Apr 25, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Gabriel Arias (13) and first baseman Josh Naylor (22) celebrate after the Guardians beat the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Three Guardians Who Could Be Traded During Winter Meetings

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Tommy Wild | Last updated Dec 10, 2024 8:00 AM ET

The best way for the Cleveland Guardians to improve their major league roster this offseason might be to pull off a trade with another team. Of course, Cleveland will have to give up something of value to get something in return.

Here are three players who could possibly be trade candidates for the Guardians during Winter Meetings.

Note: This is not to say any of these players are actually being talked about in trade rumors. Rather, it wouldn't be too surprising to see one of them get moved if the Guardians do make a trade during Winter Meetings.

Gabriel Arias

Gabriel Arias has had his highs and lows as a member of the Guardians. However, he may be out of time to show Cleveland he can be a viable long-term option for them at the major league level.

Arias is still only 24 years old, is out of player options, and has plenty of natural talent, which could be intriguing to a rebuilding team.

It's hard to see a trade solely centered around Arias, which gets Cleveland a difference-maker in return. But he could be a solid piece in a package for a player if the hypothetical deal with a rebuilding team.

Josh Naylor

There's already been plenty of rumors and reports about the possibility of a Josh Naylor trade.

In some scenarios, a Naylor trade would make sense for the Guardians, especially if Cleveland is getting major-league talent back in return.

If some of the free-agent first basemen, such as Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, or Carlos Santana, start to come off the board during the Winter Meetings, it wouldn't be surprising to see the trade rumors souring Naylor heat up.

Maybe some of the potential talks could come to fruition, and trade may take place during Winter Meetings.

Hunter Gaddis

The Guardians had the best bullpen in baseball last season, and it could be even better in 2025.

Cleveland has many elite reliever arms in their bullpen, and it would be wise for a team to ask for one of them in any trade for a starting pitcher or impact bat.

Emmanuel Clase is on the most team-friendly contract in baseball. Cade Smith was only a rookie last season and has five more years of team control. Tim Herrin Cleveland's most reliable lefty in the bullpen.

These factors leave Hunter Gaddis as a pitcher who could be included in a possible trade the Guardians pull off.

Gaddis had a tremendous season in his new role as a reliever and still has multiple years of team control left. A team looking for another high-leverage arm would be wise to have Gaddis on their radar.

Perhaps Cleveland could use him in a deal to get a starting pitcher.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Guardians on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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