Brewers acquire Bo Naylor in four-player trade

The acquisition of Bo Naylor in a trade with the Guardians earlier on Saturday seemed like a potential precursor to a Sánchez trade, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Rosenthal and Sammon add that the Brewers view Naylor as another layer of protection behind starter William Contreras heading toward the postseason.

This is a fascinating challenge trade between two savvy front offices and player development factories. FanSided’s Robert Murray adds that Blake Perkins is also in the deal. Naylor wound up back in the minors after Cleveland picked up defensive specialist Patrick Bailey from the Giants back in May. The 26-year-old former top prospect represents an interesting reclamation project of sorts for the Brewers as they’ll attempt to unlock his potential as more of a long-term gamble. It also seems to signal that they’re ready to move current backup catcher Gary Sánchez to another contender. Yoho has always been an intriguing relief prospect and he’s finally started to gain some traction at the highest level this season. He fortifies Cleveland’s bullpen as a solid middle relief arm, with the potential to grow into a more prominent fixture, for the next couple years.

Yelich gets a break with rookie southpaw Zac Thornton toeing the rubber for New York in this one following eight consecutive starts at DH. It’ll be William Contreras getting a night off from the catching duties with Gary Sánchez behind the dish.

With the Brew Crew trailing 1-0, Contreras changed that in a hurry with a three-run homer off Pete Fairbanks to give Milwaukee the victory in the series finale. It’s just the 10th homer of the season for the 28-year-old — who otherwise has put together a solid season — and he’s now driven in 57 runs in 98 games. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Contreras starts seeing more balls going over the fence over the summer months, but in the meantime, at least he contributes in the average category as seen in his .280 mark.

It’s the third straight week that Contreras has gotten a breather on a Sunday. If you’re going to get a day off though, doing so against Paul Skenes isn’t the worst idea in the world. Gary Sanchez will start in his place behind the dish and bat fifth for the Brewers on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh.

Since he shoulders a very heavy workload for a catcher, the Brewers are careful to mix in off days for Contreras to get him off of his feet once in a while, with Sunday afternoon games being the most common. Gary Sanchez will start in his place behind the dish and bat seventh against Diamondbacks’ southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez.

Contreras sees as much time behind the dish as anyone in the league these days, so giving him a break on occasion to keep him fresh is always a good idea. Gary Sanchez will do the catching for the Brewers on Sunday and will bat sixth against a host of Cubs’ relievers.

Contreras blasted his ninth homer of the season in the seventh inning off Cubs reliever Jayden Murray to put the Brewers up 5-1. Contreras has now homered in back-to-back games and in three of his last five. The veteran catcher is slashing a blistering .333/.392/.536 on the month and has displayed a good bit of power with five dingers.

It’s a great day at the park when you never make an out. Contreras made the first punch in this game with a two-run homer off Reds’ starter Rhett Lowder in the second inning and reached base four other times in total. While it’s been a disappointing season for him power-wise with just eight home runs, he’s hitting .302 as still one of the most productive catchers in the league.

Yelich takes a seat with lefty Nick Lodolo taking the hill for Cincinnati. It’ll be William Contreras getting a turn at DH with Gary Sánchez drawing a rare start at catcher.