Forgotten Guardians trade acquisition could greatly help 2027 outfield depth

So far the only big league contributions the Guardians have gotten from their August trade with the Brewers has been 18 1/3 up-and-down innings from Craig Yoho out of the bullpen. But that doesn’t mean the fingerprints of the trade are going to stop there. 

While part of the reason for that is because Yoho won’t be eligible for free agency until 2032, an arguably bigger reason for that is outfielder Blake Perkins, who the Guardians also required in that trade and have been stashing in Triple-A since. 

The Guardians seemed comfortable stashing Perkins last season since he was pre-arbitration eligible, the rubber could hit the road next season since Perkins is about to enter the arbitration process. He may not make a ton through that process (MLB Trade Rumors’ Matt Swartz projected him to make $900,000), it’s hard to imagine the Guardians would be willing to pay Perkins more (and keep him on their 40-man roster) if they didn’t see him as a part of their big league picture. 

Blake Perkins could be a big part of the Guardians’ outfield in 2027 

Perkins made his big league debut for the Brewers in 2023 and ended up appearing in 297 big league games. He was a great defender in that time (he’s been worth 16 Outs Above Average in his career), he recorded an OPS of just .636 in that time. 

His best season came in 2024 when he hit .240 in 141 games, but he hit just .201 in 109 games in 2025 and ‘26 before getting traded. Perkins could have fit into the Guardians’ outfield picture in 2026 since he’s primarily a center fielder, but the Guardians choose to keep him in the minors. 

And, to their credit, it may have helped Perkins. Perkins only played in 29 games with the Clippers after the trade, but recorded a .253/.394/.424 slashline with three home runs and 14 RBI with 24 walks and 29 strikeouts. 

The one silver lining from Perkins’ minor league residency and Yoho’s big league struggles is that the Brewers didn’t get much from their return. Bo Naylor played in just three games for Milwaukee after the trade and the Brewers flipped fellow piece Codi Heuer to the Orioles before he even made an appearance. 

Perkins is never going to solve the Guardians’ power problems, but he would be a great fourth outfielder who could thrive in the kind of role the Guardians should have given Myles Straw. While getting Perkins on the roster would be easier if the Guardians choose to trade Steven Kwan and/or Jo Adell, Perkins still has a path to make the roster even if they stick around. 

The Guardians' acquisition of Perkins was clearly part of a long game, and the 2027 season could be the first chance for them to have it impact their present.

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