{
  "id": 6460801,
  "title": "Mariners' $92.5 million Josh Naylor contract was offseason 'mistake'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/mariners-92-5-million-josh-naylor-contract-was-offseason-mistake",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-09T19:14:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mariners-92-5-million-josh-191401529.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Seattle Mariners' $92.5 million contract with first baseman Josh Naylor in the offseason has been deemed a significant mistake. The Mariners are currently 67-78 and 6.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the Wild Card standings, with slim postseason odds. Last season, the team reached Game 7 of the ALCS before falling to the Toronto Blue Jays. However, this season's Mariners lack the firepower to match their previous success. The primary reason for this decline is the underwhelming performance of Naylor. In 135 games this season, Naylor has hit .267/.325/.362 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs, far from his 31-home run and 108-RBI performance with the Guardians two seasons ago. Despite the Mariners' swift action to sign Naylor before any other major free agent, his lack of offensive firepower has not met expectations. With time running out for both the team and Naylor to turn the season around, the Mariners face a challenging situation.",
  "summary": "The Mariners may have jumped the gun with Naylor's deal.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}