I haven’t heard any media types pretending they predicted that Josh Naylor would be the first Major League ballplayer to sign a free agent deal this offseason. It seems like Carlos Santana repeatedly jumped the gun the past few years and signed before anyone finished prepping their Thanksgiving turkey. Because the Mariners haven’t confirmed the report, I’m not citing specifics like $$.
I’m not sure if this signing will set the markets for first basemen, left-handed hitters, guys named Josh or older brothers, but it does get things rolling. For baseball geeks like me, it’s Christmas because we can wonder and argue about what other teams will do to recalibrate after losing out on Naylor. There may not be seismic shifts, but the ripples will be felt.