Guardians Move Away From Bo Naylor, Trade for Two-Time Golden Glover Patrick Bailey

Patrick Bailey has won two Golden Glove awards in his short time in the majors, making him a high-upside trade for the Cleveland Guardians.

Apr 23, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb (62) returns to the mound behind catcher Patrick Bailey (14) after the Los Angeles Dodgers scored a run during the fourth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians aren't done making moves.

After spending much of last week and this week making changes to it's major league roster, calling up prospects like Travis Bazzana and Franco Aleman, the front office has now looked externally to add talent to the roster.

On Saturday, May 9, the Guardians shocked nearly everyone in town as they officially opened a new chapter in the Bo Naylor story. The front office traded prospect pitcher Matt Wilkinson and this year's 29th overall pick, which is a competitive-balance pick, to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for catcher Patrick Bailey.

BREAKING: The Cleveland Guardians are acquiring two-time Gold Glove-winning catcher Patrick Bailey in a trade with the San Francisco Giants for the No. 29 pick in this year's draft and left-handed pitching prospect Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 9, 2026

In a corresponding move, Naylor has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus. He had been struggling for much of the 2026 campaign, with moving him to the minors hopefully giving him a chance to get back on track.

However, it is hard to believe the Guardians view Bailey as a rental.

The 26-year-old comes in at 6-foot-0, 223 pounds, and has pieced together quite a strong career so far.

Since being called up to the big leagues back in 2023, Bailey has become one of the league's better defensive catchers, averaging a 99.2% fielding percentage, all while posting 173 assists and turning 20 double plays. He has also caught 85 runners stealing, which puts his career percentage at 28.3%.

In 2025, he led MLB in catcher framing runs and defensive runs saved, while being tied for first in pop time to second base.

He ranks in the 99th percentile in Fielding Run Value, the 95th percentile in CS Above Average and the 100th percentile in Framing and Pop Time.

At the plate, Bailey is still trying to find his footing, which is something Cleveland will have to work with him on.

Across over 1,300 plate appearances, he is slashing .224/.282/.329 for an OPS of .611. He has flashed a bit of power at the plate from time to time, knocking a career-best 18 doubles in 2023 and 2025, but has never really found consistency.

But due to how highly the Guardians value defensive capabilities in catchers, Bailey is a great pickup for the team.

He will have the opportunity to learn and be mentored by veteran Austin Hedges, who is not only leading the team behind home plate but is also controlling the pitching staff really well. With Hedges' bat looking sharp as well, the pressure on Bailey to immediately join the ball club and start producing knocks isn't as high.

Following the trade, the Guardians have three players on the active roster that can play catcher: Hedges, Bailey and David Fry. Each of them will likely get a good bit of time behind home plate this season, with Hedges now seemingly being thrust into that No. 1 spot as Bailey gets up to speed.