Major League Baseball’s offseason is likely to slow down over the coming days in preparation for the upcoming holidays. Still, there’s just enough time remaining for teams to do some last-minute wheeling and dealing. Below, we’ve gathered all of Saturday’s most notable rumors, notes, and moves.
Guardians trade Naylor, sign Santana
The Guardians agreed to trade Josh Naylor to the Diamondbacks for a prospect and a draft pick Saturday, then turned around and signed Carlos Santana to a one-year contract worth $12 million, reports ESPN. It will be Santana’s third stint with Cleveland. He’ll replace Naylor at first base and mentor top prospect Kyle Manzardo, who will get playing time at first base and DH.
Santana, 39 in April, became the oldest position player to win his first career Gold Glove when he took home the honors in 2024. He hit .238/.328/.420 with 23 home runs for the Twins, though he was much better against lefties (.934 OPS) than righties (.676). That makes Santana and the left-handed hitting Manzardo natural platoon partners, if the Guardians want to go that route.
Yankees ink Goldschmidt
The Yankees progressed their busy winter on Saturday, signing veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year pact worth $12.5 million. You can read more about that deal here.
Goldschmidt, 37, is coming off the worst season of his big-league career. He hit .245/.302/.414 (98 OPS+) with 22 home runs for the Cardinals. He’s still capable of clobbering the ball (his average exit velocity was 91.2 mph), but both his strikeout and walk rates veered the wrong way.
Goldschmidt drew plenty of interest before inking a deal with the Yankees. The Mets, Mariners, Nationals, and Giants were all rumor potential suitors.
Longtime Met Pete Alonso and journeyman Carlos Santana are now the two top free-agent first basemen left.
Cardinals declined Yankees‘ offer for Arenado
The Cardinals rejected an offer earlier this offseason from the Yankees that would have seen the sides swap third baseman Nolan Arenado with right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman, according to MLB.com. The report notes that Arenado would likely be more willing to waive his no-trade clause for a deal with the Yankees if the club signed Paul Goldschmidt. Obviously they did just that on Saturday.
Arenado, 33, has three seasons remaining on his contract. The Cardinals are known to be willing to include money in a trade as a means of sweetening the return. It was reported earlier this week that Arenado had rejected a trade to the Astros that would have seen St. Louis pay down between $15 and $20 million.
Arenado is one of several Cardinals veterans on the trading block. MLB.com notes that closer Ryan Helsley and starters Erick Fedde and Steven Matz are also drawing interest.
