Dec 23, 2024
Cleveland Guardians’ Josh Naylor celebrates after hitting a two-run double against the New York Yankees during the seventh inning in Game 4 of the baseball AL Championship Series Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The Arizona Diamondbacks got an All-Star first baseman and the Cleveland Guardians reunited with a former one.
The D-backs acquired Josh Naylor in a trade with the Guardians on Saturday, which opened the door for a reunion between Cleveland and veteran slugger Carlos Santana.
The Guardians, who have remodeled the right side of their infield this winter, received right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance Round B draft pick in 2025 in the Naylor trade.
Cleveland moved quickly to fill the hole left by Naylor, agreeing with Santana on a one-year, $12 million contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
The Naylor trade is the second significant move in weeks by the AL Central champions, who dealt Gold Glove second baseman Andrés Giménez to Toronto in a three-team swap. The Guardians also acquired right-hander Luis Ortiz from the Pirates.
The 27-year-old Naylor made his first All-Star team this season and hit a career-high 31 homers with 108 RBIs. He’s been Cleveland’s starting first baseman in each of the past three seasons and will become a free agent after the 2025 season.
The Diamondbacks were in the market for a first baseman after Christian Walker signed with the Houston Astros on Friday. Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said Naylor’s presence in the middle of the batting order should fit well with Eugenio Suarez, Ketel Marte and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
The 25-year-old Cecconi has spent parts of the past two seasons in the big leagues. He had a 2-7 record with a 6.66 ERA last season, pitching in 20 games, including 13 starts.
Santana spent 10 seasons with Cleveland early his career over two stretches, starting out as a catcher before moving to first. The switch-hitter’s deal is pending a physical, said a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal wasn’t finalized.
Santana was one of the club’s most popular players from 2010-17 before signing as a free agent with Philadelphia. However, his time with the Phillies didn’t go as expected and he re-signed with the Guardians in 2019 for two seasons. He was an All-Star in 2019 and has 324 career homers.
Santana brings leadership and experience to a Cleveland team that won 92 games and ran away with its division last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt. The Guardians beat Detroit in the AL Division Series before losing the ALCS to the New York Yankees in five games.
The 38-year-old played for the Minnesota Twins last season, batting .238 with 23 homers and 71 RBIs. He’s also been with Kansas City, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.
Naylor was a solid run producer and protected All-Star José Ramírez in Cleveland’s lineup. But his fielding was often suspect, and the Guardians have some other options they’d like to try going forward at first, including Kyle Manzardo.
Naylor’s departure also means he’ll no longer be teammates with younger brother, Bo, Cleveland’s primary catcher.
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