Cleveland Guardians Receive Harsh Grade For Josh Naylor Trade

ESPN MLB writers are not big fans of the Cleveland Guardians' Josh Naylor trade.

Sep 16, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) hits a double during the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Everyone around baseball is trying to figure out what the Cleveland Guardians' overall objective is this offseason.

Fresh off a 92-win season and an ALCS appearance, the front office has traded away the right side of their infield. Their most recent trade sent Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for RHP Slade Cecconi and a future draft pick.

Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield of ESPN aren't the biggest fans of this trade for the Guardians, and they gave Cleveland a "D+" grade for the transaction. On the other hand, the D-Backs received a "B+."

Here's what the duo had to say about the trade for the Guardians:

"I get that the Cleveland Guardians have to keep the wheels churning - trading a player before he reaches free agency to get younger, cheaper players in return - but the obvious problem with doing that is it means you're never building the best possible team, even given Cleveland's self-imposed payroll limitations, choosing consistent long-term competitiveness over a team that might be able to win the World Series."

"With six playoff appearances in nine seasons since 2016 and only two losing seasons since 2013, the Guardians have certainly been very good at this, but trading Naylor probably means the Guardians are less likely to repeat their run to the ALCS - or even something deeper."

Check out ESPN's full Guardians-Diamondbacks trade grades and breakdown here.

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

What Doolittle and Schoenfield point out here is the same sentiment that Guardians fans have echoed following both the Naylor and Andres Gimenez trade.

Yes, it's important to have the future in mind. However, the Guardians were three games away from a World Series appearance; now's the time to fortify a roster and not subtract from it.

Perhaps the Guardians will develop Cecconi into a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm, and this trade down the line will look different. We also don't know Naylor's true value on the market because of all of the options at first base.

A grade of "D+" is slightly harsh, but having questions about how this move makes Cleveland better next season is valid.