Cleveland Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said on Sunday that he has to have an eye on the team’s future while trying to put together the best possible roster for 2025.
He said it in the context of the Josh Naylor trade, as the Guards lost an important middle-of-the-order producer.
However, we should all be focusing on what the team gained, and it was a good return for a corner outfielder one year away from free agency.
Cleveland got pitcher Slade Cecconi and Arizona’s 2025 Competitive Balance Round B pick.
That is a rather high draft pick and it has plenty of value because the Guards can turn it in anything they want.
Now, they have as many as four top picks next year.
“The #Guardians’ acquisition of a Comp. Round B selection gives them four of the current Top 72 picks in the 2025 Draft,” MLB Draft posted on X.
The #Guardians' acquisition of a Comp. Round B selection gives them four of the current Top 72 picks in the 2025 Draft.
Complete order: https://t.co/M2EuH24hgK pic.twitter.com/qY2DDkkWlC
— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) December 22, 2024
The Guardians are known for building sustainable teams.
That’s exactly how they have been able to contend more often than not since the Terry Francona era started in 2013 and now under Stephen Vogt.
They do this by prioritizing their farm system.
They might not spend much in free agency, but they are routinely a playoff-caliber team with their philosophy.
In this case, they traded a win-now asset in his prime but they made sure to get a similarly talented replacement in Carlos Santana and added a solid pitching prospect in Cecconi.
On top of that, they added yet another pick in next year’s draft and now will be able to select four top players among the first 75 picks.
The 2025 Guardians’ offense will be as good as their 2024 edition thanks to Santana, and the future Guards will have four additional top prospects if the team chooses wisely.
NEXT: Chris Antonetti Discusses Josh Naylor Trade
