Guardians trade Naylor to Diamondbacks, sign F.A. Carlos Santana

[Auggie]

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.

[Diamond_Dog]

1. Auggie,

Do you know anything about Ciccone? I have never even heard his name before this.

It’s hard to lose Josh for us Guards fans, since he often is our biggest cheerleader, and all around great presence, and his brother Bo is our starting catcher.

But he was pretty bad in clutch situations last season, especially during the second half of the season. Maybe put Ramirez back at the cleanup position. I’m wondering if Vogt will platoon Los (who I have always loved and welcome back) at first with Manzardo.

[Auggie]

2. Ciccone split time between starting and relief ...

based on what I'v read today. High ERA at the pro level, decent at the minor. We know Cleveland works wonders with young pitchers. They must see something in Ciccone.

Naylor would be too expensive to re-sign after 2025, so by trading him now they can use his $12 million salary to pay Santana and pick up a good pitching prospect, plus a player to be named. It's a win.

Manzardo bats left, Santana bats left and right, though his average is much better from the right side. I'm guessing platoon.

I like Ramirez at the #3 spot. He's the best run producer on the team, and the logical choice with Kwan in the lead-off spot. I'm hoping a #2 hitter emerges to move Kwan into scoring position with more consistency.

[Diamond_Dog]

6. Thanks Auggie.

Maybe Carl Willis can work his magic with Ciccone. I hope!

[Auggie]

7. Good point about the platoon

[True Dough]

3. Santana will likely be good for 20 HRs

but he'll be 39 when the season begins. One year is wise, unless he has a rare Nelson Cruz-like flourish to end his career and has a handful of productive years left. But I wouldn't gamble on that.

[Auggie]

5. Yeah. And does the swing still have decent speed?

I'll take situational hitting too, for average, small ball, or RBIs.

Nader was not that.

[GreenWave]

4. Abraxas!