Guardians Predicted to Make Major Trade with Mariners

The Cleveland Guardians have been predicted to end up making a major trade with the Seattle Mariners.

Detroit Tigers third base Jace Jung (17) watches a play next to Cleveland Guardians first base Josh Naylor (22) during the seventh inning at Game 4 of ALDS at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians entered the MLB offseason as a team that many expect to make a move or two. After making a run to the ALCS, the Guardians should look to be more aggressive than they have been in years past.

No, that doesn't meant that they need to spend huge money on the elite free agents. However, it does mean that they should pursue moves to improve and upgrade areas of need.

Another route that Cleveland could take to improvement is through trades.

Josh Naylor is one name that has been linked as a potential trade chip quite often. With Kyle Manzardo ready to take over at first base, Naylor has become potentially available. Naylor is also in the final year of his contract.

Jacob Mountz of FanSided has predicted that the Guardians will end up trading Naylor to the Seattle Mariners this offseason.

"Since Naylor is in the last year of his contract, the Guardians will almost certainly trade him. According to Guardians Nation writer, Andres Chavez, the Mariners contacted Cleveland about Naylor last offseason along with the Pirates. In his assessment, either team could make a move for him."

Whoever ends up acquiring Naylor will be getting a very productive bat. Losing him will be a tough blow for Cleveland, but they could look to replace that production at another position in free agency.

During the 2024 MLB season, Naylor ended up playing in 152 games for the Guardians. He hit 31 home runs to go along with 108 RBI, while slashing .243/.320/.456.

At just 27 years old, Naylor is still very much in his prime and has a lot of high quality baseball left in him. Naylor would likely receive an extension from a team that acquired him.

That being said, there is no guarantee that Cleveland will make a move with Naylor. They could opt to keep him around figure out how to utilize him from a positional perspective.

Expect to hear a lot of rumors about the Guardians and Naylor in the coming days and weeks. He's one of the most likely expected trade candidates and fans should anticipate that a move could be made.