The Cleveland Guardians could’ve used Josh Naylor this season.
However, keeping him around for much longer would’ve gone against their usual m.o.
Naylor was slated to become a free agent after this season, and the Guardians have a long history of moving on from their stars before they have to pay them.
Even so, there are no hard feelings there.
When asked about his days in Cleveland, the new Seattle Mariners first baseman shared his true feelings for the organization:
“I met a ton of great people here,” Naylor said. “We had a lot of great years here when it comes to team camaraderie and having fun off the field. … I had a lot of great moments with a lot of great teammates here.”
The Guardians acquired a competitive balance draft pick and Slade Cecconi from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Naylor.
The first baseman had a career-high 31 home runs to go along with 108 RBI in his final season in Cleveland, helping the team win the AL Central Division and make it all the way to the ALCS.
His defense was often a talking point, but the team clearly missed his offensive production this season.
Then, with the Diamondbacks failing to stay competitive, they also chose to move on from him before free agency.
He hit .292/.360/.447 with 11 home runs, 59 RBI, and 49 strikeouts in 394 appearances in 93 games in the desert before being shipped to Seattle.
Of course, he still has some ties to the Guardians, as his brother Bo is looking to establish himself as their catcher of the future.
But given some struggles this season, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see the Guardians also reconsider their stance with him at some point in the offseason.
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