There had been trade chatter surrounding Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor for weeks, ever since the off-season started.
That’s how the Guards operate: players reaching their last year of team control are at great risk of being flipped to another squad.
Naylor was very solid for Cleveland this past season, but his time with the team has officially come to an end.
Predictably, the team traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitching.
“We have acquired RHP Slade Cecconi and Arizona’s 2025 Competitive Balance Round B Draft Pick from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for 1B Josh Naylor,” the team announced via X.
We have acquired RHP Slade Cecconi and Arizona's 2025 Competitive Balance Round B Draft Pick from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for 1B Josh Naylor.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/6xMuukKjOl
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) December 21, 2024
Naylor says goodbye to the Guardians after hitting 31 home runs and driving in 108 runs in 2024.
He was fairly productive during his time with the Guardians, but the combination of his service time clock with the fact that they have Kyle Manzardo ready to take over at first base made Naylor a lock to go for pitching help.
Reports also indicate that the team is signing Carlos Santana, who would also help at first base.
Cecconi is a nice get for Cleveland.
He has multiple years of team control and top prospect pedigree, even though he just posted a 6.66 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 20 appearances — 13 starts — and 77 innings in 2024 for the D-Backs.
He has youth on his side, at 25 years old, and the backing of a fantastic pitching development environment in Cleveland.
There is a chance he wins a rotation spot, but he could also make it as a multi-inning reliever.
The draft pick makes it an even better trade for Cleveland.
Naylor will be missed, but the Guardians weren’t going to extend him.
NEXT: Guardians Reportedly Interested In 2 Cardinals Starters
