This Guardians All-Star Could Be A Trade Candidate Over Offseason

MLB Trade Rumors identifies Josh Naylor of the Cleveland Guardians as a possible trade candidate this offseason.

Oct 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) hits an RBI single in the third inning against the New York Yankees during game four of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians will have to make some tough decisions in the coming months. They're fresh off an ALCS appearance and have an emerging core that made tremendous steps in their development a season ago, but they still lack the starting pitching depth to be viewed as a true contender.

On top of all of this, they also have to decide the future of some of their players who are running out of team control, one of which is Josh Naylor.

MLB Trade Rumors identified Naylor as a possible trade candidate this offseason and offered some compelling reasons why the All-Star first baseman could be on the move this winter.

"Selling high on Naylor this winter might land more than just a draft pick, however.  Naylor’s name has already surfaced in past trade rumors, as the Cubs, Mariners, and Pirates all reportedly had talks with the Guardians about Naylor last winter," wrote Mark Polishuk.

"While neither the [Mariners] or Pirates are expected to be big spenders in free agency anyway, Naylor stands out as a major backup plan for any team that misses out on  or  — the two biggest first basemen on the free agent market ... Still, the Guardians’ tactic of trading players rather than just letting them walk in free agency has allowed the club to continually reload both the farm system and the active roster."

Check out MLB Trade Rumors' full trade profile and breakdown for Naylor here.

Oct 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) celebrates at second base after hitting a two RBI double in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees during game four of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

It certainly makes sense for Cleveland to consider a trade centered around Naylor. They have a plethora of organizational depth at first base and could use Naylor to regain more starting pitching.

However, President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti seemed pretty adamant that Naylor would be back in 2025 and called him an "anchor" of their team.

We'll have to wait and see what happens over the next few months. But it wouldn't be shocking to see Naylor on the move, but it wouldn't be surprising if he stayed a member of the Guardians organization either.