The Cleveland Guardians struggled mightily at the plate last season. That wasn’t much of a surprise, given the moves they made.
Long before the start of the season, people complained about their decision to move on from Josh Naylor. It’s been a year, and the sentiment is still the same.
It’s been exactly a year since the Guardians acquired Slade Cecconi in the trade that sent Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In hindsight, it wasn’t a good move.
One year ago today The Guardians traded Josh Naylor for Slade Cecconi
Would you do it again? #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/QMOYuRORTW
— SleeperGuardians (@SleeperGuards) December 21, 2025
Of course, that doesn’t have anything to do with Cecconi. He was pretty good both as a starter and coming out of the bullpen. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that it was the right move for this organization.
Granted, the Guardians have always operated in the same way. Naylor was about to get too expensive, so they made the most of his trade value while he still had some and got a solid piece in return.
And again, Cecconi was good. Still, that doesn’t make up for the fact that this team had a bottom-five offense, according to most metrics, and Naylor’s departure clearly had plenty to do with that.
Fast forward to today, and the Guardians may have the young talent to make up for that loss, which may have always been their plan and their vision. Even so, it was a risky move nonetheless.
These things happen; you can’t win every move, but this one looked like a mistake at the time, and it still does.
NEXT: Guardians Pitcher Named As Potential Bust Candidate In 2026
