Guardians fans are waking up wondering why the team has traded another starter from their ALCS finalist roster, this time their cleanup hitter.
The Guardians traded Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed starting pitcher Slade Cecconi and a draft pick in MLB's compensation B round in 2025 (this will be a good prospect, in other words). They then turned around and signed Carlos Santana for his third tour with Cleveland.
First, let's talk about Josh Naylor. I want to show you two pictures of Naylor, one from April 2024 and one from October 2024.
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It is obvious that Naylor's conditioning broke down in 2024.