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𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧: Pirates have shown interest in Guardians' 1B Josh Naylor per
@clevelanddotcom


While no sources close to the team have confirmed, definitely a move toward addressing an area of need

I would assume quite a few teams would be interested in Josh Naylor.

Jeez.... who started this rumor ?

Lots of teams are interested in Jose Ramirez also.

Naylor isn't going anywhere.

I don't see any action for this team until just before ST when the dust has settled and leftovers are available.

Guardians sign Austin Hedges for 4 million.

Whoopee !!

Another big bat added.

The Hedges deal made little sense money wise but it looks like the G's are flipping Bethancourt to the Marlins for cash.

The cash is probably the difference between the $4M they're paying Hedges and Bethancourt's salary.

Cubs, Mariners, Pirates Interested In Josh Naylor
By Mark Polishuk | December 10, 2023 at 5:43pm CDT

Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor drew trade interest from the Cubs, Mariners, and Pirates during the Winter Meetings, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. There is no indication that the Guards were in serious talks about a deal, and as Hoynes notes, “for an offensively challenged club, it seems strange that they’d consider trading [Naylor]. But…it never hurts to listen.”

The 26-year-old Naylor hit .308/.354/.489 with 17 homers over 495 plate appearances last season, marking his second straight year of quality production. The first baseman has a 124 wRC+ in 993 PA since Opening Day 2022, and this past season saw Naylor develop into more of a well-rounded hitter than just a power bat. Naylor’s average and OBP increased greatly from 2022, and Naylor also cut back on his strikeouts without losing any of his power. While he doesn’t walk much, that approach isn’t unusual for a Cleveland team that prioritizes contact above all.

It seems quite possible that Naylor hasn’t yet reached his ceiling, given that his early-career development was stunted by both the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and then a nasty fractured ankle that cut short his 2021 season and cost him a bit of time at the start of the 2022 campaign. Naylor also missed about a month due to an oblique strain in 2023, and still generated positive numbers despite a very slow start over the season’s first six weeks.

Naylor’s 128 wRC+ actually outpaced Jose Ramirez’s 123 mark for tops among all Guardians regulars, and Josh’s younger brother Bo Naylor also delivered a 124 wRC+ in the smaller sample size of 230 PA. These were among the few highlights in an overall dismal year at the plate for the rest of Cleveland’s roster, as the lack of hitting and multiple injuries in the rotation left the Guardians with a mediocre 76-86 record in Terry Francona’s final season as manager.

As Hoynes noted, moving Naylor would seem counterintuitive for a Guardians team that is seemingly looking to upgrade the lineup. However, as is often the case with the Guards’ moves, there is a financial element at play. Naylor is projected to earn $7.2MM in the second of three arbitration years, and he is eligible to hit free agency after the 2025 campaign. While Ramirez is a notable exception, the Guardians generally doesn’t try to retain star talent unless they’re locked up to extensions earlier in their careers, so Naylor could potentially join a long list of notable Cleveland players who were dealt with at least one year remaining of team control.

Just this offseason, it is widely expected that the Guardians will deal Shane Bieber since the former Cy Young Award winner will be a free agent in the 2024-25 offseason. Cleveland has already moved Cal Quantrill to the Rockies in a salary dump type of trade, and this winter in particular carries extra financial uncertainty for the small-market Guardians since the Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy proceedings could see the team lose their TV deal. Since their payroll isn’t expected to go up, that leaves the front office with some tricky decisions to make in figuring out how to improve the roster as a whole.

With this in mind, Naylor becomes a very interesting possible trade chip in an offseason market thin on big bats, particularly in free agency. Any number of teams would certainly have interest in a 26-year-old who might not have hit his offensive peak yet, and a new club would have two years to perhaps ink Naylor to an extension.

Based on what Cleveland usually seeks out in such trades of established talent, the Guardians could try and obtain an MLB-ready who can help the team in 2024, as well as a longer-term prospect or two. Turning to the clubs in Hoynes’ report, the highly-ranked farm systems of the Pirates and Cubs could certainly have the assets to fit what would surely be a big asking price from the Guardians.

Acquiring Naylor would instantly fill the Cubs’ needs at first base, and provide a nice pivot after Chicago missed out on Shohei Ohtani. Cubs GM Carter Hawkins is very familiar with Naylor, as Hawkins previously worked in Cleveland’s front office before heading to Wrigleyville following the 2021 season. As much as Jed Hoyer’s front office has been hesitant about dealing from its stash of young talent, two years of relatively inexpensive control over Naylor is a tempting proposition, and it would allow the Cubs to then devote extra dollars to free agency.

There is some irony in the Pirates looking to land a player from another team looking to cut costs, given Pittsburgh’s long history of low payrolls. However, the Bucs have a clear need at first base, and acquiring Naylor would also be another major sign that the team is preparing to finally return to contention. That push might even come as early as 2024, given the NL Central’s state of flux.

The Mariners are looking for a particular kind of offensive upgrade, as Naylor would fit Seattle’s prioritization of good contact hitters. The M’s have already parted ways with Teoscar Hernandez, Eugenio Suarez, and Jarred Kelenic in their pursuit of more contact, and acquiring Naylor could also give the Mariners cover to trade current first baseman Ty France.

Marlins Acquire Christian Bethancourt From Guardians
By Nick Deeds and Mark Polishuk | December 10, 2023 at 2:58pm CDT

The Marlins and Guardians have announced a trade that will send catcher Christian Bethancourt to Miami in exchange for cash considerations. Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase was the first to report Bethancourt going to the Marlins, while the Miami Herald’s Craig Mish reported the cash return to Cleveland (both links to X).

The trade adds context to the Guardians’ $one-year, $4MM deal with Austin Hedges from earlier today. The signing initially seemed curious given how Bethancourt and Bo Naylor were already lined up as Cleveland’s catching corps, but obviously the Guards were planning two moves at once in both signing Hedges and then flipping Bethancourt to the catcher-needy Marlins.

Bethancourt is a veteran of seven MLB seasons, though none in 2018-21 as he played in the minor leagues and spent a season playing in South Korea. Returning to the big leagues with the A’s in 2022, Bethancourt was then dealt to Tampa Bay in July 2022, and the catcher ended up hitting .235/.257/.399 over 483 PA with the Rays over the last two seasons. With his numbers falling off at the plate in 2023, the Rays outrighted Bethancourt off their 40-man roster at the start of November, and the Guardians claimed him off waivers two days later.

Almost at that exact same time, Peter Bendix was in final talks with the Marlins to leave the Rays’ GM job and become Miami’s new president of baseball operations. As such, Bethancourt has become one of several ex-Tampa players that Bendix has already added to Miami’s roster during his brief time in charge of the front office.

While Bethancourt had exactly a league-average 100 wRC+ (from a .252/.283/.409 slash line and 11 homers in 333 PA) in 2022, it is safe to assume he probably won’t be viewed as a true starting catcher for the Marlins. Bethancourt and Nick Fortes at least provide the Fish with a slight upgrade on paper from last year’s catching tandem of Fortes and the non-tendered Jacob Stallings, as Bethancourt’s strong throwing arm can pair with Fortes’ glove for a defense-first approach. Bendix will probably keep an eye out for any more possible upgrades, as Fortes can still be optioned to the minors.

Bethancourt was projected to earn $2.3MM in arbitration salary this winter, so the Rays’ outright essentially served as an early non-tender for the team. This is Betancourt’s second of three arb-eligible years, so the Marlins have control on his services through the 2025 season.

Guardians To Sign Austin Hedges
By Nick Deeds | December 10, 2023 at 2:14pm CDT

The Guardians and catcher Austin Hedges are reportedly in agreement on a contract worth $4MM, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. As noted by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the pact is a one-year deal.

A second-round pick by the Padres in the 2011 draft, Hedges made his MLB debut with San Diego back in 2015. After spending the first two seasons of his big league career in a reserve role, Hedges as the Padres’ primary catcher from 2017 to 2019, slashing just .208/.265/.380 but earning excellent marks for his defense behind the plate. Hedges started the shortened 2020 campaign in San Diego but was shipped to Cleveland in a nine-player deal that brought Mike Clevinger to San Diego. Hedges made just six appearances throughout the remainder of the season following the trade, but became the regular catcher in Cleveland during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. It was more of the same for Hedges during his time in Cleveland, as he batted a paltry .168/.228/.274 while posting elite defensive numbers.

In his first trip to the open market last season, Hedges landed with the Pirates on a one-year, $5MM deal before being dealt to the Rangers at the Trade Deadline, with whom he won the World Series as part of a catching corps that also featured Jonah Heim and Mitch Garver. The 30-year-old’s characteristic mix of anemic offense and strong defense continued last season. In 212 trips to the plate, Hedges posted a career-worst slash line of .184/.234/.327. While that 27 wRC+ is a whopping 73% worse than league average, Statcast’s Fielding Run Value metric put him in the 99th percentile among all MLB players last season. Hedges ranked in the 98th percentile with +13 framing runs while also posting a 90th percentile +8 blocks above average.

Those defensive chops earned him another shot in Cleveland, where the Guardians surely hope he can act as a mentor to young catcher Bo Naylor behind the plate. Naylor impressed in 67 games last season with a slash line of .237/.337/.470 (124 wRC+), but his defensive metrics left something to be desired as he was only slightly better than league average in terms of framing and below average in terms of blocking and controlling the running game. Hedges should be able to guide Naylor in each of those areas while also helping him stay rested throughout the season. His strong defense and game-calling ability should also be an asset for the Guardians’ many young pitchers, including Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams.

Hedges is being brought in to backup and coach Bo. Along with Sandy Alomar and Vogt and the bench coach the team will be jam packed with catching instructors.
Betancourt rated top of the charts in pop time but not much in the rest of backstop defense.
I like the deal.

Statcast’s Fielding Run Value metric put him in the 99th percentile among all MLB players last season. Hedges ranked in the 98th percentile with +13 framing runs while also posting a 90th percentile +8 blocks above average.

Naylor trade suggestion is idiotic. I would think that most of the other 29 teams would be very happy to have him but why would CLE possibly want to trade him.
He only was among the top 5-10 in batting average and RBI and OPS. And he plays with his brother.
Does the dummy who wrote the article above think CLE will want to deal Bo and Josh as a package deal?
Where is Pete Franklin to yell insults when we need him?

Paul Hoynes wrote the original article. Hoynes is pretty bad but multiple sources have confirmed the conversations took place. Now whether the FO was serious or not or just checking interest who knows. What we do know is that Naylor is a couple of years from being expensive. Remember that Naylor was very upset when Civale was traded and Tito had to call in FO reinforcements. Manzardo is the future at first base.

Guess we don't know how much the TV deal bankruptcy is effecting the G's thinking about players who will soon be expensive.

Maybe it's "dump the money and play the kids" time regardless of winning and losing.

Maybe brothers on the same team ain't such a great idea. As a former Little League coach, who had many teams with brothers, sibling rivalries are difficult to deal with.

Maybe it's much ado about nothing.

Seattle speculation.

Interesting stuff concerning Kwan.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/20 ... ecf&ei=10

Very interesting hot stove article. I believe Kwan and Naylor are going to be very difficult to get to sign any extensions. Kwan was not very happy last year that Giminez got an extension and that he did not get the dollars offered he thought he deserved.