After losing their long-time starting first baseman, Christian Walker, to the Houston Astros in free agency this past week, the Arizona Diamondbacks may have found their replacement.
The Diamondbacks have reportedly acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance Round B draft pick.
Naylor is not quite the defensive presence that Walker is, but he should be a more than adequate replacement at the plate and is also six years younger.
Walker won three Gold Gloves for Arizona.
While it is a bit of a downgrade due to the defensive play, it is unlikely the Diamondbacks were going to find a better alternative on the free-agent market at this point.
Naylor will be eligible for free agency after this season.
He had become a regular in the Guardians lineup over the past three seasons, topping the 20-home run mark two times (he hit 17 the other season), including a career-high 31 home runs this season.
Cecconi figures to be another arm for the back end of Cleveland’s pitching staff, either as a starter or bullpen arm. He appeared in 20 games during the 2024 season, starting 13 of them.
Cleveland already added to its rotation earlier this month when it acquired Luis Ortiz in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
With Naylor gone, that means Cleveland can expect an entirely new right side of its infield next season after also trading second baseman Andres Gimenez this offseason. Gimenez was sent to Toronto for Spencer Horwitz, who was later traded to Pittsburgh for Oritz.
