Former Cleveland Guardians All-Star Slugger On the Move Again?

During the offseason, the Cleveland Guardians decided to trade All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks, a move that upset a significant portion of the fan base.

It was perfectly on brand for the Guardians, as Naylor had just one year left on his deal, and Cleveland was not prepared to pay him. The Guardians were pinning their hopes on a breakout campaign from Kyle Manzardo, and they also signed Carlos Santana to replace Naylor.

Well, six months later, Naylor's name has been mentioned in trade speculation yet again.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com recently put together a group of 14 players who could potentially be on the move before the MLB trade deadline, and Naylor's name made the list.

"Arizona has climbed back into the playoff race with a good start to June, leaving the Diamondbacks in striking distance of a Wild Card spot and still in the conversation in the NL West," Feinsand wrote. "But Naylor is one of more than a half-dozen impending free agents on the roster, and given that a number of teams could use a big corner-infield bat, it’s possible that Arizona could move Naylor (or Eugenio Suárez) and his expiring contract to address other needs."

Naylor has been brilliant for the Diamondbacks in 2025, slashing .302/.356/.474 with nine home runs and 49 RBI over 296 plate appearances and could very well be on his way to another All-Star appearance.

The 27-year-old earned his first selection to the midsummer classic in Cleveland last year and ultimately ended up slashing .243/.320/.456 with 31 homers and 108 RBI across 633 trips to the dish. A second-half slump definitely affected his numbers, but Naylor was still impressive overall.

Should Naylor hit the trade block in the coming weeks, he will probably be one of the top hitters available before July 31. Unfortunately, we can probably already rule the Guardians out as a potential landing spot.

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