Guardians, Yankees Swap All-Stars In Massive Trade Proposal

The Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees have been linked to a potential blockbuster trade.

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

The Cleveland Guardians are in obvious need of starting pitching this offseason, but their frugal spending hits make it unlikely for them to make a major move in free agency.

As a result, the Guardians may be forced to turn to trades, and Quincy Wheeler of Covering the Corner has suggested a rather interesting scenario.

In Wheeler's proposal, Cleveland would send first baseman Josh Naylor—who has been the subject of trade speculation—to the New York Yankees in exchange for left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes.

"The Yankees have got nothing from first base for a couple years; Naylor solves that," Wheeler wrote. "The Guardians desperately need mid-rotation arms; Cortes solves that. I don’t expect this deal to happen, thankfully, but on paper something like this makes sense to me."

The Yankees have been tabbed as potential suitors for Naylor if the Guardians do, in fact, place him on the trade block, so this definitely would make sense.

There was also some conjecture around the trade deadline back in July that New York could move Cortes, although that was probably unfounded.

Still, with the Yankees badly needing a first baseman and having a bit of a surplus of pitching (they could also always sign a pitcher in free agency), swapping Cortes for Naylor would actually be a realistic possibility for them.

Naylor just slashed .243/.320/.456 with 31 home runs and 108 RBI, earning his first All-Star appearance. Meanwhile, Cortes went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA over 31 games and 30 starts. He missed the end of the season due to an elbow injury. He made an All-Star team in 2022.

The problem with this move for Cleveland is that it would leave a gaping hole in the middle of its lineup, as the Guardians lacked elite pop even with Naylor present.