Rival Roundup, Vol. 60: Carousel on the Corner

01/04/2025 07:00 AM

The Guardians have been, as some would say, bizzy.

New year, new me. New you. New us. New year, one step closer to a mutual Ship of Theseus. So say we, the public, and so too say the general managers of the American League Central's other four teams — after all, each of these rosters reaches a unique 26-man construction more often than we like to think.

In pursuit of A Winning Formula, the regional PoBOs are back at it after a relatively quiet holiday week. Let's see what they've been cooking up with their Christmas leftovers.

• It took them a second, but the Guardians are getting back to their usual ways of operating. Within the last 12 days, they've traded cornerstone Josh Naylor to Arizona, earning back a young pitcher to develop, gaining a competitive balance pick, and bringing back a fan favorite — again — to help fill the void.

• While Santana will be missed, he's probably thinking less about his Twins tenure and thinking more about his decision to sell his suburban Bratenahl home a day before the Guardians reached out.
• Santana's third stint with the team will make him the fifth player in Cleveland franchise history to suit up for the club as part of three distinct tenures. Also on that list? Legendary Twins reliever Chris Gimenez.
• The White Sox sling some players around, nabbing Cam Booser from the Boston bullpen. Elsewhere, former White Sox designated hitter Eloy Jimenez inks a minor-league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, representing both a Tampa-typical move and a remarkable fall from projected grace for Eloy.

• Former Angel skipper Phil Nevin has also been hired by Chris Getz's front office to help out on the player development side of things. I guess he's got Shohei Ohtani on his resume?
• The Tigers made a splash with a Gleyber Torres acquisition, shaking up parts of their future infield.

• And while free agent Astro Alex Bregman has been the target most closely associated with Detroit this winter, the national reporting is all over the map as of Friday night.

As Jon Bois once said, I guess it all goes to show you, you just never know.