The Cleveland Guardians entered the weekend before the trade deadline with a few key needs on their roster. They want a right-handed bat, preferably an outfielder, a couple of relievers, and maybe a starter for depth.
Additionally, it’s fair to say they have a pretty good catching situation at the MLB level and in Triple-A. May’s trade acquisition, Patrick Bailey, and Austin Hedges have done a commendable job behind the plate despite some offensive limitations, and Cooper Ingle and Kody Huff represent the future in Columbus.
The team, therefore, executed a trade on Saturday morning, sending surplus catcher Bo Naylor and reliever Codi Heuer to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfielder Blake Perkins and fellow bullpen piece Craig Yoho. The Guardians traded from a strong and deep position and reinforced two needs at the majors.
Perkins, of course, should not be the main outfielder they acquire before Monday at 6:00 pm ET. He is more of a bench piece, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a valuable one.
Cleveland.com’s reporter and insider Joe Noga analyzed the trade and suggests that Cleveland is acquiring a decent bench piece with defensive versatility and some speed.
“Perkins, meanwhile, is capable of handling all three outfield spots and provides late-game defensive value, plus a defense and speed option off the bench,” Noga said.
Perkins is a 29-year-old switch-hitter with a .286/.385/.333 line and a 108 wRC+ in nine playoff games. He has a career .223/.307/.330 line with an 80 wRC+ in 874 trips to the plate in the regular season, so he’s not much of an offensive threat.
He has been struggling this season, hitting .157 with a .508 OPS in 55 games over three stints with Milwaukee, per Noga, but the Guardians value his ability to play center field and the corners, and his speed, which could make him a late-game defensive replacement or pinch-running option.
The Guardians still need that big right-handed hitter to make a difference in their lineup, though. Yoho figures to see plenty of action in the bullpen, and Perkins could be a bench asset if used correctly, but more moves are still expected from Cleveland’s front office.
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