Guardians deal Bo Naylor, Craig Heuer for Brewers' Craig Yoho, Blake Perkins

CLEVELAND — The Guardians traded a Bo and got a Yoho in return. Cleveland pulled the plug on the notion of Bo Naylor as its future catcher Saturday morning, trading him to the Brewers along with right-hander Codi Heuer in exchange for right-handed reliever Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins. "We're excited about adding two players to the organization that we think can help us," team president Chris Antonetti said prior to Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks. "In Craig Yoho, we feel we've added another major league relief option to our mix. And then in Blake Perkins, he's a very good defender in both corners, can run the bases as well." Yoho, 26, has split the year between Milwaukee and Triple-A Nashville after beginning the season on the injured list with a right calf strain. In 15 appearances for the Brewers this year, he has posted a 3.15 ERA, while striking out 18 batters over 20 innings. He was in the midst of his third stint with Milwaukee, posting a July ERA of 1.93 in 10 games (nine scoreless appearances). Perkins, 29, has played parts of the last four seasons with Milwaukee, batting .223 with 14 HRs, 93 RBIs and 38 stolen bases. He has played in 55 games with the Brewers this year, slashing .157/.250/.258 with a .508 OPS over three stints. Yoho is expected to join the Guardians in the coming days, while Perkins will go to Triple-A Columbus. Cleveland had high hopes for Naylor, 26, when he was drafted in the first round (29th overall) in 2018, but it never panned out. As the primary catcher from 2024-25, Naylor hit .198 with 27 home runs and 86 RBIs in 246 games, striking out 221 times in 713 at-bats. He spent 2022-24 with his brother before Josh Naylor was traded to Arizona prior to last year and began this season in the same starting role, but struggled to a .143 average (12-for-84) with two homers in 28 games. It was clear he was no longer in the future plans when catcher Patrick Bailey was acquired May 9 from the Giants and Naylor was optioned to the minors. Ironically enough, San Francisco dealt Bailey due to his offensive shortcomings. "I continue to believe that he is going to be a good major league player, and we saw that at different points in time," Antonetti said of Naylor. "But we weren't able to help him be as consistent offensively as we think he can be. And we scratched our heads a lot trying to figure out 'How do we do that? How do we support Bo better?' But in the end, we just couldn't help him unlock that consistency." Manager Stephen Vogt was predicting better things for Naylor prior to the season. "We saw some progression over the last couple years, especially last September," Vogt said. "He had a really good winter and came into spring (training) looking really good. It just never clicked, whether it was because of approach or mechanical things, I don't really have a good explanation as to why it never took off the way we all felt it would." The trade did nothing to address the Guardians' season-long issues at the plate, where they ranked last in the majors in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS through Friday. Cleveland needs significant offensive help by today's trade deadline, ideally acquiring a right-handed hitter, but Antonetti cautioned it could be difficult. "There's a scarcity of right-handed bats available on the market. I think there are a lot of teams that are looking to add that type of player," he said. "But I don't think we're limiting our scope to just right-handed hitters. We are trying to find ways to improve the offense. But no matter what happens over the next 72 hours, if we add one or even two players, 24 of the 26 roster spots are still going to be guys that are here and, in that clubhouse, or in the organization. "Our focus needs to be on two things. We need to continue to explore all of the external opportunities to help us get better, that's one. But, most importantly, we need to make sure we're doing what we can with the group that's here to help them continue to get better. Because no matter who we bring in from the outside, no one or two people are going to change the trajectory of our season." Vogt echoed Antonetti when asked if he thought the Guardians needed external help. "I wouldn't say that we need help. The main factor remains that we need to continue to work to get this group better," Vogt said. "Even if we were to get a piece or two, the majority of our success is going to come from guys that are here. I think we have very good players, and I think that we just need to step up." But does Cleveland have enough talent to win its third straight Central Division title or qualify for the postseason for the third straight time in three years under Vogt? "I do believe in the group of players that we have, but the results are what they are," Antonetti said. "We need to play better for the balance of the season than we've played so far. I think it's going to take more than 81 or 82 wins to get to the postseason and win the American League Central. So, we as a group need to play better and, hopefully, we can do that over the next couple months." Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.