The Milwaukee Brewers' first move of the trade deadline is here as they made a two-player swap with the Cleveland Guardians.
The Milwaukee Brewers' first move of the trade deadline is here, and it's a two-for-two deal with the Cleveland Guardians.
New York Post's Jon Heyman was first on the news that Milwaukee would be trading reliever Craig Yoho for catcher Bo Naylor.
Originally, it seemed like a bit of an odd move, but then another part of the trade was announced.
Milwaukee is also acquiring reliever Codi Heuer, and will send outfielder Blake Perkins to Cleveland.
For what it's worth, both Heuer and Naylor were in Triple-A when this trade took place. That's not to say they aren't big-league-ready talent, but it'll be interesting to see how they fit into this Brewers organization.
Brewers didn't have to overpay
The Brewers had to get rid of a reliever in Yoho, someone they could never fully trust. At one point it seemed like he was going to be the next big thing in this organization. He has a filthy breaking ball, but other than that, his command was an issue, and manager Pat Murphy had seen enough.
Murphy has been a well-documented fan of Perkins, but there's simply no longer a need for him, especially now that Luis Lara has been called up. Brandon Lockridge is on his way back as well, but one could argue he's now out of a spot in this lineup as well.
Trading Yoho could be a bit puzzling to some, but moving on from Perkins makes complete sense. Obviously, this trade will be revisited in a few months, or even as soon as a few weeks in regard to what Heuer and Naylor are able to do in Milwaukee.
Heuer and Naylor earn a fresh start
Heuer has a career ERA of 3.76 in 97 games, so that's definitely a solid number this team can build around. If they would've traded Naylor for Yoho straight up, that would've been a trade that not many were a fan of. That said, Milwaukee got their reliever back, and it's one who's set to play for his sixth big league club dating back to 2021.
On paper, Naylor is not someone that makes a ton of sense to trade for. He's 26-years-old, so obviously is younger than backup catcher Gary Sanchez, but he's slashing an abysmal .143/.200/.238 this season in 84 at-bats.
Milwaukee has Jefferson Quero in Triple-A, and he's played in the big leagues this season, but he seems to be more of a designated hitter than a catcher. Now, they've got a new option in Naylor, so it'll be interesting to see what that means for the future of Sanchez.
According to FSRWI's Hunter Baumgardt, both players are going to report to Triple-A Nashville.
