Sources: Guardians trade Naylor, sign Santana

The Cleveland Guardians traded first baseman Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks and quickly replaced him by agreeing to a one-year, $12 cardinal free supplier statement pinch seasoned Carlos Santana, bringing him backmost for his 3rd stint pinch the team, sources told ESPN connected Saturday.

Two months aft losing to the New York Yankees successful the American League Championship Series, the Guardians continued the overhaul of the correct broadside of their infield. They had already traded Gold Glove-winning 2nd baseman Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays. On Saturday, they flipped Naylor for right-hander Slade Cecconi and a competitive-balance Round B pick, worthy conscionable complete $1 cardinal successful draft-bonus money, the squad announced.

After Arizona's incumbent astatine first, Christian Walker, agreed connected a three-year, $60 cardinal statement pinch Houston connected Friday, the first-base marketplace -- stagnant to this constituent successful the wintertime -- kicked into overdrive. Veteran Paul Goldschmidt signed a one-year, $12.5 cardinal woody pinch the New York Yankees, and Arizona pivoted quickly to Naylor, the left-handed-hitting powerhouse who made his first All-Star squad this year.

Naylor, 27, will deed free agency aft the 2025 play and Cleveland's propensity to move players earlier they scope the unfastened marketplace paved the way for a deal. Naylor deed a career-high 31 location runs and drove successful 108 runs arsenic the Guardians won the AL Central section this year. While his defense tin beryllium a liability, Naylor joins a Diamondbacks lineup that led Major League Baseball pinch 886 runs.

Santana, 38, has been a consistently coagulated subordinate passim the people of his 15-year career. He debuted pinch Cleveland successful 2010 and spent his first 8 seasons pinch the team. After spending 2018 successful Philadelphia, he returned to Cleveland for 2 seasons earlier bouncing from Kansas City to Seattle to Pittsburgh to Milwaukee to Minnesota, wherever he deed .238/.328/.420 pinch 23 location runs and won his first Gold Glove successful 2024.

The woody for Santana, which is pending a physical, will salary him much than doubly his $5.25 cardinal net successful 2024 and includes $1 cardinal successful capacity bonuses, sources said.

Santana's marketplace had accelerated quickly this week aft Walker's woody helped springiness teams clarity. He'll subordinate Cleveland alongside Cecconi, a erstwhile first-round prime who successful 104 awesome convention innings has a 6.06 ERA. While he came up arsenic a starter, the 25-year-old Cecconi spent the 2nd half of this play arsenic a reliever.