Cubs reportedly expressed interest in Guardians slugger

The Chicago Cubs may be targeting a player who would only have to relocate a few hundred miles away.

Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports this week that the Cubs were among the teams to show trade interest in Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor at the recently concluded winter meetings. Hoynes adds that the Guardians are in “listening mode” when it comes to potential trades and that the Seattle Mariners and the Pittsburgh Pirates were other teams to express interest in Naylor.

Chicago needs another left-handed bat, especially with free agent Cody Bellinger uncertain to return after a stellar 2023 campaign.

The 26-year-old Naylor is the best all-around hitter on Cleveland’s roster. He led the team last season with a .308 batting average and a .842 OPS, still producing 17 home runs and 97 RBI despite missing over 40 games with an oblique injury. Naylor, who can also play in the outfield, has two more years of team control left before potentially becoming a free agent after the 2025 season.

The Guardians, who were 76-86 in 2023, would ideally want to build around Naylor for many more years to come. But Hoynes also notes that Cleveland’s 2024 payroll status is up in the air due to uncertainty over their TV deal with the bankrupt Diamond Sports Group. There are other big trade candidates on their roster too, and now the lefty-hitting Naylor appears to be joining that conversation himself.