A two-time Cy Young winner is heading to the two-time defending World Series champions. An All-Star catcher joined the hottest team in baseball in exchange for a haul of prospects. Contending squads bolstered their rotations ahead of October baseball.
It was a flurry of deals on MLB trade deadline day. Here’s our grades for the biggest and best trades, including Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers and Adley Rutschman to the Red Sox.
JUMP TO: Rutschman to Red Sox | Arraez to Phillies | Ramos to Yankees | Holmes & Taylor to Cubs | Ward to Mariners | Ray to Padres | May to Brewers | Griffin to Guards | Soriano to Jays | Weaver to Pirates | Adell to Guards | Skubal to Dodgers | Garcia to Yanks | Gausman to Cubs | Peralta to Rays | Castillo to White Sox
Red Sox Give Up Haul Of Prospects For Adley Rutschman
Who else is involved: The Orioles receive three prospects — right-handed pitchers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon and outfielder Enddy Azocar — and catcher Carlos Narváez. The Red Sox also get catcher Jake Rogers in the deal.
Wow.
I mean… wow.
Grading this one is tricky. The return is massive for Baltimore, and a couple of years from now, when Eyanson and Witherspoon are dominating in the O’s rotation, maybe we view this move as a turning point for the franchise. Still, it has to be gut-wrenching for Orioles fans to see the topsy-turvy Rutschman era come to an end like this, watching him play for a division rival at 28 years old.
Rutschman has been banged up again this year, but it has been a bounce-back season for the three-time All-Star after he hit below league average for the first time in his career last season. The 2019 top overall pick burst onto the scene with two straight .800+ OPS seasons to start his career in 2022-23 … then immediately started to plummet — a .709 OPS in 2024, a .673 OPS in 2025. This year, Rutschman is back up to a .764 mark with underlying numbers that suggest he could be even better, though he’s currently injured with a wrist issue. He isn’t expected to be out much longer.
Clearly, the Red Sox are putting faith in his health. After sweeping the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium to continue their extraordinary turnaround, they’re hoping to keep the momentum going by swinging big. They have won 28 of their last 33 games, and now they’re going all in. With this move, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow addresses one of the offense’s problem areas. Boston catchers rank 25th in OPS and 26th in fWAR this season, and the Red Sox are betting that Rutschman can change that in a meaningful way.
The addition of Rutschman, who’s under team control for another season, as well as Rogers makes Narvaez expendable. Eyanson, a third-round pick last year out of LSU, is one of baseball’s most electric pitching prospects and is now the best prospect in Baltimore’s system. He has a 1.69 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 48 innings at Double-A. Witherspoon was a first-round pick last year. Azocar, one of Boston’s best lower-level position player prospects, is only 19 yet is already handling pitching at High-A Greenville to the tune of an .885 OPS.
It’s a massive return, even though it’s disappointing for Baltimore fans who were hoping to contend this season. The Orioles, just 2.5 games out of a wild-card spot, have indicated their direction on deadline day with the trade of Taylor Ward and now this. They have to hope catcher Samuel Basallo’s shoulder will heal quickly.
I feel like I need to say it again to let it sink in: Adley Rutschman, Red Sox catcher. Bizarre. – Kavner
Giants Send Arraez To Active Phillies Ahead of Deadline
Who else is involved: The Giants received pitching prospects Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair. The Phillies also received reliever Caleb Kilian.
The Phillies needed help in the outfield, so naturally, they acquired a second baseman. Similar to the Yankees’ position at this deadline, Philly had to upgrade its middling offense in any way, shape, or form, and Arraez’s always-elite bat-to-ball skills will be a major improvement. The Phillies’ 92 wRC+ is tied with the Mets and Blue Jays for 26th in the majors.
Arraez was reportedly insistent on remaining at second base in any trade that involved him. The Phillies will apparently honor that request and plug him in at second. And that’s the right move. Arraez leads the NL with a .324 batting average. He has an .801 OPS. Following longtime concerns about his defense, he’s improved his glove under Ron Washington’s tutelage. The Phillies gained a major upgrade.
So, how will the rest of the Phillies roster accommodate Arraez on the diamond? There are some options. They can move Bryce Harper from first base back to right field, shift Bryson Stott from second base to third and toss Alec Bohm across the diamond from third base to first.
Luis Arraez is going from a losing situation in San Francisco to a playoff race in Philadelphia. (Brendon Baranov/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Harper, who recently said he would be willing to return to the outfield to accommodate a trade, would be playing right field for the first time since he underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2022 season. It would be a nice full-circle moment for Harper, who last week called out the front office for roster help, signaling his fractured relationship with Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
In another scenario, Harper could stay at first while Stott moves to the outfield to make room for Arraez at second. Philly can also shift Trea Turner from shortstop to the outfield and move Stott to short. Regardless, the Phillies will figure it out for the 29-year-old Arraez, who’s a rental pickup before he hits free agency after this season.
The Giants, meanwhile, were always going to deal Arraez and get something back before he entered free agency. They did well to acquire Marquez, the No. 4 overall top prospect in the Phillies’ system, per MLB Pipeline. The 20-year-old right-hander is widely viewed as Philly’s best pitching prospect. Marquez has excellent stuff and is certainly a name to watch, even though he’s still only at High-A.
It’s classic Dombrowski to deplete major pieces from the top of the farm system in his attempt to win a championship before potentially moving on. The Phillies’ window to win is getting smaller every year, and this aggressive approach is warranted, even if Arraez is not the right-handed bat they need.
Heliot Ramos Heads To The Bronx
Who else is involved: Giants received infielder Kaeden Kent and left-handed pitcher Henry Lalane
Ramos, 26 years old and two years removed from an All-Star nod, joins the Yankees as a controllable bat through 2029. He figures to help fill a need for more power in the lineup while Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton remain sidelined indefinitely by injuries. Overall, Ramos was slashing .264/.304/.424 (.728 OPS) with nine home runs in 74 games for the Giants this season.
He hits the ball hard. Except, especially this season, he hasn’t been doing that enough. He slugged 22 home runs in 2024, 21 homers in 2025, and has only hit nine homers this year. It can be exhausting and maddening to watch, which won’t translate into a ton of support from the Bronx faithful. Unfortunately for Ramos, it’s easy to see his tenure in New York quickly going sideways if he continues in this slump.
(Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
But the primary objective behind New York’s trade for Ramos is his success mashing left-handers. Ramos owns an .835 OPS against southpaws this season, though seven of his nine home runs came against righties. The Yankees don’t exactly need help in this department; the Bronx Bombers have a .414 slugging percentage, ranked sixth in the majors, against lefties.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman wanted to give manager Aaron Boone some options to deploy against opposite arms. Paired with trade-deadline pickup Luis Garcia Jr., who mashes righties, the Yankees now figure they have platoon advantages until their regular sluggers return. One of their main needs coming into the deadline was to acquire a right-handed bat, and Ramos fits the mold.
New York’s grade for the Ramos acquisition suffered even more because they dealt Lalane, their No. 5 overall top prospect, and Kent, the son of Hall of Famer Jeff Kent and No. 13 prospect, to San Francisco as part of the deal. It’s a pretty massive overpay, considering MLB Pipeline praises Kent for his high baseball IQ, quality left-handed swing and penchant for making line-drive contact. It’s likely the Yankees would have lost Lalane to his Rule 5 eligibility as soon as this winter, unless they added him to their 40-man roster.
But these are promising pieces they gave up, so the Yankees have to hope they can find some real consistency with Ramos — and they don’t have time to wait around for it. –Thosar
Cubs Add Holmes To Rotation & Taylor To Outfield
Who else is involved: Mets receive top infield prospect Jefferson Rojas.
The Cubs continued to add and boost their pitching staff with aggressive moves, and the Mets finally got their top-100 prospect in the league.
Rojas was Chicago’s No. 2 prospect, and parting ways with him was a steep price to pay for a two-month rental in Holmes, despite how successful he was as a starter before he fractured his fibula on a comebacker in May. As much as the Mets thought Freddy Peralta would be their ace in 2026, it was actually Holmes who quietly put up a 2.39 ERA and struck out 45 over 52 ⅔ innings this season. He was on the brink of completing his rehab assignment before the Cubs traded for him, making him immediately available for the North Siders.
Taylor is a solid defender and his bat was starting to heat up, particularly against left-handed pitching, before the trade. He should be a solid late-inning option for Craig Counsell and is also known for being a terrific teammate and clubhouse glue guy. But Holmes was the centerpiece of this deal.
Holmes will join a new-look Cubs rotation that features Kevin Gausman, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson, Colin Rea and Javier Assad, with a few of those slated to shift to the bullpen once they have a full staff. It’s worth noting that Edward Cabrera is also expected to come off the injured list sometime this month. The Cubs now have a solid postseason rotation, vastly improved from earlier this season. They currently hold the top NL wild card spot with a four-game lead.
For David Stearns’ Mets, this was his best move of the deadline. Rojas should slot in as the club’s No. 1 overall top prospect when the dust settles on their busy week. The 21-year-old has an .800 OPS with 15 home runs in 91 games at Double-A this year. Rojas is known for plus bat-to-ball skills paired with a solid balance of aggression and patience at the plate and promising higher-end exit velocities that hint at untapped power still to come, per Baseball America’s scouting report.
Long term, Rojas is expected to move to third or second base, which lines up nicely with the Mets’ major-league needs. If there was one thing Stearns needed to do at this deadline, it was acquire a corner infielder who’s ready to make the jump to the big leagues. It wouldn’t be surprising if Rojas is called up in September.
In all, the Mets made eight trades and injected nine prospects into their top 30 — with Rojas being their only new top 100 prospect. They traded away eight big leaguers to cap their wide-ranging deadline sell-off. – Thosar
Mariners Add Potential Impact Bat, Acquire Ward From Orioles
Who else is involved: The Orioles received right-handers Brock Moore, Alex Hoppe and Harrison Kreiling.
The Mariners are going for it. There were some lingering questions going into the trade deadline about which direction Seattle would go after making it to the ALCS last year and falling short of those expectations this year. Even as of Monday morning, it was difficult to predict which way the M’s would end up going. They entered Monday two games out of the final AL wild card spot, with just three teams (the Guardians, Twins and Rangers) ahead of them.
Now, their trade for Ward makes their position clear. They needed a right-handed hitter desperately, ranking 28th in the majors against left-handed pitching with a .303 on-base percentage. Ward owns a .383 OBP this season, and a .413 OBP against lefties. Though it’s a bit of a concern that Ward’s terrific career slugging numbers have taken a massive hit this year. He owns a .425 career slugging percentage, with last year’s .475 mark representing the best of his career. This season, that mark has dipped to .346. It’s baffling.
Still, Ward leads the AL in walks with 87. He’s a free agent after this season and will fit in perfectly in right field for what Seattle needs to compete. In a market where right-handed bats are in huge demand, the M’s did a nice job getting their outfielder without giving up more than a few bullpen arms.
The Orioles, it seems, are choosing quantity over quality. It’s hard to imagine president of baseball operations Mike Elias couldn’t get a better return for Ward’s elite on-base skills.
Padres Add Robbie Ray To Rotation
Who else is involved: The Padres received two prospects: right-handed pitcher Miguel Mendez and shortstop Joniel Hernandez.
The intra-division trades continue.
Ray, a rental for the lowly Giants, was a lock to be moved at the deadline and goes to a San Diego team that desperately needed the rotation help if it wanted any hope of making a run at a wild-card spot. Padres starters rank 27th in ERA this year, and San Diego is still awaiting the returns of Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove from the injured list. The club needed another reliable option (or two) to pair with Michael King.
Ray’s strikeout rate is down this year, and his underlying numbers suggest some regression, but he has a 3.08 ERA and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 19 of his 22 starts this year. He also has a 1.09 ERA over his last eight starts. At the least, he should provide more stability. That is worth the cost of two prospects with some upside.
Mendez, who was on the Padres’ 40-man roster, has an ERA near 5.00 at Double-A, but he excelled at High-A last year. He will need to develop a third pitcher to stick as a starter over the long haul, but his fastball-slider combo gives him a strong starting point to potentially contribute to a big-league staff soon. Hernandez is a 17-year-old shortstop who is putting up big numbers in the Dominican Summer League. – Kavner
Brewers Turn To The … Cardinals For Pitching Help
Who else is involved: The Cardinals received outfield prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale
Every trade needs context. May and Romero should both be productive pieces the rest of the year in Milwaukee. May is pitching better than his 4.38 ERA would indicate. Romero has a 3.35 ERA, and though he’s getting hit harder this year, he has been a reliable southpaw in the St. Louis bullpen for years. They could also both help in October, and I have no doubt Milwaukee will get the best out of them.
But this is not pushing in. This is not adding star power. This is not acquiring Tarik Skubal. At some point, it’s time to use all that prospect capital to be shopping in that realm. If not now, when?
This is a nice return for a rental starter and reliever. After spending much of the last year trying to restock the minors with better pitching, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom adds a significant outfield boost to the farm with this move. Frias, 18, and Ragsdale, 22, are both high-upside mid-level prospects. Frias was exceptional in rookie ball and has raw power and a strong arm to work with, while Ragsdale has 19 homers and 31 steals between High-A and Double-A this year. – Kavner
Guards Add Griffin To Rotation
Who else is involved: The Nationals received four prospects: left-handers Will Dion and Josh Hartle, right-hander Kendeglys Virguez and outfielder Nick Mitchell.
That’s a significant move at the buzzer. Griffin’s a terrific story, a 2014 first-round pick who returned stateside this season after three years in Japan and made his first All-Star team at 30 years old. (He just turned 31.) He also happened to be the most consistent arm on a Washington pitching staff that ranks 27th in ERA.
Griffin thrives with command and variety. His fastball sits in the low 90s, but he can throw the kitchen sink at opponents. His arsenal includes seven pitches, which helps get opposing hitters to chase, and he doesn’t allow free passes. He adds more depth to an already strong Cleveland rotation headlined by standout rookie Parker Messick and Gavin Williams.
The prospect return is more quantity over quality. None of the players the Guardians lost were considered among their top 20 prospects, according to MLB’s rankings. Hartle, a 2024 third-round pick who has a 3.86 ERA at Double-A, is the most highly regarded of the quartet. Dion is a reliever who has appeared in 12 games for the Guardians this season. Virguez has a 4.13 ERA with a high strikeout (36.3%) and walk rate (12.1%) between High-A and Double-A. Mitchell was a 2024 fourth-round pick.
If you had told the Nationals before the season that a one-year flier on Griffin would result in four prospects, they surely would’ve taken that in a heartbeat. But it would’ve been more fun for this year’s Nationals group to see Griffin get extended, and knowing how he has performed, I thought we might see at least one prospect with a bit more upside. The Nats have added a ton of arms to the farm at the deadline, which was a clear objective. – Kavner
Blue Jays Get Jose Soriano To Help Rotation
Who else is involved: The Angels received three prospects: SS Arjun Nimmala, OF Eddie Micheletti Jr., RHP Angel Rivero.
This is one of the most interesting deals of the deadline, as the last-place Blue Jays, shortly after trading away one of the top rental starters in Kevin Gausman, now add one of the top controllable arms available in Soriano. This, friends, is what we call threading the needle.
Jose Soriano will now aim to help the Blue Jays make a second-half push .(Getty)
Soriano got off to an extraordinary start to the season with a 0.84 ERA at the end of April. He has a 4.59 ERA in his 15 starts since then and has gotten hit harder and seen his strikeout rate fall, but he just wrapped up a productive month of July in which he got his season back on track. His walk rate can be an issue, but he’s 27 years old with a career 3.72 ERA and an ability to both keep the ball on the ground and miss bats. That’s an extremely valuable piece for a Blue Jays team that needs to add arms to the rotation alongside Dylan Cease and Trey Yesavage in the years to come. If Soriano, who’s under team control through 2028, can help spark a miraculous second-half surge, even better.
If there were any questions before about Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak’s ability to actually create change under owner Arte Moreno, that’s out the window. Dealing a controllable arm to restock the lagging farm system with potentially impact talent is a move the Angels never could have or would have made under their previous regime. The Angels are not a team that’s one move away from winning.
This move is a long-awaited acknowledgment of reality. Nimmala, a 20-year-old former first round pick who has an .806 OPS at Double-A, immediately becomes their best position player prospect. He could be one of the best prospects moved at the deadline. The other prospects aren’t as highly regarded, though they have been productive — Micheletti has an .800 OPS with 14 homers at Double-A, while Rivero has a 2.36 ERA in rookie ball. — Kavner
Pirates Add Weaver To Bolster ‘Pen
Who else is involved: The Mets received shortstop Sammy Stafura.
Weaver, 32, has been so good this year that he was widely considered the best reliever available this summer. He appeared in 42 games for the Mets this season, recording a 1.84 ERA, 15 holds, one save, 45 strikeouts, 11 walks and a 0.82 WHIP. Weaver has given up just one earned run since May 1 (across his last 30 relief appearances and 32 innings pitched). He’s also under control for one more season. Which is exactly why this return for the Mets is extremely underwhelming.
Stafura, a Cortland, N.Y. native, moved from the Reds to the Pirates for Ke’Bryan Hayes at last year’s deadline. He was considered Pittsburgh’s No. 9 overall top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and now slots into the Mets’ system as their No. 10 overall top prospect.
Stafura has been crushing the ball this year — the 21-year-old has a .960 OPS with 20 home runs in 60 games between Single-A and High-A this season. But he’s still an unknown quantity as a prospect, and the next steps of his development with the Mets will be key to how valuable this swap can actually be long-term.
From the Pirates’ perspective, Weaver could be their closer both this year and next. He’s under contract for $12.5 million in 2027. The Bucs can finally slide left-hander Gregory Soto down into a setup role, and new relief addition Camilo Doval can be used in lower-leverage spots. The Pirates entered Monday ranked 22nd in bullpen ERA (4.34) in the majors.
Guardians Add Addell To Outfield
Who else is involved: The Angels received catching prospect Jacob Cozart.
Adell, a former first-round pick and top prospect, is not having a great season in Anaheim. He’s hitting slightly below league average, and though he has had some highlight-reel plays, he does not grade out well defensively. Still, his upside and ability to mash lefties and hit the ball out of the yard made him one of the more desirable right-handed bats available at the deadline, and he’s under team control through next season.
The Guardians, per usual, simply needed to find a way to bring more power to a lineup that ranks last in the majors in slugging and OPS and 29th in runs scored. Adell, despite his issues getting on base, should help. He had 37 homers and 98 RBI in a career year last season. His hard-hit and barrel rates have dropped precipitously this year back closer to his career norms, and his on-base percentage has remained below .300 every year of his career, but he still has 16 home runs on the season — a tally that’s greater than any hitter in the Guardians lineup. Maybe he becomes an October hero with a change of scenery.
Cozart, a 2024 second-round pick, is a 6-foot-3-inch, defense-first catching prospect. He slashed .235/.341/.371 last year between High-A and Double-A and has a nearly identical slash line this year (.239/.330/.384) at Double-A.
It’s a perfectly reasonable return for Adell, but that reality is a bit disappointing considering the prospect pedigree and what he displayed last year. – Kavner
Dodgers Win The Deadline By Acquiring Tarik Skubal
Who else is involved: The Tigers received three prospects: outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith.
The rich got richer as the two-time defending champions acquired the prize of the deadline. The Dodgers kept all of their big-league players and each of their two top (and arguably three) star outfield prospects and still managed to land Skubal. The reigning back-to-back Cy Young Award winner joins the reigning back-to-back world champions, whose strong chances of winning a third straight World Series title get even stronger. How could they possibly receive another grade?
Their ability to outbid goes beyond their seemingly endless pocketbooks; clearly, it extends to their prospect capital, despite their annual triumphs preventing them from accessing the top picks in the draft. And now, through the help of their thriving farm system, they have added Skubal to an already star-studded rotation that didn’t need the help nearly as much as some of baseball’s other top contenders.
They did it because they could. And because their desire to three-peat knows no bounds.
Skubal joins Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP and a proven October ace, in a rotation that includes All-Star Justin Wrobleski and, by the end of the season, he could also include two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, 2024 All-Star Tyler Glasnow and four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani. Snell, Glasnow and Ohtani are currently sidelined (at least as a pitcher, in Ohtani’s case), but all of them are either nearing a return or expected back before season’s end.
Snell said he’s feeling the best he has felt in three years after his elbow procedure and is only expected to need one more rehab outing before returning to action. Ohtani’s knee is keeping him off the mound for now, but he’s still healthy enough to be in the Dodgers’ lineup and is expected to pitch in October. Glasnow is about to start his rehab assignment.
None of that includes Emmet Sheehan or Roki Sasaki, who seems to be figuring things out with a 2.25 ERA over his last four starts. Wrobleski, Sheehan and Sasaki are helping to hold down the fort as the injured stars work their way back.
Many assumed it would take at least one of Sheehan or Wrobleski to headline a Skubal package. Somehow, the Dodgers got it done without any of them, with two days left to spare before the deadline. Somehow, no other team offered better.
Zyhir Hope is one of the best prospects in the minors. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
To be clear, it’s not that this is a bad return. Hope, who has 23 homers and 18 steals at Double-A, is a tremendously gifted prospect, arguably one of the top 25 in the sport. Ryan is one of the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects, though he’s also about to turn 28, missed last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and has barely pitched this year due to lingering hamstring issues. Smith has racked up strikeouts this year between Low-A and High-A. All of them bring upside.
But, even for a rental, I expected more. This is Tarik Skubal we’re talking about. Brewers? Rays? Braves? Where you at?
The rich get richer. The rest of the baseball world weeps. – Kavner
Yankees Add Bat By Acquiring Garcia From The Nationals
Who else is involved: The Nationals received four pitching prospects: right-handers Yovanny Cruz, Jack Cebert, Ben Grable and Jake Bird.
The Yankees finally got their big bat, and even though a four-prospect package seems costly, look under the hood, and GM Brian Cashman didn’t pay much for what might end up being the best hitter moved at this deadline.
Garcia Jr. leads the National League in slugging (.560) and instantly becomes the second-best hitter in the Yankees lineup, behind Ben Rice. He’s 26 years old, and New York will have him under control for one more year before he hits free agency in 2028. Particularly in this market where position players and sluggers are scarce, this is an excellent acquisition to address the Yankees’ offense problem with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton sidelined indefinitely by injuries.
The only real wrinkle with Garcia’s impact in the Bronx is where exactly the Yankees will play him.
Besides DHing, Garcia has played exclusively at first base this season. He has experience playing second base — with mixed results. He played 129 games at second base last year and graded as a poor defender there, posting -7 Outs Above Average for the Nationals in 2025. He was much better at second base in 2024, registering 5 OAA in 129 games.
The Yankees already have two first basemen on the roster in Rice and Paul Goldschmidt, with the latter receiving reps mainly against left-handers. If the Yankees plan to throw Garcia into that platoon, then it would make most sense to plug Rice into everyday DH duties, with Goldschmidt coming off the bench against southpaws. If they play Garcia at second, that puts Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s playing time into question. Chisholm will hit free agency after this season, so New York can shift Garcia to second base for 2027, presuming they believe they can improve his defense there. Whenever Stanton returns healthy from his season-long calf strain, it will only complicate matters even more. Stanton is typically limited to DH-only duties, with reps in the outfield only in emergencies or days off for other players.
Luis Garcia Jr. brings a big bat to the Bronx but it’s unclear which position he’ll play. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
From the Nationals’ perspective, even though they desperately need bullpen help, it’s hard to believe they couldn’t swing some more promising arms for Garcia. The headliner from their return is Cruz, who has a 1.69 ERA in 5 ⅓ innings and four games in his rookie season this year. Right-handers Cebert and Grable are prospects ranked No. 14 and 25 in the Yankees system, per MLB Pipeline. And Bird, who has a 5.93 ERA in 30 ⅓ innings pitched this season, was purely a throwaway in the deal.
Sure, Washington is still one or two years away from their contention window, but this seems like an underpay from the Yankees for a bat that rakes in Garcia. Parting ways with depth relievers for much-needed pop in the lineup is a no-brainer for Cashman. It’s surprising the Nationals didn’t receive better offers for Garcia. They could have waited until the offseason to deal him, or even extended him through his prime years so that he could be a part of their contention window. – Thosar
Cubs Add Veteran Starter In Gausman From Blue Jays
Who else is involved: The Blue Jays received two prospects: outfielder Brett Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene.
It’s been an emotional, rollercoaster season for Gausman. After getting out to a solid start, including recording 21 strikeouts across his first 12 innings pitched this season, Gausman took a turn for the worse around the middle of June. He’s slogging through his worst career season since 2019, with his 4.38 ERA ranked 45th among 53 qualified starting pitchers. But, even with as many starters that are available on the market this summer, there are few with his postseason pedigree.
Gausman had an exceptional playoff run with the Blue Jays last year, and the Cubs clearly noticed that he was a major reason Toronto won the American League pennant. He recorded a 2.93 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 30 ⅔ innings in six games last October, and that type of slow heartbeat under the brightest lights on the game’s biggest stage is exactly what this Cubs pitching staff needed.
The Cubs (63-49) had one thing on their deadline checklist this year: pitching, pitching, and more pitching. Holding onto the first NL wild card spot with a four-game lead, the Cubs rotation owns a 4.25 ERA, good for 14th in MLB. But things have already started to look up even before this blockbuster trade for Gausman. Since June, Chicago’s rotation has owned the fifth-best ERA (3.71) in the majors. Since July, their starters are second in MLB with a 3.38 ERA.
Gausman adds postseason experience to a rotation that features Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson, Colin Rea and Javier Assad. Edward Cabrera is due back from the injured list sometime this month, which means Rea and Assad will likely shift to the bullpen. That’s already a strong staff, and there are rumblings within the industry that they might not even be done adding to the rotation, hoping to swing another deal for a starter under team control beyond 2026 in a market that’s unusually flooded with pitchers.
Chicago gave up its No. 13 and 21 ranked top prospects, per MLB Pipeline, for Gausman, who will become a free agent at 35 years old at the end of this season. The Cubs actually lucked out here, because if Gausman was performing up to his expected numbers this season (3.51 FIP), they’d have to give up a lot more than just Bateman and Southisene. Even though they don’t flash one of the top ranked farm systems in baseball, the Cubs do have solid position-player depth, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was smart to lean on that advantage to strike a deal with the Jays.
Though I would’ve liked to see the Jays get a slightly bigger package from the Cubs for a veteran pitcher with Gausman’s track record — he does, after all, have a 26.8% strikeout rate that’s top 25 in MLB since 2020 — he’s still a rental putting up a largely disappointing season. In this buyer’s market, the high-contact hitters Toronto acquired make for a decent enough haul. – Thosar
Rays Send Mets 3 Prospects For Struggling Freddy Peralta
Rays: B-
Mets: B+
Who else is involved: The Mets received three prospects: outfielder Aidan Smith, right-hander Gary Gill Hill and second baseman Emilien Pitre.
The Rays whiffed on Skubal but quickly pivoted to Peralta to finally get their starter. There are a couple of ways to look at how this trade works out for Tampa Bay.
On one hand, there is genuine concern about whether Peralta can turn his season around after a disappointing four months in New York. The 30-year-old right-hander, who will become a free agent after this season, went 5-9 and registered a 4.99 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 22 starts for the Mets. It was easily the worst stretch of his career.
Even the underlying metrics aren’t great for Peralta. His fastball run value went from a 9 (excellent) last year to -2 (poor) this year. His strikeout rate has dipped, his walk rate has increased, and he’s giving up more home runs than he did last year in what was a Cy Young-caliber season for the Brewers.
So, giving up three prospects who are ranked No. 15, 26, and 27 in the Rays’ system, per MLB Pipeline, for a struggling two-month rental starter seems like an overpay.
That being said, if any team believes it can fix all that has gone wrong for Peralta this year, it’s the Rays. They’re widely respected throughout the industry for their ability to develop top-tier arms, using innovative pitch usage and strategies to get them there. Tampa Bay consistently fields high-performing, cost-effective pitching staffs. And with a top-10 bullpen in the league, even Peralta’s inability to pitch, on average, more than 5 ⅓ innings per start shouldn’t be an issue. He joins a strong rotation that includes right-handers Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez and lefty Shane McClanahan, who just went on the injured list.
Freddy Peralta will hope that a change of scenery will help ignite his 2026 season. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
As far as the Mets, they were never going to be able to recoup what they gave up for Peralta over the offseason — sending two of their top five prospects in infielder/outfielder Jett Williams and right-hander Brandon Sproat to the Brewers. That’s part of why they’re not getting a higher grade here.
It was always going to be tough to net a team’s top-10 prospect for Peralta at this deadline after the poor season he’s put together. So, the fact that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was able to dip into the Rays’ top farm system and acquire a three-player package can be considered a lukewarm success.
Smith, a righty-swinging 22-year-old outfielder, is the highest-ranked prospect of the haul, but Pitre is the most intriguing. He’s known for his speed, mature approach at the plate and excellent bat-to-ball skills. He takes his walks and doesn’t swing and miss. Pitre is currently slashing .323/.451/.492 across 37 games in Double-A, and the Mets could use more second basemen who are ready to graduate to the upper levels of the minor leagues. – Thosar
Mariners Send Castillo To White Sox For Seranthony Dominguez
Who else is involved: The Mariners received right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and catching prospect Boston Smith.
The White Sox need more reliable starting pitching. This…was not the veteran pitcher I expected them to land. Castillo is a three-time All-Star who was an important piece helping end Seattle’s 20-year playoff drought when the Mariners traded for him in 2022. He was productive over his next three seasons with the Mariners, as well, registering a combined 3.50 ERA from 2023-25 while throwing more than 175 innings in each of those seasons. This year…has not gone the same.
Castillo, 33, has been a below-replacement-level player in 2026 with a 5.06 ERA and the lowest strikeout rate of his career. He was making $24.15 million this year and is due the same amount next season. He also has a $25 million vesting option in 2028 if he reaches the 180-inning mark next season. The White Sox are reportedly taking on the full amount. That’s a lot of money for a pitcher whose numbers — both real and underlying — are trending in the wrong direction.
Castillo can eat innings, so maybe they have something else up their sleeves to raise the group’s ceiling as it attempts to end a four-year playoff drought. They’ll at least get some relief by moving the contract of Domínguez, who was making $7.5 million this year and is due $10.5 million next year.
The Mariners already have five other reliable starters in Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, Emerson Hancock and have top prospect Kade Anderson knocking on the door. They did not need Castillo, and they got his contract off the books.
Domínguez helps fill a bullpen need, and Smith immediately becomes one of the more interesting position player prospects in Seattle’s system. The 2025 sixth-round pick is a left-handed-hitting catcher with an OPS over 1.100 at Double-A. This move doesn’t exactly help lift the Mariners in 2026, however, so it’ll be interesting to see how much help they add over the next few days. A right-handed bat certainly wouldn’t hurt. – Kavner
Braves Add Bat In OF Lane Thomas
Who else is involved: Braves also acquire LHP Bailey Falter; Royals acquire RHP Lucas Braun and LHP Carter Holton.
The Braves are enjoying a bounce-back season from Michael Harris II in center field, but right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr has been on the injured list twice with a hamstring injury and Atlanta’s left fielders have produced a .646 OPS this year, the second-worst mark in MLB. In addition, the offense had a .692 OPS against lefties in July, a total that ranked 21st in baseball.
Thomas, who has an .800 OPS against lefties and can play both corner spots, is a logical fit in a market short on right-handed bats. At the very least, he can platoon against lefties and has a patient approach, strong arm and speed. Falter, meanwhile, has spent most of the year at Triple-A and can help add depth in a swingman or long relief role.
Braun, who was ranked the Braves’ No. 8 prospect by MLB (and a top-20 prospect in the system by most outlets), projects as a back-end starter. He doesn’t miss many bats, but he has been durable and effective at the upper minors. He had a 3.67 ERA in 149 ⅔ innings last year between Double-A and Triple-A and has a 3.53 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 94 ⅓ innings between the two stops this year. Holton was the Braves’ second-round pick in 2024 and has a 5.08 ERA at low-A. It would’ve been nice to get a little more upside when there are so few right-handed hitters available, but it’s an acceptable return for a veteran rental. – Kavner
Pirates Bolster Bullpen With Doval
Who else is involved: The Yankees acquire two prospects: C Omar Alfonzo and OF Luis Cruz.
As it stands, the Pirates are buying low, hoping they can extract the upside out of Doval that the Yankees couldn’t after New York traded for the hard-throwing Dominican right-hander at last year’s deadline. Doval was a below-replacement-level arm in the second half for the Yankees last year and is again through the first half of this season, registering a 4.63 ERA during his time in the Bronx.
Three years ago, Doval looked like one of the game’s most promising relievers. An All-Star at 25 years old with the Giants in 2023, he featured a cutter that averaged close to 100 mph and recorded an NL-best 39 saves. But he was unable to consistently replicate that form or maintain his control in the ensuing years and was recently relegated to lower-leverage duties with the Yankees.
Doval hasn’t walked as many batters this year. Also, he still throws hard, he keeps the ball on the ground, and his expected ERA (3.61) is about a full run better than his actual mark of 4.54. His strikeout rate continues to plummet, though, and he is allowing the highest hard-hit rate and average exit velocity of his career.
There are clear tools here, though, so the “+” on the Pirates’ grade is in part because Doval is still under team control for another season. But the fact that the Yankees — who are also in need of bullpen help — were willing to just move on after Doval’s disappointing tenure is telling.
That said, it wasn’t particularly surprising. Doval clearly wasn’t figuring it out with the Yankees, who at least turned him into a prospect at a position of need in Alfonzo, a left-handed-hitting catcher who was a top-20 Pirates prospect according to MLB’s rankings and has a .757 OPS at Double-A. Cruz is a dart throw, but the 18-year-old had an .856 OPS for the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League team. I’d expect the Yankees to look for another high-leverage arm, in addition to their offensive needs. — Kavner
