Brewers flip recent deadline addition in minor trade with Orioles

Major League Baseball's midseason trade deadline has officially come and gone. The league-best Milwaukee Brewers agreed to three trades leading up to the deadline. The first, which occurred back on Saturday morning, involved the Brewers dealing right-hander Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins to the Cleveland Guardians for catcher Bo Naylor and right-handed reliever Codi Heuer.

The four-player swap with the Guardians came as a surprise to the Brewers for several reasons. For one, the Brewers weren't expected to explore the catching market with a strong big-league tandem of William Contreras and Gary Sánchez and a top prospect in Jeferson Quero waiting in the wings. Secondly, the Brewers parting ways with the 26-year-old Yoho came as a surprise given the right-hander's potential and years of team control.

Parting ways with Yoho made a little more sense with the acquisition of Heuer, who had a similar profile, but more big-league experience than Yoho. Though Heuer was immediately optioned to Triple-A, it wasn't difficult to see his potential, and many believed the Brewers had a clear path to reviving his stalling career.

However, just moments ago, the Brewers complicated the situation further by dealing Heuer to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations. Just two days after he played a seemingly significant part in the Brewers' deadline swap with the Guardians, Heuer heads to Baltimore to join his sixth major league organization since 2023.

Brewers deal recent trade deadline acquisition Codi Heuer to Orioles for cash considerations

It's a surprising trade from the Brewers, and one that certainly changes the calculus of Milwaukee's deadline deal with the Guardians. Naylor was certainly the focal point for Milwaukee in the trade, but Heuer at least came with some intriguing potential. After all, Heuer pitched to a 3.56 ERA in 91 innings during his first two seasons in MLB.

The deal completes a busy day of transactions for the Brewers. Matt Arnold and the Brewers' front office added three arms to the big-league pitching staff today as the result of two "deadline day" trades. Right-hander starter Dustin May and left-handed reliever JoJo Romero joined the Brewers via a rare intradivision trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, while right-handed reliever Antonio Senzatela was acquired from the Colorado Rockies. The Brewers certainly improved their pitching staff today despite not executing the blockbuster deal that fans were hoping for.

With three new arms on their big-league staff, all of whom come with the potential to be impactful additions to Milwaukee's talented roster, the Brewers are set up for the stretch run. Romero and Senzatela's addition to the bullpen should relieve some of the stress placed on the Brewers' group of high-leverage relievers, whereas May will slide in as the No. 3 or No. 4 starter in Milwaukee's rotation.

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