Cleveland Guardians Rumors: Mariners expressing interest in Josh Naylor

Here we go again. Just when it seems like the rumors involving Josh Naylor have died down, they are brought up once again. 

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, fresh off the whiff of all whiffs in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes and in an attempt to get himself back in good standing to the fans of baseball, is reporting that the Seattle Mariners have inquired about the availability of the slugging Guardians first baseman. It is noted by Morosi that he is connecting this to an earlier report from Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes. However, it should be mentioned that the report from Hoynes is two weeks old, and it appears that this is attempting to keep a storyline alive that may, in fact, be very well dead. 

Let’s pretend that this is not old news and that this is a brand-new report that isn’t a rehash of info from earlier this month. A trade of Naylor makes absolutely no sense for the Guardians. This is a team that needs power in the worst way, and trading away one of the few people on the roster who can provide it is simply nonsensical at this point in time.

As far as contract timelines go and what Cleveland could get for him, it is understandable why Naylor has become the go-to choice for people who have seen their credibility crater. Naylor has two arbitration-eligible years remaining, and that is usually when the Guardians begin the trade talk process with a player. However, this is usually reserved for pitchers and position players about to get a monster deal (Francisco Lindor). While Naylor deserves to get paid, and the Guardians should make every effort to keep him in town, he is not going to warrant a new deal that will be beyond their means.

There is one more thing that must be mentioned here. The front office of the Guardians is always going to listen on each and every single player on their roster. For a team in a market like theirs with the financial constraints they have (self-imposed included), they have to. But that does not mean listening on a player is an indicator that a trade is imminent. It’s simply good business.

Unless the Guardians get blown away with the Godfather offer of all Godfather offers, expect Josh Naylor to be in the Opening Day lineup of the Cleveland Guardians.