It was quite the offseason for the Arizona Diamondbacks. They underwent some changes, both good and bad. Corbin Burnes chose to sign with the club and stay home with his family, where they currently reside in Arizona. However, they did lose veteran first baseman Christian Walker, who was quite good as a defender and also did plenty of damage at the plate. They had a contingency plan in place and immediately went out and acquired Josh Naylor. Now that they have him, they should extend him and now.

Diamondbacks Need to Extend Naylor

It came as quite a shock that the Guardians would trade Naylor. Heck, they moved him and Andres Giminez, diminishing their right side of the infield. But the Guardians knew they’d have to pay Naylor, as he is in the final year of his contract and they operate on a budget. For the Diamondbacks, they took on a risk, but they are reaping the benefits due to his production. Naylor is also 28 years old and fits the window for this Diamondbacks team.

Naylor is off to a rock solid start to the season. He is currently batting .344 (career best right now), and had an on base percentage of .402 and is slugging .577. His OPS of .955 is 17th in the league right now and his 163 wRC+ is as well. He has been quite the offensive machine, which is a phenomenal addition for what was the best offense last season. The simple stats do not do it enough justice, his stuff under the hood is quite an improvement from last season as well.

Big key for Naylor having success at the plate is that he is striking out less and walking a lot more. He is walking 11.7% of his at bats and striking out just 7.8%, which ranks him in the 97th percentile. Also, his batting average when facing all different types of pitches has also gone up, which is great for him and his approach at the plate.

Naylor isn’t swinging at pitches nearly as much that are outside the zone, nor is he being as aggressive on first pitch swings. Naylor is currently on a five game hit streak and has homered in three straight games.

He has been a major bright spot in the lineup. And the front office should make sure he sticks around beyond 2025.

Key Decisions to be Made

There will be plenty of key decisions. Zac Gallen is a free agent this winter and so is Merrill Kelly. Kelly is older, so good chance he may not return, but Gallen should very much be locked up. The same goes for Naylor. He’s proven himself early on and if he sustains it, should make the decision very easy for the front office.