Guardians may have just found trade partner after impact Braves injury

Last week, former Guardians catcher Sandy León resurfaced with the Braves after Sean Murphy was placed on the injured list. 

On Tuesday, their catching situation went from bad to worse thanks to starting catcher Brake Baldwin being placed on the injured list with an oblique injury. After starting the season with a catching tandem of Baldwin and Murphy, the Braves are now down to the duo of León and Chadwick Tromp. 

That’s clearly an unsustainable duo, and one that the Braves are likely looking to upgrade ASAP. And, luckily for them, the Guardians have a clear trade piece in the form of Bo Naylor. 

While the Guardians would clearly be selling low on Naylor thanks to his struggles this season, it’s clear that his time in Cleveland has reached its end. 

Bo Naylor stands out as an obvious trade fit for the Braves

Naylor posted a .143/.200/.238 slashline in 28 games this year before being sent to the minors after the Guardians acquired Patrick Bailey. And the Guardians didn’t just send him to Triple-A after they acquired Bailey; they sent him to the team’s complex in Arizona so he could do a full reset. 

Naylor’s lack of production got so bad the Guardians decided to roll with a catching duo of the light-hitting Bailey and Austin Hedges as opposed to Naylor, who was a former top prospect with a strong power potential. 

But he never really lived up to that potential with the Guardians, as he posted a career batting average of .199 in 346 big league games. It's got to a point where the Guardians can't really afford to give him another chance, especially with Cooper Ingle lurking in Triple-A.

But Naylor would look like Barry Bonds compared to Atlanta’s catching duo. León’s a career .207 hitter, while Tromp has hit .221 in 67 games. 

Not exactly a pair of world beaters. While Naylor’s career batting average is lower than both of theirs, he’s still a young player who offers a lot more potential, whereas Tromp and León are pretty much finished products. 

Naylor's also under team control until 2030 via arbitration, and also still has two minor league options remaining. 

Those options could end up being the key to any hypothetical deal between the Guardians and Braves since Baldwin is in his second year and Murphy is under contract until 2028. 

Murphy is set to miss another seven weeks due to his finger fracture, while Baldwin’s expected to miss a month–plus with his hamstring strain. Naylor could handle the lion’s share of playing time while they’re both out before being shuttled down to the minors when Baldwin and Murphy are both healthy. 

Naylor would also be a good insurance option in the offseason should the Braves decide to move on from Murphy, who is owed $30 million over the final two seasons and has hit just .193 since the start of 2024. 

There’s no denying that Naylor is an obvious fit for the Braves given how dire their catching situation is. It may not be the kind of trade the Guardians envisioned making at the beginning of the season, but it's the one they need to make.

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