Bo Naylor Makes Surprising Admission About Brother Josh

From 2020 to 2024, first baseman Josh Naylor played for the Cleveland Guardians. He landed in the organization in the Mike Clevinger trade with San Diego, and left before the 2025 campaign in the deal that netted Cleveland pitcher Slade Cecconi.

The Guardians helped Naylor tap into his ceiling and go from an inconsistent offensive performer with virtually no game power to an All-Star, a status he reached in 2024.

However, he was close to free agency, and the Guardians don’t tend to extend corner infielders who are close to 30 and have little defensive value. That’s why they flipped him for a controllable asset like Cecconi.

From 2022 to 2024, Josh shared a clubhouse with his brother Bo, who rose through the ranks as a legitimate catching prospect and established himself as a major league player in the summer of the 2023 campaign.

The Guardians are visiting Seattle to play the Mariners, Josh’s team, in their opening series of the season. You would think they would have exchanged a few friendly words during Josh’s at-bats, but that’s not the case, according to Bo.

“Guardians’ catcher Bo Naylor says he has not talked to his older brother, Seattle first baseman Josh Naylor, during the first two games of this four-game set against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. “Josh likes to stay locked in,” said Bo when asked if he talks to Josh when he comes to the plate,” Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com wrote.

Bo told Hoynes that he loves his brother and they talk to each other all the time. On the field, however, “he’s the competition,” and both players have understood that very well.

The Naylors are yet to hit the ground running, as Bo is hitting a meager .125 in nine plate appearances and Josh is still trying to find his first hit of the new season. The Guardians catcher has a lot to prove, while Josh has managed to establish himself as one of the best first basemen in the league and scored a nice contract from the Mariners.

The younger Naylor hopes that a key adjustment he made in the second half of last season can help unlock the full extent of his potential. He has a chance to be one of the finest offensive catchers in baseball.