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As the MLB trade deadline loomed, the Cleveland Guardians made a significant move on Saturday, August 1, sending catcher Bo Naylor and right-handed reliever Codi Heuer to the Milwaukee Brewers. In return, Cleveland received right-handed pitcher Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins. The deal, finalized just days before the 6 p.m. deadline on Monday, August 3, was explained by Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and manager Stephen Vogt.
Antonetti revealed that discussions about trading Naylor had been ongoing since the Guardians optioned him to Triple-A Columbus on May 9, the same day they acquired catcher Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco Giants. Heuer was also sent to Columbus on July 18. The trade with the Brewers came together in the final days before the deadline.
"We're excited about adding two players to the organization that we think can help us," Antonetti said. "In Craig Yoho, we feel we've added another major league relief option to our mix. He complements our bullpen group pretty well. He's got a fastball with really good extension and a very unique changeup that plays exceptionally well against lefties and righties. And we think he can be a help for us down the stretch."
Regarding Perkins, Antonetti noted, "Then in Blake Perkins, it's a switch hitter that's better from the right side of the plate that complements the position group we have. And he's a very good defender in both corners. [He] can run the bases as well. So he'll start in Triple-A for us, and then we'll see how things evolve over the next few days and over the next few weeks, but we feel that he's someone who can possibly help us."
Yoho, 26, split time between the Brewers and Triple-A Nashville this season. In 15 relief appearances with Milwaukee, he posted a 2-0 record with a 3.15 ERA, striking out 18 over 20 innings while allowing nine hits and eight walks. Perkins, 29, appeared in 55 games for the Brewers in 2026, slashing .157/.250/.258 with a .508 OPS across three stints with the club.
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Vogt, who played under Brewers manager Pat Murphy in 2017, spoke with Murphy about the two acquisitions. "Yoho, very good arm, really good changeup," Vogt said. "Murph described him as a competitor, somebody who's going to take the ball. And then same thing with Perkins, just a really good person, really good ballplayer, really good outfielder, baserunner, very good right-handed bat, more so than the left, but obviously can hit left-handed as well, bunt, steal. Again, just could not rave about the two people being better people, and so getting that from Murph was huge."
The Guardians had high hopes for Naylor, 26, to break out this season, but he hit just .143 with a .438 OPS in 28 games with Cleveland. Vogt expressed disappointment, saying, "With Bo, I think we saw some progression over the last couple years, especially last September, and then just thought he had a really good winter, kind of came into spring looking really good and it just felt like it just never clicked. There were some, whether it be approach or mechanical things that maybe [he was] just in between at times, but I don't really have a good explanation as to why it never took off the way we all felt it would. I mean, you see it at times. We saw it a lot at times that Bo could be a really good hitter, and I still believe that and hope that it comes out."
Antonetti also spoke with Naylor about the trade, saying, "As I told Bo last night, there's not a better human being, better teammate, better worker or anyone who cares more than Bo, and I continue to believe that he is going to be a good major league player. We saw that at different points in time. He's always been invested in his teammates and the pitching staff and an incredible leader. But we weren't able to help him be as consistent offensively as we think he can be. And we scratched our heads a lot trying to figure out how do we do that, how do we support Bo better, but, in the end, we just couldn't help him unlock that consistency. So, I am hopeful. As I told him yesterday, I think he's going to a great organization. Hopefully Milwaukee can partner with him, give him a fresh set of eyes, some new voices, and I'm hoping he can kind of get his career going in the direction that he wants."
Originally reported by yahoo.