The winds of change are blowing through Progressive Field this winter, as the Cleveland Guardians continue to reshape their infield in the aftermath of their ALCS defeat. On Saturday, the Guardians made a pair of major moves, trading All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks while bringing back a familiar face in veteran Carlos Santana on a one-year, $12 million deal.
The Guardians, fresh off an AL Central title, had already dealt Gold Glove second baseman Andres Gimenez to the Blue Jays earlier this offseason. Now, they’ve flipped the 27-year-old Naylor, who launched a career-high 31 homers and drove in 108 runs in his first All-Star campaign, to Arizona for right-hander Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance Round B draft pick.
Diamondbacks Fill Hole Left by Walker’s Departure
For the Diamondbacks, acquiring Naylor provides an immediate answer at first base after incumbent Christian Walker agreed to a three-year, $60 million deal with the Astros on Friday. Naylor, under team control through 2025, joins a potent Arizona offense that paced the majors with 886 runs scored last season.
While Naylor’s glove work can be an adventure at times, his left-handed power stroke should play well in the hitter-friendly confines of Chase Field. The Diamondbacks, seeking to build on their surprise contention in 2024, are betting that Naylor’s breakout was no fluke as they aim to construct a championship-caliber core.
Santana Returns for Third Stint with Tribe
Meanwhile, the Guardians will reunite with Santana, a franchise icon who debuted with Cleveland back in 2010. After spending his first eight big league seasons with the Tribe, Santana returned for a two-year encore from 2019-20 before embarking on a late-career journey that’s taken him to five clubs over the past four seasons.
Now 38, Santana is coming off a resurgent 2024 campaign in which he posted a .238/.328/.420 slash line with 23 homers for the Twins while capturing his first career Gold Glove. The switch-hitting slugger will earn $12 million in 2025, more than doubling his salary from the previous year.
With Josh going to Arizona, we saw an opportunity to bring Los back into the fold. He’s a leader in the clubhouse, and his presence will be invaluable for our young guys.
– Guardians GM Mike Chernoff
Cecconi a Wild Card in Trade Package
In Cecconi, the Guardians are rolling the dice on a former first-round pick who’s struggled to gain a foothold in the big leagues thus far. The 25-year-old owns a 6.06 ERA across 104 MLB frames, though he did show some intriguing upside after converting to a relief role in the second half of 2024.
If Cleveland can harness Cecconi’s still-tantalizing raw stuff, they may yet salvage a useful bullpen piece. At a minimum, the competitive balance pick, valued at just over $1 million in bonus pool money, offers a sweetener to help the Guardian’s crack player development staff replenish a farm system that’s been thinned by graduations and trades in recent years.
The Road Ahead
With the dust still settling on Saturday’s moves, it’s clear that the Guardians’ winter of change is only just beginning. As the Diamondbacks bet on Naylor’s burgeoning star power to propel their offense to even greater heights, Cleveland will hope that a third act with Santana can help stabilize an infield that will look dramatically different on Opening Day.
In the midst of another slow-moving offseason, credit the Guardians and D-Backs for making some noise as the winter Hot Stove continues to warm. With the team they’ll field in 2025 already bearing little resemblance to the squad that lit up October, all eyes will be on the reigning AL Central champs to see what twists and turns still await on the transaction wire.
