MLB Rumors: Guardians' Josh Naylor Discussed in Trade Talks with Mariners

The Seattle Mariners have spoken with the Cleveland Guardians about trading for first baseman Josh Naylor, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported on Dec. 8 that the M's, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates showed interest in Naylor at MLB's annual winter meetings, which took place in Nashville during the first week of December.

"The Guardians have two years of team control left on Naylor," Hoynes wrote. "For an offensively challenged club, it seems strange that they'd consider trading him. But as in the case of Bieber and Clase, it never hurts to listen."

Naylor, 26, hit .308 (.842 OPS) with 17 home runs and 97 RBI this past season.

On the surface, trading Naylor doesn't make much sense right now. Cleveland just finished 12th in the 15-team AL in OPS and dead-last in home runs. Naylor led Cleveland in OPS and finished second in homers.

He was one of Cleveland's few bright spots in a disappointing season that ended with the team finishing 76-86 and 11 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the AL Central crown.

But if the Guardians are listening to teams about Naylor, then the Mariners should be knocking down their door. Naylor's batting average and OPS would have led the Mariners, who finished 11th and ninth in those categories last year, respectively.

Seattle is also a contending team that made the playoffs in 2022 and finished just two games shy of the AL West lead last year. The Mariners need more hitting, and Naylor would fit the bill.

Obviously, reported interest and conversations don't always lead to deals, but the Guardians-Mariners talk about Naylor is something to watch for as the hot stove season continues.