Brewers add former Cubs trade deadline prize and Bo Naylor in deal with Guardians

The Chicago Cubs have yet to make a move of consequence before Monday's trade deadline, but the Milwaukee Brewers are on the board. While the Brewers are among the teams in the mix for Tarik Skubal, they struck a deal with the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday morning to add a former first round-pick to their catching core.

The Brewers acquired catcher Bo Naylor from the Guardians, while also adding former Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Codi Heuer. In exchange, the Brewers sent outfielder Blake Perkins to the Guardians, as well as relief pitcher Craig Yoho.

First and foremost, the early impression from this deadline is that catchers are carrying some value. The Baltimore Orioles seemingly overpayed in a trade for Jake Rogers earlier this week, considering he was designated for assignment. And for Naylor and Heuer, the Brewers gave up a controllable fourth outfielder and pre-arbitration relief pitcher who has flashed potential of becoming a staple in a bullpen.

It's something that's worth monitoring for the Cubs, considering there's been an uptick in rumors that Carson Kelly could be available in some of the trade talks Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins are having. Trading Kelly likely isn't first of mind for the Cubs' front office, but it's hard to ignore the value he could have. Especially with teams like the Yankees in need of a catcher.

Brewers adding Codi Heuer unlocks a new Chicago Cubs' trade deadline fear

If you're the Cubs, there's a couple of potential scary notes from this deal. The first being that for the same reasons the Cubs might trade Kelly, it's looking like the Brewers will find a taker for veteran catcher Gary Sanchez before the deadline.

The larger fear is that the Brewers will unlock in Heuer what the Cubs thought they could when they traded for him in 2021. Heuer was a part of the Craig Kimbrel trade with the Chicago White Sox at the 2021 trade deadline, and there was hope that he could eventually turn into the North Sider's long-term closer.

Instead, almost his entire run with the Cubs was defined by injury. The end of the 2021 season was the only time he pitched out of the Cubs bullpen. The profile certainly has changed since then, but it's the Brewers. It can't be ruled out that they do what the Cubs couldn't, and Heuer becomes a high-leverage arm for them down the stretch.

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