Guardians trade Naylor to Diamondbacks, sign F.A. Carlos Santana [View all]
The Cleveland Guardians traded first baseman Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday and quickly replaced him, with sources telling ESPN that they agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract with free agent Carlos Santana, bringing him back for his third stint with the team.
Cleveland flipped Naylor for right-hander Slade Cecconi and a competitive-balance Round B pick, worth just over $1 million in draft bonus money, the team announced.
Naylor, 27, will hit free agency after the 2025 season, and Cleveland's propensity to move players before they reach the open market paved the path for a deal. Naylor hit a career-high 31 home runs and drove in 108 runs as the Guardians won the AL Central division this year. While his defense can be a liability, Naylor joins a Diamondbacks lineup that led Major League Baseball with 886 runs.
Santana, 38, has been a consistently solid player throughout the course of his 15-year career. He debuted with Cleveland in 2010 and spent his first eight seasons with the team. After spending 2018 in Philadelphia, he returned to Cleveland for two seasons before bouncing from Kansas City to Seattle to Pittsburgh to Milwaukee to Minnesota, where he hit .238/.328/.420 with 23 home runs and won his first Gold Glove in 2024.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43099319/sources-guardians-trade-naylor-diamondbacks-sign-santana
Wow. Okay, looks like Santana (age 38!) is the new DH and maybe part-time 1st baseman.
I'm okay dumping Naylor despite his numbers, many of which came in non-crucial game moments in 2024 (he's a sucker for the breaking ball). And Cleveland pads their potential starter pool with Cecconi.
Me like.
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