Regarding contract extensions, which players are worth long-term deals, according to the Guardians?
According to sources, the Guardians have discussed contract extensions with players. In the previous spring, they signed long-term contracts with reliever Trevor Stephan and second baseman Andrés Giménez. They had signed center fielder Myles Straw and closer Emmanuel Clase the previous spring, and they had recently inked third baseman José Ramírez shortly before the team jetted out to Kansas City for the season’s first flight.
While giving up some prospective profits, the player gains the opportunity to reach a seven-figure wage and long-term security more quickly. It’s an opportunity for the team to limit costs, particularly going into a player’s later years of arbitration or perhaps a year or two of potential free agency. Naturally, there is a risk, as the Guardians discovered when they made the Straw pact. Usually, the Guardians (as well as the players) would rather finish the discussions by the end of spring training. There are a ton of candidates this spring. This person could make sense:
Here, we ought to be able to find some common ground. Playing with his younger brother brings Naylor great joy. He leads the clubhouse. A free-agent first baseman who has never participated in more than 122 games in a season is not going to find much market value. The Guardians’ dilemma is whether to stick with Naylor for more than the next two seasons, given that Kyle Manzardo is prepared to take over at first base. The answer to that conundrum is that this team is not in a position to bench any established players.
A five-year, $55 million contract would be the prevailing rate for a Naylor extension, according to Tim Britton of The Athletic, a contract specialist. Those conditions shouldn’t be too onerous for any team in 2024. In his final year of arbitration, Naylor will earn an additional $6.5 million on top of his current salary this season. Prior to the 2018 season, Josh Bell was given a $33 million, two-year contract by the Guardians. This winter, Rhys Hoskins signed a deal of a similar nature with the Brewers. At a reduced cost (but with a lengthier commitment), Naylor looks like a fair bet.
this area as well. Imagine both Naylors seated at a table to field questions regarding their new contracts during a news conference held in advance of the home opener (as well as the solar eclipse). It’s not impossible, but they could want to wait on Bo because they have ownership over him for six more seasons and he plays such a hard position.
