Just this week, the Cleveland Guardians had their season come crashing down after a thrilling five game series with the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Ultimately, some of Cleveland’s biggest names would let them down in the postseason.
Now, as the Guardians enter the offseason, they will be faced with a ton of tough decisions including which players to trade away, which players to trade for and what to do in free agency.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer recently listed Josh Naylor as the most likely player to be traded from the Guardians, listing the Houston Astros as one of the best fits.
“Cleveland figures to be especially tempted if a team is willing to part with a starting pitcher to land Naylor. And with Kyle Manzardo ready to take over at first base, it’s not as if he’s irreplaceable,” Rymer wrote.
Cleveland will be looking to acquire pitching this offseason. They have Manzardo waiting to replace Naylor, so moving him for some top pitching prospects would make sense, especially since Cleveland can add some offense in free agency as well.
Houston could acquire Naylor by sending two of their top pitching prospects over to Cleveland. But if Houston was going to do this, they would need to be quite aggressive in bringing in free agent pitchers this offseason.
Ullola, 22, has one of the highest ceilings in the minor leagues. He’s limited by his own command, as he tossed 130.1 innings in 2024, allowing 74 hits but walking 77 batters. He has an electric arm with solid offspeed pitches, but he just doesn’t throw enough strikes.
Fleury, 22, has one of the best changeups in the minor leagues. He has good command and fills up the zone with all of his offerings, but his velocity sits in the low 90s, so his ceiling is a bit limited.
Naylor slashed .243/.320/.456 with 31 home runs and 27 doubles this year after posting a .308/.354/.489 slash line in 2023. He’s just 27 years old and he’s still improving. The Astros could use that production, especially considering the fact that his best two years of his career have come in the last two seasons.
The Astros would get the first baseman that they need to get their offense rolling again in 2025 while the Guardians would clear way for Manzardo to play. Cleveland would also add two solid pitching prospects in the deal.
