The Cleveland Guardians’ first base picture saw a seismic shakeup Saturday.
On the same day the Guardians traded All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks, they reunited with a familiar veteran in free agency: Carlos Santana.
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Naylor, 27, was among the hottest trade candidates available this offseason. An All-Star for the first time in 2024, he’s coming off a 31-homer, 108-RBI season — both career highs — for the American League Central division champions.
Cleveland acquired right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi from Arizona along with a competitive-balance Round B pick, worth just over $1 million in draft bonus money.
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Cecconi, a former first-round draft pick, saw his first extended big league action in 2024. He made 13 starts for the Diamondbacks and went 2-7 with a 6.66 earned-run average.
The #Dbacks acquired INF Josh Naylor from the Guardians for RHP Slade Cecconi and a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick.
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) December 21, 2024
The cost to acquire Naylor is pertinent. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported this week that, along with Naylor, Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe has been made available via trade.
The Rangers’ motivation might not be obvious at a glance. One year removed from the first championship in franchise history, Texas is looking to rebound in 2025 with several stars poised to return to full health after suffering long-term injuries in 2024.
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Lowe, 29, was integral to the team’s success during the Rangers’ 2023 championship season. That year, he slashed .262/.360/.414 in 161 games.
In March 2024, he suffered an oblique injury that cost him most of April. Although he was effectively the same hitter afterward, slashing .265/.361/.401, the Rangers dug an early deficit in the standings and never recovered.
Lowe is two years away from free agency. He’s won Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards in a six-year career (2019-24) while compiling a .272/.356/.433 slash line for the Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays. His career 120 OPS+ is superior to Naylor’s (112), and he offers an additional year of team control.
Meanwhile, the cost to sign a free agent first baseman gained clarity this week:
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• The New York Yankees signed Paul Goldschmidt, 37, to a one-year, $12.5 million contract on Friday.
• The Guardians gave Santana, 38, a one-year, $12 million deal.
• The Houston Astros reportedly agreed to terms with Christian Walker, 33, on a three-year, $60 million deal Friday.
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If a viable trade partner emerges, the Rangers’ best move might be to trade Lowe, dealing from an area of strength to address an area of weakness. Texas could slide recently acquired corner infielder Jake Burger over to first base to replace Lowe.
They could replace him at first base with a free agent.
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Pete Alonso is a logical replacement, though costly, both in terms of his projected financial outlay ($125 million over five years by MLB Trade Rumors) and the draft-pick compensation required to sign any player who rejected a qualifying offer. Veterans Josh Bell and Justin Turner are also available on a shorter-term deal.
But Passan’s report suggests the trade market has proven a popular avenue for teams precisely because free-agent prices are so high. Against this backdrop, Texas’ decision to keep or trade Lowe might not be as straightforward as it seems from a distance.
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