Guardians' Wild Card quest just got tougher due to old friend's trade

On Thursday, the Seattle Mariners jump-started the 2025 trade deadline by acquiring Josh Naylor from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for two minor league pitchers. 

While that trade confirms the Guardians fleeced the Diamondbacks in their initial trade of Naylor, it also made the Guardians' path to the postseason a bit tougher.

Guardians' Wild Card quest just got tougher due to old friend's trade

The first way the trade hurts the Guardians is pretty cut and dry: The Mariners are better today than they were yesterday. 

The Mariners enter play on Friday holding onto the American League’s second Wild Card spot, and are one of the five teams the Guardians are chasing in the hunt for a Wild Card spot. 

They also may not be done dealing either, as multiple reporters have written that they’re still pursuing Arizona third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who has slugged 36 home runs this year and is also set to be a free agent after the season. 

The Mariners were already one of the more dangerous teams in the American League, and their trade for Naylor makes them even better while also clearing up a hole on their roster. 

The second part of the equation relates to Suárez. He’s arguably the top hitter available at the deadline, and nearly every contender has expressed some interest in him.

And, unless he ends up in the National League, he’s going to make life harder on the Guardians. Whether it be the Yankees, Tigers or Mariners, Suárez’s shift to the junior circuit would serve as a roadblock for the Guardians. 

It’s not hard to imagine how Suárez could help all those teams. He could help the Yankees’ longstanding issues at third base and would help bring some additional lineup reinforcements to the Tigers and Mariners. 

The Guardians have been able to put a dent into the Tigers’ lead in the division thanks to their strong play as of late, but adding Suárez would be a shot in the arm to their struggling offense. 

And if that wasn’t enough, the Diamondbacks are also dangling veteran starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in trade talks. While Gallen is having a bit of a down year compared to years prior, he’s still a veteran MLB pitcher who helped lead the Diamondbacks to the World Series at one point in time. The same can be said for Kelly, who has a 3.32 ERA in 122 innings. 

While the Guardians may make some moves at the trade deadline, it doesn’t seem like they’re going to be after any of the top-tier free agents available at this year’s deadline. 

We already know that one of the teams they’re competing against will be after Seattle’s trade for Naylor. They likely won’t be the only ones.