Guardians Insider Discusses Projected Lineup After Recent Moves

The Cleveland Guardians have made a series of moves in recent days.

They traded starting second baseman Andrés Giménez and then slugging first baseman Josh Naylor.

Then, they signed Carlos Santana to take Naylor’s spot on the field and in the lineup.

It might seem like lateral moves to some, but those ‘lateral moves’ left the offense about the same as it was in 2024, if not slightly better, and brought in two starting pitchers (Luis L. Ortiz and Slade Cecconi) plus multiple prospects.

How about the Guardians lineup right now? Well, analyst Jensen Lewis went through it and it looks promising.

“1. Kwan – LF, 2. Thomas – CF, 3. Ramirez – 3B, 4. Noel – RF, 5. Manzardo – DH, 6. Santana – 1B, 7. Rocchio – SS, 8. Brito/A.Martinez – 2B, 9. Naylor – C,” he posted on X.

🚨AMENDED w/ the report of Carlos Santana signing back..

1. Kwan – LF
2. Thomas – CF
3. Ramirez – 3B
4. Noel – RF
5. Manzardo – DH
6. Santana – 1B
7. Rocchio – SS
8. Brito/A.Martinez – 2B
9. Naylor – C

Thoughts #ForTheLand fans? https://t.co/WbW6bdIyVm

— Jensen Lewis (@JLEWFifty) December 21, 2024

Of course losing Naylor’s 31 home runs, 108 RBI and .776 OPS hurts, but Cleveland showed a key weakness in the postseason: getting on base.

The hope is that Juan Brito and Angel Martinez, whoever wins the second base gig, can provide a higher OBP than Giménez.

That’s not only possible, but also likely given that Giménez checked in at .298 in 2024.

Naylor and Santana are pretty much comparable: the former has more power at this stage of their careers, but Santana posted a .328 OBP to Naylor’s .320 and his .748 OPS is not that far from that of the recently traded slugger.

Santana is also a much, much better defender at first base, so much that he yielded a superior fWAR than Naylor (3.0 to 2.3).

To hit its ceiling, however, this lineup will need steps forward from their young guys: Jhonkensy Noel, Chase DeLauter if he gets the chance to play, and Brito/Martinez.

It’s a solid unit with considerable potential, though.