Astros' division rival just got bailed out thanks to surprisingly easy reunion

Josh Naylor's arrival at the MLB trade deadline is one of the primary reasons why the Seattle Mariners were able to take the AL West title away from the Houston Astros at the end of the season, and while the Mariners fell just short of reaching the World Series, they entered the offseason with the priority of bringing Naylor back. No less than a week after the GM Meetings, the Mariners have accomplished their goal.

Naylor is returning to the Mariners on a five-year deal believed to be in the range of $90MM-$100MM. The contract is in line with what was predicted for the veteran first baseman ahead of free agency, and it seemed to be a straightforward process for Seattle.

There's no denying that Naylor was electric during his initial run with the Mariners. The 28-year-old slashed .299/.341/.490 with 9 home runs and a wRC+ of 137. During a season when Cal Raleigh was flirting with being the American League MVP, the one weakness the Mariners had was that they had no protection surrounding their All-Star catcher in the lineup. That changed at the deadline with the moves for Naylor and Eugenio Suarez.

Josh Naylor's return to the Seattle Mariners now puts the focus on the Astros and improving their roster

The Mariners are doing exactly what they should be doing. They nearly made the World Series, and instead of waiting back and hoping that Naylor's market would return to them, they jumped the market and made the first impact-free agent signing of the offseason. Sure, the Mariners could have waited for Pete Alonso's market to play out, but a reunion with Naylor always made the most sense.

The question now becomes, how will the Astros respond? The Astros have an aging roster featuring a logjam in the infield, and will likely have to replace Framber Valdez near the top of their rotation. Under a different owner other than Jim Crane, Naylor re-upping with the Mariners should push the Astros closer to resetting. Instead, they will be forced to find an upgrade to their roster, assuming they want to lay claim to the top spot in the division once again.