Josh Naylor considered one of baseball's best first basemen

When it comes to major league first basemen, very few have proven capable of providing the type of performance that Josh Naylor of the Cleveland Guardians can. That is why it is not a surprise to see Cleveland's elder Naylor ranked near the top of a recent ranking appearing on Bleacher Report.

In the eyes of Joel Reuter in Ranking the Top 25 First Basemen of the 2024 MLB Season, Naylor is the sixth-best first baseman in the sport, only behind the likes of Matt Olson, Pete Alonso, Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. When evaluating the star power of that group and that of Naylor, being in the same vicinity of those players is quite an accomplishment. It was the career-highs Naylor set in home runs and runs batted in that helped Naylor end up at six in this list.

"Tasked with protecting perennial MVP candidate José Ramírez in the middle of the Cleveland Guardians' batting order once again, Josh Naylor set career-high marks in home runs (31) and RBI (108)."

Joel Reuter on Josh Naylor

Reuter does note that most of Naylor's output last year came in the first part of the season, "the bulk of damage came during the first half of the season when he posted an .816 OPS with 22 home runs and 70 RBI in 90 games", this is clearly something that needs to be corrected if he is ever going to ascend to star status. If Cleveland can get a full consistent season from Naylor instead of hiim tailing off at the end, it would help lessen the doubts about this team moving foward.

Of course, there is an elephant in the room here. There is no certainty that Naylor will be in Cleveland next season. Sure, there are "intentions" of Naylor being in a Guardians' uniform in 2025, but we have all heard that before. Listening to offers on Naylor this winter should be expected, as it's part of Cleveland's standard operating procedure with players set to become free agents after the next upcoming season. However, wouldn't it be nice for the Guardians to retain one of their own in an attempt to capitalize on an open contention window rather than looking to extend a run of good but not great baseball? And who knows, perhaps Naylor will take that next step and becomes the well-rounded player that can make an impact all season long, including the playoffs. But until then, everyone will keep their eyes open to any potential trade rumor involving Naylor.