Guardians Acquire Craig Yoho, Blake Perkins From Brewers For Bo Naylor, Codi Heuer

The Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Guardians completed a trade on Saturday, August 1, 2026, exchanging a pair of players to address depth and roster fit ahead of Monday's trade deadline.

The Guardians acquired right-handed reliever Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins. In exchange, the Brewers receive catcher Bo Naylor and right-hander Codi Heuer.

High-Upside Arms and Outfield Depth

Cleveland obtains Yoho, a 26-year-old reliever who was the Brewers' minor-league pitcher of the year in 2024. Yoho is described as a high-upside arm whose effectiveness this season is driven largely by a changeup that works well against left-handed hitters. His 2026 stats include 15 games and 20 innings with a 2.15 ERA and 18 strikeouts to eight walks, according to USA Today. Thescore reports his 2026 numbers as a 3.15 ERA and 0.85 WHIP, with opposing hitters batting .132.

Despite his performance, Yoho struggled to find a consistent role in Milwaukee. Manager Pat Murphy hinted at development issues, and the Brewers' organizational preference typically avoids the high volume of pitch movement found in Yoho's signature changeup. He also faced difficulties throwing strikes during his rookie debut in April of last year, which limited him to eight appearances.

Joining Yoho in the move to Cleveland is 29-year-old Blake Perkins. A versatile player capable of playing all three outfield positions, Perkins has been a "beloved clubhouse presence" but has struggled offensively this year, batting .157 with a .508 OPS in 55 games. According to thescore, Perkins carries a career slash line of .223/.307/.330 with 93 RBIs and 14 homers across 297 games. His playing time in Milwaukee had diminished following the arrival of Luis Lara and the return of Garrett Mitchell.

Brewers Bolster Catching and Depth

For Milwaukee, the move secures 26-year-old Bo Naylor. A former first-round pick and top prospect, Naylor has spent parts of five seasons in the majors but has struggled with the bat, posting a career .199 average and .651 OPS. This season, he hit .143/.200/.238 in 28 games, leading to a May demotion to the minors after Cleveland acquired Patrick Bailey. However, Naylor has been graded as a solid pitch framer for most of his career and has accumulated 4.4 WAR over 346 games.

Naylor joins the Brewers to provide depth behind starter William Contreras and backup Gary Sanchez. While Sanchez has provided solid production, his potential at-bats at first base have been limited by the success of Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers. The Brewers may use Naylor as depth or potentially flip him to address other roster flaws due to a scarcity of right-handed hitters on the market.

The Brewers also acquire 30-year-old Codi Heuer. A journeyman reliever with 97 career big-league appearances and a 3.76 ERA in 105 1/3 innings, Heuer has made eight appearances for Cleveland this year with a 4.66 ERA. He features a four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup. Both Naylor and Heuer were in Class AAA for Cleveland at the time of the trade and are slated to begin their tenure with the Brewers in Class AAA Nashville.

Strategic Context

Both incoming players for Milwaukee—Naylor and Heuer—will remain under team control beyond the 2026 season. From a league-wide perspective, the trade is seen by some as a low-risk maneuver where two front offices bought low on position players who had lost relevance for the 2026 season. This is reflected in the combined bWAR of 0.6 for the players involved in the deal, among other recently moved players like Dean Kremer and Logan O'Hoppe.

The move comes as teams aggressively navigate the final hours before Monday's 6 p.m. Deadline. While the Guardians continue to win despite a lineup described as "perpetually disappointing," the Brewers have pivoted toward stabilizing their depth.