Ever patient in their approach, the Milwaukee Brewers are still building on the margins. That was made apparent when they traded outfielder Blake Perkins and right-handed pitcher Craig Yoho to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for catcher Bo Naylor and another right-handed pitcher, Codi Heuer. While this might not seem like a big deal, it's another sign that the Brewers, while focused on winning right now, are still building for the future.
The Blake Perkins experiment was a difficult one because his floor was high enough to justify his place on the roster, but he was never able to break through to his ceiling. The 29-year-old was well-liked in the dugout and showed flashes of being a reliable pro, but a change of scenery should serve him well as he tries to carve out a role for himself in the majors.
Meanwhile, the same could be said of Craig Yoho, who appeared in 15 relief innings for the Brewers this year and posted a 3.15 ERA. He never earned the trust of manager Pat Murphy and bounced back and forth between the majors and Triple-A Nashville, where he's been far more successful with an astounding 0.78, albeit in just 23 innings.
Ultimately, the Brewers decided it was time for a change of pace by acquiring a catcher in Naylor, who will need some work with Milwaukee's development staff but flashes considerable potential at a position where the team has sought depth behind William Contreras for years. And in Heuer, the Brewers acquired their next project out of the bullpen. What happens from here should be fascinating to see play out.
For better or worse, the Milwaukee Brewers are not straying from their core philosophies this MLB Trade Deadline.
It's hard to imagine either of the players Milwaukee just added as being impact players down the stretch of this season. That appears to be supported by the fact that both players were immediately optioned both players to Triple-A Nashville soon after the trade went official.
Heuer has a career 3.76 ERA, which is currently at 4.66 through 9.2 major league innings in 2026. Frankly, his numbers aren't much better in the minor leagues, where he's posting a 3.46 ERA through 26 innings. He's likely going to spend some time in the Brewers' pitching lab, refining his form and learning from one of the best development staffs in baseball before getting a shot on the mound for Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, Bo Naylor finds himself in a similar boat. The 26-year-old is a player who Brewers GM & President of Baseball Ops Matt Arnold says they've "been interested in for a while," and "has some good ingredients and is still young." This is the type of buy-low opportunity Arnold has become renowned for, by acquiring players with upside for pennies on the dollar and developing them into starting-caliber talent.
Although it'd be nice to see the Brewers go after some big fish in pursuit of the franchise's first World Series victory, they need to stay true to themselves to some extent, and this was a clear example of a team sticking to its guns. We'll find out whether that approach will pay off come October.
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