Bo Naylor was a hot prospect with the Cleveland Guardians from the moment he was drafted in 2018 until he made it to the big leagues in 2022. He received his first real shot in 2023 and looked like the catcher of the future for the organization, posting a 123 wRC+ and hitting 11 home runs in 67 MLB games.
That productive stint earned him a long leash, which he almost threw away by posting disappointing 74 and 85 wRC+ finishes in 2024 and 2025, respectively. The way he ended last year, however, gave the Guardians some hope. He slashed .290/.324/.548 with a 136 wRC+ in September.
Yet this season, he fell completely out of favor with the Guardians. First, he was demoted to the minors after the team traded for Patrick Bailey in early May. Now, Naylor has been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers with reliever Codi Heuer for outfielder Blake Perkins and reliever Craig Yoho.
Insider Joe Noga of Cleveland.com explained why the Guardians decided to trade Naylor, saying it has a lot to do with failing to replicate, or even come close to, what he did in September.
“Naylor’s opportunity in Cleveland began to disappear because his offensive production never carried over from the way he finished the 2025 season. Naylor, meanwhile, should get an opportunity to compete for regular playing time in Milwaukee,” Noga wrote.
After waiting almost two seasons for Naylor to return to his 2023 form, Cleveland finally witnessed that talented young hitter in the last month of the 2025 campaign. That’s why he entered 2026 as the unquestioned starting catcher ahead of Austin Hedges.
Unfortunately, he completely flopped, hitting a weak .143/.200/.238 (22 wRC+) that forced the front office to make some tough decisions. First, they sent him to Arizona to work on some things after Bailey was acquired from the San Francisco Giants, and then he joined the Columbus Clippers in Triple-A, where he had a 106 wRC+ and seven homers.
Yes, Naylor improved somewhat in the minor leagues, but the organization no longer trusted him to produce at the highest level, which is why the Guardians decided to take advantage of whatever trade value he had left and brought in a solid reliever and a reserve outfielder in return before the upcoming deadline.
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