This Astros-Guardians trade would give Houston the much-needed answer at first.
The Cleveland Guardians’ season came to an end this week following a thrilling five-game ALCS matchup against the New York Yankees. Eventually, several of Cleveland’s biggest names would fail them in the postseason. Now, as the offseason begins, the Guardians will face a slew of difficult decisions, including which players to sell away, which players to trade for, and what to do in free agency. Cleveland will be looking to acquire pitching this offseason. They have Manzardo waiting to replace Naylor, so moving him for some top pitching prospects would make sense, especially since Cleveland can add some offense in free agency as well.
Houston could acquire Naylor by sending two of its top pitching prospects to Cleveland. But if Houston is going to do this, they will need to be very aggressive in bringing in free agency pitchers this winter.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer recently listed Josh Naylor as the most likely player to be traded from the Guardians, listing the Houston Astros as one of the best fits.
“Cleveland figures to be especially tempted if a team is willing to part with a starting pitcher to land Naylor. And with Kyle Manzardo ready to take over at first base, it’s not as if he’s irreplaceable,” Rymer wrote.
Ullola, 22, has one of the minor leagues’ highest ceilings. He’s restricted by his own command, having pitched 130.1 innings in 2024, surrendering 74 hits and walking 77 batters. He possesses an electric arm and good offspeed pitches, but he doesn’t throw enough strikes. Fleury, 22, has one of the most effective changeups in the lower levels. He has strong command and fills the zone with all of his pitches, but his velocity is in the low 90s, so his ceiling is rather limited.