RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The 2026 MLB trade deadline is 6 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 3, this season, which means it is only days away. The rumor mill has really begun to churn over the last day or so, and it won't be long until the actual trades begin to come through. On that note, the Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Guardians swung an interesting enough 2-for-2 deal Saturday morning.
Here are the trade details as announced by the clubs:
Long story short, the Patrick Bailey addition made Naylor expendable for Cleveland (as did Naylor's lack of performance), so they flipped him to address their perpetual need in the outfield. The Brewers have more outfielders than roster spots and need to start thinking about the post- William Contreras era (he's a free agent after 2027), when Naylor likely fits in.
Each team dealt from a position of depth (the Guardians at catcher, the Brewers in the outfield) to address positions of need. For Cleveland, the outfield is a need right now. For Milwaukee, catcher will be a need further down the road. Heuer and Yoho are similar up/down bullpen depth arms who lean on secondary pitches more than velocity.
With that in mind, let's grade this trade between Central division contenders, shall we?
Once again, the outfield is an issue for the Guardians. Their outfielders collectively rank 25th in batting average (.234), 25th in on-base percentage (.305), 30th in slugging percentage (.357), and 30th in home runs (28th). It's not a standout unit defensively either. Cleveland's outfield is at +3 outs above average overall, and that's with four-time Gold Glover Steven Kwan at +6.
Kwan leads Cleveland with 47 starts in center field this season. They're his first starts in center since his rookie season in 2022. Otherwise, the Guardians have used utility men Angel Martínez and Daniel Schneemann out there, plus the light-hitting Petey Halpin . For this team, Perkins is an upgrade offensively (against lefties) and defensively. Yes, that is a very low bar.
Yoho, 26, is a reliever with an extreme east/west attack. Or, really, an east attack. Not so much west because almost everything he throws (sinker, changeup, four-seamer) runs to his armside. Even his cutter cuts in on lefties less than average. The changeup has screwball action. It comes in around 80 mph and tumbles out of the zone, leading to very high swing-and-miss rates.
Average-ish fastball velocity and below-average command hold Yoho back. The Brewers are one of the best pitcher development teams in the game and they couldn't get Yoho to that next level. The Guardians are great at developing pitchers too. They're right there with Milwaukee. Perhaps the change of scenery does Yoho well and he finds some staying power.
Even while understanding his limitations (i.e. he can't hit righties), I'm a Perkins fan, especially at a time when decent right-handed outfielders are in short supply. It's 3 ½ years of Perkins and six years of Yoho, though it's hard to bank on control years for relievers and soon-to-be 30-year-old outfielders. For two spare parts in Naylor and Heuer, I like it for Cleveland. They get a B.
Naylor, 26 and Josh 's younger brother, has been unable to replicate his rookie success (.237/.339/.470 in 2023) or even come close to it (.192/.266/.351 since 2024). The Bailey trade bumped Naylor to Triple-A and he's been fine there (.224/.346/.436). The under-the-hood numbers are promising. Since 2024:
Naylor has been unable to turn his hard-hit ability into consistent production because he is very pop-up prone and pop-ups are basically automatic outs. He also has issues with higher-end velocity and non-fastballs in general. Defensively, Naylor is average at best. Average blocker, average thrower, average framer. There's no clear-cut carrying tool.
I'm not convinced Naylor will ever hit or defend enough to be anything more than a backup, but hey, I would've said the same thing about Andrew Vaughn last year, and the Brewers got him on the right track. Milwaukee has earned the benefit of the doubt. There is a difference, though, between giving a team the benefit of the doubt and just assuming it'll all work out.
Heuer, 30, barely pitched from 2022-24 due to injuries (12 ⅔ innings total those years, all in 2023). He's ridden the Triple-A shuttle this season and is similar to Yoho because his most usable pitch is a changeup, and because he gets elite extension (both average around seven feet down the mound). Heuer also has a slider and a mid-90s four-seamer.
One advantage Yoho has over Heuer is minor-league options. Heuer is in his final option year, meaning he must stick on the MLB roster or go through waivers next year. Yoho has an option left for next season, so Cleveland will be able to shuttle him up and down in 2027. Heuer's older, has a scarier injury history, and doesn't provide as much roster flexibility.
The Brewers sent Naylor to Triple-A after the trade and, depending on if/when they call him up, he'll remain under team control through either 2029 or 2030. With Contreras and Gary Sánchez entrenched at the MLB level, I'd bet on Naylor staying in Triple-A the rest of the year (barring injury). Heuer will remain under team control through 2028.
Obviously, the Brewers are a very smart and very well-run organization. So are the Guardians, though. I prefer Yoho to Heuer, and I'm not convinced Naylor will be more than a backup who neither stands out offensively or defensively. I think there's a chance we look up in two years and see Cleveland got the two most productive players in the trade. So, a C it is for Milwaukee.
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