The Arizona Diamondbacks have been looking for a replacement at first base since Christian Walker signed with the Houston Astros and it appears they found it. It is being reported that the Arizona Diamondbacks have traded for first baseman Josh Naylor in exchange for right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance Round B draft pick. This trade is going to be interesting for both sides so let’s take a closer look at what this means.
Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks
ESPN’s Jeff Passan is reporting that this trade has been finalized and this is going to be an intriguing move. First, let’s take a look at what this means for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Josh Naylor is under contract for one more season as he is arbitration-eligible for the 2025 season. According to Spotrac, he is projected to make $14.2 million this season and is coming off an All-Star season.
He finished the 2024 season with a .776 OPS (118 OPS+) with 31 home runs, 108 RBIs, and 84 runs scored in 152 games. Now, he slots in the middle of the D-Backs lineup and adds another left-handed bat in the lineup to keep the opposing manager on his toes with pitching splits. It is not like Josh Naylor is a bad fielder either as he had over 1200 innings at first base and committed nine errors and finished with a .992 fielding percentage. Entering his age-28 season and being on a contract year, expect some big numbers from the lefty slugger.
Slade Cecconi to the Guardians
Slade Cecconi is a young pitcher who struggled in his first season in the majors. He finished going 2-7 with a 6.66 ERA in 20 games (13 starts) and threw 77.0 innings. Despite his struggles, he was in the 92nd percentile in terms of walk percentage. With the pitching depth for the Cleveland Guardians, he could compete for a backend of the rotation spot in the MLB rotation as Fangraphs currently has their starting rotation listed as:
- Tanner Bibee
- Ben Lively
- Gavin Williams
- Luis L. Ortiz
- Triston McKenzie
With Shane Bieber expected to return later in the 2024 season from Tommy John, expect Slade Cecconi to be used as a cheap arm in the fifth spot or as a spot starter in Triple-A. Cecconi is not eligible for free agency until 2031 so this is a cost-effective arm for the Cleveland Guardians to use as they slashed payroll in this trade. The draft pick also will help them as the team has done a pretty solid job in evaluating talent in the MLB draft.
