Cleveland Guardians Trade Away Bo Naylor in First Move Ahead of Trade Deadline

The Cleveland Guardians have made their first move ahead of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.

On Saturday, August 1, the Guardians traded catcher Bo Naylor and right-handed reliever Codi Heuer to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for right-handed reliever Craig Yoho and center fielder Blake Perkins.

On paper, the deal appears to benefit both teams, with Cleveland adding a reliever who can contribute immediately, while the Brewers land two players who have a chance to impact the major league squad at some point in the future.

Trade Alert: C Bo Naylor and LHP Codi Heuer are being sent to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for RHP Craig Yoho and CF Blake Perkins.

(Zack Meisel of The Athletic on it first) #GuardsBall
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) August 1, 2026

The Guardians' Return For Naylor and Heuer

Across 20 innings pitched, 15 games played and six games finished, Yoho has posted a 3.15 ERA and a 2-0 record while on the bump. He has yet to record a save, primarily playing in games the Brewers are out of, but has flashed strong control.

He will join the Guardians with a sub-1.0 WHIP, with his career mark across all levels of the game coming in at 1.058.

While he is still an unfinished product and will need time to develop, he will likely play a fairly big role out of the team's major league bullpen due to so many inconsistencies this season. At 26 years old, the Guardians' pitching staff still has plenty of time to mold him.

Perkins, on the other hand, isn't someone who makes a whole lot of sense.

The Guardians already have plenty of talent in the outfield vying for time; however, he is a right-handed bat. Perkins' stats show, though, that he isn't a long-term fit for the team. Across 297 games in the big leagues, spanning four seasons, he owns a .636 OPS with a .223 batting average.

This season, such numbers have been lower than his career average, though.

Across 55 games and 101 plate appearances, primarily appearing in pinch-hit situations, Perkins has a measly .157 batting average with 14 total hits. He has also posted 10 walks to 22 strikeouts.

While neither are expected to be team-altering, Yoho sets the team up to continue building a new bullpen heading into the back half of the year.

Cleveland Guardians, Bo Naylo — Apr 28, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (23) walks on the field in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bye, Bye, Bo

It's tough to see Naylor go, especially with him starting his journey in Cleveland.

However, he never panned out the way the front office hoped he would, both behind the dish and at the plate.

Selected with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, he had a quick rise through the system and was deemed to be the next staple behind home plate for the Guardians. His progress stalled over the last few seasons, though, before a trade for San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey signaled that his time in The Land was coming to a close.

Getting a fresh start in Milwaukee will give Naylor a chance to adapt to a new system and potentially work his way back to a consistent form.

Heuer's addition in the trade frees up the pitching room down in Triple-A Columbus for the Guardians, while also giving the Brewers a right-handed reliever that can bounce up to the big leagues from time to time.

As of Saturday, both are going to be sent down to Triple-A Nashville.

Cleveland's Set the Stage

The Guardians' front office has now shown that they are going to at least make some moves at this year's trade deadline.

The hope now is that this isn't the only one.

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