The Guardians’ fan favorite was named the top trade chip this offseason

The Cleveland Guardians haven’t had many starters on their roster in recent seasons, and one of them could be moving soon.

Josh Naylor was named the team’s top trade chip in a Bleacher Report article by Zachary D. Rymer on Friday, and that’s not too far-fetched an idea.

It would certainly hurt if Naylor left.

He was below average in the field at first base, but that was easy to overlook given what he did on the field.

Naylor is coming off a regular season in which he hit a career-high 31 home runs and maintained an on-base percentage of .319 or better for three straight seasons.

The only current Guardians players who have been this reliable over the past three seasons are Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan.

And it’s hard not to root for Naylor with his signature rock-the-baby celebration and the passion he brings to the table.

But it definitely makes sense to trade him, especially considering the team’s roster structure and current needs.

“If the Guardians were at least willing to listen to Naylor this winter, it wouldn’t be the first time,” Rymer writes. “He was also briefly the subject of trade rumors last winter. The 27-year-old hit 31 home runs and 108 runs batted in this season, so keeping him was clearly the right decision. But it may not be a repeat decision by the Guardians as his projected salary of $12 million for 2025 is a bit high by their standards.”

Rymer goes on to explain that with the emergence of Kyle Manzardo, Naylor is more expendable than ever and that the team’s need for another starting player could make this trade worthwhile.

However, the calculation of this potential trade could change depending on what Cleveland does with their expiring contracts.

Shane Bieber, Matthew Boyd and Alex Cobb will all be unrestricted free agents this offseason. If Cleveland decides to bring back at least two of them, it could fill out its rotation by turning to promising prospect Joey Cantillo or adding another pitcher via free agency.

That seems like a better gamble than hoping that Manzardo — who hit .234 with five homers in 145 at-bats this season — could come close to replacing Naylor’s production at the plate.

But using Naylor as a trade option is certainly something to keep in mind as this offseason begins to unfold.

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