baseball seattle mariners

Josh Naylor acknowledges fans after beling a homerun.(Seattle Mariners photo).

Learning how to play baseball in Mississauga is paying off handsomely for a slugging first baseman.

Josh Naylor, a product of the playgrounds in Mississauga, has signed a five-year contract with the Seattle Mariners that will earn the 28-year-old $92.5 million over the length of the deal.

“Ensuring that Josh remains a Mariner for the long haul was a priority for us,” Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto said. “Josh’s intelligence, intensity, toughness, and competitiveness show up every day. He’s simply a winner.”

Naylor had a solid year in 2025, starting with the Arizona Diamondbacks before being traded to Seattle, where he helped lead the Mariners to the American League Championship Series before ultimately falling to the Toronto Blue Jays. For the season, the first baseman batted .295 with 20 homeruns, 92 RBI and 30 stolen bases.

He became a free agent at the end of the season, but the Mariners made it a priority to re-sign him and now look to Naylor as a key player needed to help the team return to the playoffs in 2026.

Naylor is the first big-name baseball free agent to sign a contract this offseason.

“I’m going to be a Mariner again and I couldn’t be more excited,” said Naylor. “From the moment I arrived, everyone in the organization welcomed and helped me. The players brought me in and loved my game right away, and the fans were incredible. Seattle has the best fanbase in baseball. They’re electric and support us through and through, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. I can’t wait to continue to play with these guys and bring the city a championship.”

His journey to the big leagues started with the Mississauga North Tigers, when, as a 13-year-old, he was named Baseball Ontario’s Player of the Year in 2010. He then played for the Ontario Blue Jays of the Canadian Premier Baseball League and represented Canada at several international tournaments.

In 2015, he was drafted in the first round of the amateur draft by the Miami Marlins and signed his first professional contract after graduating from St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School. He also attended Ruth Thompson Middle School.

His stay in Miami did not last long as he was traded to the San Diego Padres, then sent to the Cleveland Indians, who shipped him to Arizona last December. When he landed in Saettle this past July, he seemed to have finally found a long-term home.

Brother Bo Naylor is a catcher for the Cleveland Indians, and the youngest baseball-playing Naylor, Myles, was drafted by the Oakland Athletics. Their cousin, Denzel Clarke, is an outfielder for the Athletics.

The exact terms of the contract are expected to be announced after he passes a team physical and officially signs the new contract.

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