Assessing the Guardians Trade of Josh Naylor and Signing of Carlos Santana
It was a busy Saturday evening, in regards to the Cleveland Guardians, as they made a pair of notable transactions.
Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, first baseman Josh Naylor has been traded by Cleveland to the Arizona Diamondbacks, in exchange for RHP Slade Cecconi, as well as a 2025 Competitive Balance Round B draft pick. The Guardians wasted no time finding Naylor’s replacement, with the signing of Carlos Santana. The deal, also reported by Passan, is one-year, $12 million.
Naylor’s time in Cleveland draws to a conclusion, as he spent five seasons with the Guardians. The 27-year-old became a first time All-Star, in 2024, putting up career marks in home runs (31), RBI (108), and runs scored (84).
Cecconi was a first round supplemental selection of the Dbacks during the 2020 MLB Draft.
In parts of two seasons with Arizona, Cecconi has posted an ERA of 6.06 over 27 games (17 starts). Long balls are an issue, for Cecconi, allowing them at a 1.7 rate. His control is excellent, registering just 21 walks in 104 innings (1.8 BB/9).
Santana, a fan favorite in Cleveland, will be joining the organization, for a third time. He played the first eight years of his career with them from 2010-2017, and then came back, in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
This past season, Santana was a member of the Minnesota Twins, and displayed good production overall, with 23 homers, a 114 wRC+, and a bWAR of 2.5, in 150 games. On the defensive side, Santana continued to be steady at first base, posting +14 Outs Above Average and +8 Defensive Runs Saved, while being named a Gold Glove winner, for the first time.
Assessment: Heading into the offseason, many speculated about a Josh Naylor trade. The Diamondbacks were in the market, for a first baseman, this after Christian Walker agreed to sign a three-year, $60 million dollar deal with the Houston Astros on Friday. Arizona addresses an obvious need, who can slot right into the middle of their lineup.
As for the Guardians, they sign Santana at $12 million, which just happened to be the projected amount Naylor would get, in the final year of arbitration.
While you could argue that Naylor’s offense is better, Santana is still a decent contributor at the plate. But more than that, Santana’s defense at first base is far & away more superior than Naylor’s.
In all, the Guardians were able to obtain more pitching depth, and a high draft pick, to help out their system, for a first baseman that has just one year of control remaining. As I eluded to before, they turn around and bring back Santana, who is not only a better all-around first baseman than Naylor, but provides a strong, clubhouse presence.