The Cleveland Guardians traded first baseman Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday and shortly changed him, with sources telling ESPN that they agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract with free agent Carlos Santana, bringing him again for his third stint with the crew,
Two months after shedding to the New York Yankees within the American League Championship Sequence, the Guardians continued the overhaul of the precise facet of their infield. That they had already traded Gold Glove-winning second baseman Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays. On Saturday, they flipped Naylor for right-hander Slade Cecconi and a competitive-balance Spherical B choose, value simply over $1 million in draft bonus cash, the crew introduced.
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After Arizona’s incumbent at first, Christian Walker, agreed on a three-year, $60 million contract with the Houston Astros on Friday, the first-base market — stagnant thus far within the winter — kicked into overdrive. Veteran Paul Goldschmidt signed a one-year, $12.5 million take care of the Yankees, and Arizona pivoted shortly to Naylor, the left-handed-hitting powerhouse who made his first All-Star crew this yr.
Naylor, 27, will hit free company after the 2025 season, and Cleveland’s propensity to maneuver gamers earlier than they attain the open market paved the trail for a deal. Naylor hit a career-high 31 house runs and drove in 108 runs because the Guardians gained the AL Central division this yr. Whereas his protection could be a legal responsibility, Naylor joins a Diamondbacks lineup that led Main League Baseball with 886 runs.
Santana, 38, has been a persistently stable participant all through the course of his 15-year profession. He debuted with Cleveland in 2010 and spent his first eight seasons with the crew. After spending 2018 in Philadelphia, he returned to Cleveland for 2 seasons earlier than bouncing from Kansas Metropolis to Seattle to Pittsburgh to Milwaukee to Minnesota, the place he hit .238/.328/.420 with 23 house runs and gained his first Gold Glove in 2024.
The deal for Santana, which is pending a bodily, can pay him greater than twice his $5.25 million wage in 2024 and contains $1 million in efficiency bonuses, sources mentioned.
Santana’s market had accelerated shortly this week after Walker’s deal helped give groups readability. He’ll be part of Cleveland alongside Cecconi, a former first-round choose who in 104 main league innings has a 6.06 ERA. Whereas he got here up as a starter, the 25-year-old Cecconi spent the second half of this season as a reliever.
