Guardians Acquire Craig Yoho, Blake Perkins From Brewers For Bo Naylor, Codi Heuer - MLB Trade Rumors

The Brewers and Guardians have lined up on a two-for-two swap that will see outfielder Blake Perkins and right-hander Craig Yoho sent to Cleveland.  Milwaukee receives catcher Bo Naylor and right-hander Codi Heuer in return.  Jon Heyman of the New York Post was the first to report the trade and the involvement of Naylor, Heuer, and Yoho, while FanSided’s Robert Murray reported Perkins’ inclusion.  Both clubs have officially announced the trade, and the Brewers have optioned Naylor and Heuer to Triple-A. The Guardians’ seemingly years-long search for outfield help is only somewhat addressed by the Perkins add, as Perkins is a defensive specialist who has hit only .223/.307/.330 over 874 career plate appearances (all with Milwaukee from 2023-26).  The switch-hitter has a career .693 OPS against southpaws and a .600 OPS against right-handers, so Perkins brings some minor offensive utility to a Cleveland lineup full of left-handed and switch-hitters. Perkins can play all over the outfield, but he’ll probably be utilized mostly in a timeshare with rookie center fielder Petey Halpin (barring any other trades between now and Monday’s deadline).  The 29-year-old Perkins is a controllable asset for the Guards, as Perkins isn’t yet eligible for salary arbitration until the coming offseason. Yoho isn’t arb-eligible until after the 2028 season, as the righty only made his MLB debut last year.  After posting a 7.27 ERA over 8 2/3 innings in 2025, Yoho has improved to a 3.15 ERA, 23.1% strikeout rate, and a 10.3% walk rate over 20 innings out of Milwaukee’s pen this year.  While his 3.94 SIERA is higher than his 3.15 ERA, the gap isn’t quite as large as expected for a pitcher with an astoundingly low .128 BABIP, so Yoho is getting by on more than just luck. The 26-year-old Yoho was an eighth-round pick for the Brewers in the 2023 draft, and the career reliever has posted significantly higher strikeout and grounder rates in the minors than during his brief time in the majors.  He can still be optioned to the minors twice more this season, so Cleveland has some flexibility in how Yoho can be used if the club doesn’t immediately see him as a full-time member of the bullpen. The four-player deal provides Cleveland with more short-term help than it does Milwaukee, especially since the Brewers have already optioned their two new players to Triple-A.  With outfield prospect Luis Lara now in the majors and Brandon Lockridge and Sal Frelick not expected to miss much more time on the injured list, Perkins was an expendable piece.  Naylor also gives the Brewers a third catcher in the organization with MLB experience, beyond All-Star William Contreras and backup Gary Sanchez. Acquiring Naylor does provide some intrigue into both how the Brew Crew could approach their catching situation at the deadline, and potentially into 2027.  Contreras obviously isn’t going anywhere before Monday’s trade deadline, but he is a free agent after the 2027 season.  That means the Brewers could look to trade Contreras this winter, as the club has dealt several other stars heading into their final year of team control. Top prospect Jeferson Quero is still earmarked as Milwaukee’s catcher of the future, but Naylor is a former top-100 prospect in his own right who could benefit from a change of scenery.  While Naylor may be a depth piece for now, if the Brewers feel Naylor can step into the backup role immediately, Sanchez might be a trade chip at the deadline. The 11 home runs and .237/.339/.470 slash line that Naylor posted over 230 PA in his 2023 rookie season seemed to hint that the catcher would be able to make good on the offensive promise he showed in the minor leagues.  Naylor wasn’t able to sustain that early success, as he has hit only .192/.266/.351 with 29 homers in 893 PA since Opening Day 2024. After continued struggles at the beginning of this season, Naylor was optioned to Triple-A when Cleveland acquired Patrick Bailey from the Giants, and Naylor hasn’t since returned to the big leagues.  Reports surfaced in June that the Guardians were fielding offers for their catching depth, and Cooper Ingle and Kody Huff now look to be staying (along with Bailey and Austin Hedges) while Naylor heads to Milwaukee. Heuer is in his fourth MLB season, but the 30-year-old will already be on his sixth team if and when he makes it into a big league game for the Brewers.  This journeyman resume has come despite the fact that Heuer didn’t see any big league action in 2022-24 due to a Tommy John surgery and then a broken elbow.  Heuer has a 3.76 ERA over 105 1/3 innings in the Show, which breaks down as a 3.56 ERA in 91 frames before his injury hiatus and a 5.02 ERA in 14 1/3 innings since returning to action. Signed to a minors deal by Cleveland last winter, Heuer appeared in eight games for the Guardians and posted a 4.66 ERA, 13% strikeout rate, and 10.9% walk rate in 9 2/3 innings.  A .353 BABIP accounts for some of that damage, but Heuer didn’t help himself with the walks or the K% that was well below his 21.8% career average from his first three seasons.