Did Trade Value of Guardians Star Just Skyrocket?

The trade value of this Cleveland Guardians star may have just dramatically increased.

Jul 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Josh Naylor (22) celebrates his solo home run in the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have already made a pair of major trades this offseason, sending second baseman Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays and then flipping part of the return to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Could the Guardians make more moves?

It was recently reported that Cleveland is apparently not done making trades, and two candidates that keep surfacing in trade speculation are first baseman Josh Naylor and outfielder Lane Thomas.

Naylor is obviously the bigger of the two names, so there is sure to be more interest in him than Thomas. However, both players are set to be free agents after 2025, so there remains a chance that the Guardians jettison both of them.

And in the case of Naylor, his trade value may have just dramatically increased.

Why? Ironically enough, because of a trade Cleveland just made.

The Guardians landed first baseman Spencer Horwitz as a main piece from the Blue Jays in the Gimenez deal. They then sent Horwitz to the Pirates in exchange for pitcher Luis Ortiz and a couple of prospects.

Just how did Cleveland manage to swing Ortiz and two prospects for a guy who hit 12 home runs across 381 plate appearances last season?

However the Guardians did it, it happened, and now, you have to wonder just how much they can get in returned for Naylor, who smashed 31 homers with 108 RBI in 2024.

Now, the catch is that Horwitz is under team control for the foreseeable future while Naylor has just one year remaining on his deal. So, the fact that Naylor is preparing to hit free agency next winter certainly could harm his value.

But let's be real here: Naylor will unquestionably be one of the best first basemen available this offseason, and a legitimate argument can be made that he is at the top of the totem pole given Pete Alonso's decline and Christian Walker's age.

Let's get something straight here: Cleveland shouldn't trade Naylor. It just came within three wins of a World Series appearance, so it should be looking to add bats; not subtract them.

However, considering what the Guardians just landed for Horwitz, it's possible that they would be able to land a substantial package in return for Naylor.

Given how cost-conscious Cleveland's organization is, it would not be the least bit surprising if it pulled the trigger on a trade for Naylor if it felt the return was plentiful enough.