First baseman Josh Naylor was a man of few words during his five seasons with the Cleveland Guardians, even as a first-time All-Star in 2024.
Now with the Seattle Mariners and playing in his first series in Cleveland since being traded in the offseason, his lack of loquaciousness remains.
Naylor and the Mariners will try to salvage the final game of a three-game set Sunday afternoon when Bryce Miller (3-5, 5.98 ERA) takes the mound against Guardians fellow right-hander Tanner Bibee (9-10, 4.73).
Free-agent-to-be Naylor said his return was “just another game” at the ballpark he once called home, adding that he didn’t watch any of the scoreboard videos that Cleveland honored him with.
“It’s baseball. You’ve just got to roll with the punches sometimes and adjust to the situation you’re in,” said Naylor, who is 1-for-8 in the series. “From what I learned in this (organization), I knew I was going to get traded anyways.”
Despite hitting in the heart of the order and amassing 31 homers and 108 RBIs — both career highs — last year for the American League Central Division champion Guardians, Naylor was not offered a contract extension.
Cleveland dealt him to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Slade Cecconi on Dec. 21, 2024. Seattle acquired Naylor from Arizona for pitcher Brandyn Garcia and a minor leaguer last month.
“Everything happens in God’s time,” said Naylor, who is batting .284 with 16 homers, 73 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 124 games this season. “Someone will eventually trust me and want me on their team … for a long time.”
Naylor’s younger brother, Bo, remains the starting catcher for the Guardians, so he has a reason to keep track of the squad. Josh named Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez among the former teammates whom he stays in contact with.
“Nails is as focused as they come, and he’s a very smart player who takes advantage of situations,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “We’re happy to have him here because of the way he approaches the game.”
The Mariners suddenly are in a fight to hang onto the final American League wild-card spot, seeing their advantage over the Kansas City Royals cut to two games and their lead over Cleveland down to three. Seattle has lost six road games in a row, and Cleveland has won four straight games overall.
Miller won his only start against the Guardians, giving up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings in an 8-5 victory on June 18, 2024. He beat the San Diego Padres in his most recent outing, allowing four runs in five innings in a 9-6 game on Monday.
Bibee is 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two career games against Seattle, striking out 15 over 11 innings. He had won five straight until the Tampa Bay Rays scored five times in six innings against him in a 9-0 loss on Monday.
The Guardians are two games into a stretch of 17 games in 17 days and have just two days off in September, but they can’t afford to take their feet off the pedal.
“You have to be careful, so we’ll try to switch guys around and let a lot of them DH a game or two,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “And everybody in the bullpen is hot (available to pitch) because they have to be. It’s going to be a test, but we’ll be ready for it.”
–Field Level Media
