Josh Naylor defers question of contract extension to Guardians front office
CLEVELAND — Josh and Bo Naylor are living out a dream that so many siblings envision one day — getting to play on the same professional sports team. But one of them is nearing a career crossroads.
Josh, as the older brother, recently signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal to avoid arbitration for the 2024 season. Next year, 2025, will be his last season of arbitration eligibility. That also means next season could be his last in Cleveland, as he'll be able to hit the free agent market unless he and the team can reach an agreement on an extension.
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Bo has less than a year of MLB service time and is under club control through 2029, so unless he's traded he isn't going anywhere.
Josh was asked at Guards Fest over the weekend about the possibility of a contract extension with the Guardians. Naylor is coming off his best season in the majors by far in 2023, when he hit .308 with a .354 on-base percentage, 17 home runs, 31 doubles, 97 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He finished with 2.5 fWAR after accruing 1.8 fWAR in 2022.
He deferred the question of a contract extension to the team.
"I'm going to leave that to them. You can ask them that question," Naylor said. "Obviously, Cleveland's an incredible place to play. I love my teammates, I love my coaches and, yeah, my brother's here, too, which is awesome."
The Guardians' Opening Day payroll is projected to be around $90 million in 2024, according to Baseball Prospectus. Last season, the Guardians opened the year at roughly $89 million.
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The rarity of their situation, and the value it brings, isn't lost on them. And it's entirely reasonable that it might be a key factor in any contact negotiations with Josh.
"I don't think it'll ever not be a big deal [to us]," Bo said. "You don't really see that every day or even through the years. So for me to be one of the people that gets to share that experience, I'll always be grateful and I'll always try to make it a big deal because it's super special to me."
For now, Naylor is yet another extension candidate, but one nearing free agency once he reaches six years of service time. It remains to be seen if the brotherly duo can stick together.
Guardians complete 'Guardians Around the Horn' community trip to Dominican Republic, clean up field in Jose Ramirez's hometown
The Guardians completed their second "Guardians Around the Horn" community trip to the Dominican Republic earlier this month, and it included multiple school visits and baseball clinics from staff and players spending their offseason there.
The trip also included a baseball field clean-up in Bani, Jose Ramirez's hometown.
This year, the Guardians partnered with Eaton and visited two Eaton-supported schools in the DR, both of which received financial gifts from the team during the trip. One of the schools will utilize the funds to send students to a NASA camp, while the other uses the money for more tech equipment and resources for students.
“We are proud to partner with the Cleveland Guardians, Instituto Poltecnico de Haina, and Instituto Politecnico de Loyola as a continuation of Eaton’s commitment to the next generation of leaders in science, technology, engineering and math,” said Fernando Ceccarelli, the president of Protection Controls and Solutions Group — Electrical Sector Americas, in a statement. “We know the youth from IPHA and Loyola are students with great potential and we hope our donations are a tangible way to show each and every student Eaton believes in them.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'Ask them': Josh Naylor redirects contract question to Guardians brass
