Total Apex Sports
Latest
TennisMedvedev China Open: Defaulted after ball strikes fan2 hours agoSoccerAlex Scott injury: Bournemouth star out weeks2 hours agoMLB InjuriesRoman Anthony hand injury: not expected to need surgery3 hours agoNHLAlex Ovechkin set to retire after 2026-27 season, Capitals confirm3 hours agoMen's College BasketballOhio State 2026-27 Basketball Season Preview: Team Adds Size For New Season3 hours agoNFLEdgerrin Cooper injury: Packers LB out for season3 hours agoNHLMikey Eyssimont waivers: Bruins make huge roster move 10/046 hours agoFantasyTop MLB DFS Postseason Start‘em/Sit‘em Lineups for October 5th6 hours agoFormula 1F1 software glitch on 10/04/2026: brutal 90-minute delay1 day agoNFLTerry McLaurin ruled out Week 4 with painful hamstring1 day ago
MLB

Arizona Diamondbacks Trade for Josh Naylor

Dustin Judge photo
By Dustin Judge · Updated · 3 min read
Arizona Diamondbacks Trade for Josh Naylor
Oct 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first base Josh Naylor (22) hits single during the second inning against the New York Yankees during game five of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

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

Oct 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first base Josh Naylor (22) scores a run during the second inning against the New York Yankees during game five of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images

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:

  1. Tanner Bibee
  2. Ben Lively
  3. Gavin Williams
  4. Luis L. Ortiz
  5. 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.

More MLB