Analyst Believes Guardians Will Not Trade All-Star Slugger

Jim Bowden of the Athletic believes the Cleveland Guardians will run-back their roster in 2025 and keep Josh Naylor.

Aug 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) hits an RBI double during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have some interesting decisions to make this offseason. One of those will be what the future holds for All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor.

Will the front office decide to extend him? Will they allow him to play out his final season of team control? Have we seen Naylor play his last game in a Guardians uniform, leading to a potential trade?

MLB analyst and former General Manager Jim Bowden of The Athletic was asked about what he thinks the Guardians will do with Naylor over the winter. He believes the All-Star slugger will be back with the team next season.

"Because the Guardians made it all the way to the ALCS last season, I think they’re going to try to run it back in 2025 with basically the same team and keep Naylor for the reason you mentioned," wrote Bowden.

"The Guardians want to improve their starting rotation and would like another corner bat. They want to add a power bat to the middle of their lineup rather than subtract from it."

Jul 24, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The approach Bowden presents here is the exact mindset Cleveland's front office should have this offseason. They should look to add major league-proven talent, not remove from it.

While Naylor struggled in the playoffs (.225/.256/.275 slash line), he always comes off a regular season in which he hit 31 home runs and drove in 108 RBI. Both of these stats represent career-highs for Naylor.

The Guardians need to have their eyes set on improving their major league roster, and that starts with keeping Naylor in the lineup.