Yankees Trade Pitch Lands Anthony Rizzo Replacement in Form of Villain

Getty Anthony Rizzo staring ahead

The New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians have been one of the biggest rivalries in Major League Baseball over the past few years. While the Yankees have dominated them, there’s been some hatred from both sides.

That all started when Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor did the “rock the baby”celebration after hitting a home run against Gerrit Cole in the 2022 postseason. Gleyber Torres responded when the Yankees won that series with a “rock the baby” gesture, and the rest is history.

While there’s some heat between Naylor and the Yankees, these guys are professionals, and if he were to be traded to the Bronx, it’s a relationship that would make sense.

Chris Kirschner of The Athletic flirted with the idea, highlighting that he’s set to be a free agent at the end of the 2025 campaign and could be the ideal rental piece.

“Naylor will become a free agent at the end of the 2025 season, making him a prime trade candidate for the Guardians, especially if they don’t plan to sign him to a long-term deal. Unlike Soto, who was also a one-year rental trade chip, Naylor won’t come at nearly the same price due to his lesser pedigree.

“That said, Naylor remains an intriguing option for any team considering him. He has posted three consecutive seasons as an above-average hitter, including a career-high 31 home runs this past season,” Kirschner wrote on November 13. “Naylor is also a frequent pull hitter, which makes him an ideal fit for Yankee Stadium. Statcast projects that if Naylor had played all of 2024 at Yankee Stadium, he would have hit 34 home runs, compared to just 27 at Progressive Field.”

Yankees Trade Pitch to Land Naylor

Given Naylor only has one year remaining before he hits free agency, the New York Yankees shouldn’t have to move a massive package to land him. The Cleveland Guardians might get a decent haul from a desperate team, but Naylor isn’t good enough to mortgage the future for.

Zach Pressnell of FanSided put together a decent package, one that should make sense for both sides.

In the proposed trade from Pressnell, the Yankees would send Will Warren and Trystan Vrieling to the Guardians for Naylor.

“This trade would send both teams in the direction that they want to go in. Cleveland has their first baseman of the future in Kyle Manzardo. Manzardo, 24, debuted this season but bounced between the big leagues and Triple-A… Warren, 25, is the Yankees 5th ranked prospect. He’s the team’s top-ranked pitching prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and the right-hander has been good in his professional career…

“Vreiling, 24, is the Yankees’ 28th-ranked prospect,” Pressnell wrote on November 3. “The 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher made 25 starts in Double-A this season, posting a 4.58 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. He has a few decent offerings, but he’s more of a lottery ticket prospect here.”

Naylor Could be the Yankees Long-Term Option

While any player who comes in a season before free agency would be viewed as a rental, the New York Yankees have the funds to keep Naylor around.

He should get a decent contract on the open market, but it wouldn’t be anything the Yankees couldn’t pay. With the other first base options in free agency this winter, the Yankees would have to commit a lot of money to them now and in the future.

Naylor would get a year at an arbitration price and likely be cheaper than the top players at the position in the current market.