Seattle didn’t just sign its new middle-of-the-order bat. It outmaneuvered the most unlikely big spender in baseball to keep Josh Naylor at T-Mobile Park.
Seattle Mariners fans won’t believe which team was determined to steal Josh Naylor, because it’s the one franchise everybody assumes will never crash the high-roller table. The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent the better part of three decades treating free agency like a thrift store: browse the bargain rack, maybe grab a one-year flier, and get out before the prices get scary.