Guardians Acquired Pitcher With ‘One-Of-A-Kind’ Arsenal

On Saturday, the Cleveland Guardians made a move in the trade market and acquired right-handed reliever Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins. To get them, they had to give away Bo Naylor, formerly thought of as their catcher of the future, and reliever Codi Heuer.

Those who watched Naylor rise through the minor league ranks and shine as a rookie in 2023 know the player he could have been. He is no longer that player, though, and it was time to move on since the Guardians have quality catching depth throughout the organization.

It’s time to focus on what’s ahead rather than what could have been. Yoho and Perkins have the potential to help the 2026 Guardians, particularly the pitcher.

Yoho is a 26-year-old right-hander who is cheap and controllable for six full seasons. That’s a good start right there. Now, his actual skill set is very interesting, as put by researcher Thomas Nestico.

“Craig Yoho (acquired by CLE) is a funky reliever with a one-of-a-kind arsenal. He employs an extreme E-W mix that is headlined by a slow-moving, late-breaking changeup,” he said.

Craig Yoho (acquired by CLE) is a funky reliever with a one-of-kind arsenal. He employs an extreme E-W mix that is headlined by a slow-moving, late-breaking changeup https://t.co/oOCPuPyja2 pic.twitter.com/Dr6sSlQ9bU

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) August 1, 2026

Yoho is definitely not your traditional power reliever. His average fastball velocity is 94.4 mph, firmly around the league average. What makes him special is his excellent changeup and its high usage: it’s the pitch that he goes to the most, at 45.4 percent. He also throws a sinker (24 percent), a four-seamer (19.5 percent), and a cutter (10.4 percent). He rounds out his unique repertoire with a sweeper he has only used twice in 2026.

This pitch mix has helped him put up a 3.15 ERA in 20 innings with the Brewers in the majors this year. He was even better in Triple-A, with a 0.78 ERA in 23 frames.

The changeup has held hitters to a .171 wOBA (weighted on-base average) and boasts a solid 35 percent whiff rate. It’s the foundation of his arsenal, the pitch he uses to set up everything else. He, effectively, pitches ‘backwards’.

In many senses, however, Yoho is a Guardians guy, mainly because he gets elite extension, with his 7.1 feet ranking in the 93rd percentile. It makes his pitches look better and more effective.

Yoho is not a huge strikeout guy, but he is a master contact manager, limiting hitters to a 30 percent hard-hit rate. Overall, he is a solid piece and could represent quite a change-of-pace from hard-throwers like Cade Smith and Franco Aleman. It doesn’t hurt to add an entirely different look, and that’s what Cleveland is doing.