REPORT: Blue Jays Had Interest In Different Guardians All-Star Before Trade

The Toronto Jays reportedly had interest in Josh Naylor before trading for Cleveland Guardians' Andres Gimenez.

Apr 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) tosses the ball to first base in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The trade between the Cleveland Guardians and Toronto Blue Jays that sent Andres Gimenez to the AL East is still the most shocking offseason move.

Gimenez is just two years removed from being an All-Star, the reigning Platinum Glove winner, and under team control until 2030. He's a nice addition to their core moving forward.

However, it appears the Blue Jays had their eyes on another one of Cleveland's All-Stars before the trade went down.

Ben Nicholson-Smith of Toronto SportsNet reported that "they're believed to have shown some interest in Josh Naylor in the talks leading up to Tuesday's trade."

Aug 9, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) hits a three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images / Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images

Another team showing trade interest in Naylor isn't the shocking part of this report. Plenty of teams have been rumored to be interested in the Guardians' first baseman, and Cleveland is reportedly open to dealing the All-Star.

What makes this report puzzling is that the Blue Jays already have arguably the best first baseman in baseball, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Does this mean the Blue Jays were considering moving him off first base? Would Naylor have been their designated hitter in the future?

A lot of questions arise from this report.

Nicholson-Smith notes that following the Gimenez trade, the Blue Jays are still interested in adding another "legitimate slugger" behind Guerrero.

It will be interesting to see if this means that Toronto will continue to be the team rumored in Naylor as the offseason progresses, or if they'll go in a different direction.

One thing is for sure: MLB's hot stove is still more than active following Winter Meetings, and the Guardians are at the center of a lot of those rumors and possible roster transactions.