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Guardians see Patrick Bailey trade adding lots of value to roster
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- Guardians see Patrick Bailey trade adding lots of value to roster
The Cleveland Guardians are trading their tugboat for gold.
The Guardians are acquiring two-time Gold Glove-winning catcher Patrick Bailey in a trade with the San Francisco Giants for the No. 29 pick in this year's draft and left-handed pitching prospect Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson.
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Jeff Passan broke the news on X.com.
"We gave up a lot of value to get Patrick, but we think he adds a lot of value," Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. "He helps us win games and will help us in our quest to win a World Series."
Bo Naylor optioned to triple-A Columbus
The trade could to strike an end to Bo Naylor's run as the team's primary catcher. The Guardians announced that Naylor was optioned to Columbus to make room on the roster.
Naylor's served as Cleveland's starting backstop 23 games this season. He's slashing just .143/.200/.238.
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"That was probably my least favorite conversation I've had since getting this job," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "Bo is so special and has meant so much to me. For me being a former catcher, your catchers are your guys. To have that conversation with Bo hurt. It was a really painful night, but we really believe Bo has a bright future for us."
Where does Guardians prospect Cooper Ingle fit into team's plans at catcher
It also could impact Guardians catching prospect Cooper Ingle, who is the No. 5 prospect in the organization and No. 84 overall player in all of baseball, according to MLBpipeline.com .
Ingle, 24, has a slash of .408/.597/1.352 in 49 at-bats for the Class AAA Columbus Clippers this season with five home runs and 19 RBIs. He is a career .288/.420/.880 hitter with 26 home runs and 151 RBIs.
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He was taken in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB draft.
"Cooper, as you can all see, is putting together consistently great at-bats," Antonetti said. "Beyond that he has really dove into the defensive side of catching and what it means to lead a pitching staff. In our view, we have tremendous catching depth."
Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb returns to the mound behind catcher Patrick Bailey after the Los Angeles Dodgers scored a run during the fourth inning, April 23, 2026, in San Francisco.
What the Guardians are trading for in Patrick Bailey
Bailey has won a Gold Glove each of the past two seasons, but is hitting .146 this season and is a career .224 hitter.
He was selected 13th overall in the 2020 MLB draft out of North Carolina State and is a switch-hitter.
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In three-plus years, he's totaled 22 home runs and 154 RBIs. He's caught 85 would-be base stealers in 215 attempts and has a .992 fielding percentage.
"He's one of the best, if not the best defensive catchers in baseball," Antonetti said. "We now have the opportunity to pair him with Austin Hedges and David (Fry). In our view, that is the best catching staffs to win win games."
Patrick Bailey contract details
Bailey is in the pre-arbitration phase of his contract for the 2026 season, with a salary of $2.2 million. Bailey is under team control and not eligible for free agency until 2030, with arbitration years ahead in 2027-2029.
The Guardians traded left-hander Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson for San Francisco catcher Patrick Bailey.
What the Guardians give up by trading Matt Wilkinson to the Giants
The Guardians gave up crowd favorite Wilkinson, who was 1-2 with a 1.59 ERA in 28⅓ innings this season for the Class AA Akron RubbberDucks. The left-hander was a 10th-round pick by Cleveland in the 2023 MLB draft.
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The 23-year old was 13-17 with a 2.82 ERA and 330 strikeouts in 56 career games.
The Guardians were allowed to trade the No. 29 choice because it is a competitive-balance pick, which has been movable since its inception.
The Giants will get an additional $3.27 million in slot value, bringing their total pool to $17.35 million, the fourth highest in the draft.
Brad Bournival can be reached by email at bbournival@usatodayco.com and is on X at @ bbournival .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians explain Patrick Bailey trade, Bo Naylor roster move
