Congratulations: You’ve made it through to the other side of the MLB trade deadline. Welcome to your place to catch up on the activity of every contender. (For the purposes of this exercise, we’re defining “contender” as every team that entered Tuesday either in possession of a playoff spot or within three games of one.) While the Justin Verlander trade dominated the news of Deadline Day, there were plenty of other moves to know, too. Here’s your recap:
Baltimore Orioles
Acquired right-handed starter Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals in exchange for minor league infielder César Prieto and minor league pitcher Drew Rom. Acquired right-handed reliever Shintaro Fujinami from the A’s in exchange for minor league pitcher Easton Lucas.
The Orioles have been enjoying a spectacular year. Their young core is finally in place. Their bullpen has been outstanding. And yet … there’s perhaps no contender who could have benefited from making a top-line starting pitching addition as much as Baltimore. While its rotation has been solid thus far—enough to put it in first place—it doesn’t have the depth or experience to inspire much confidence in a playoff run. Flaherty helps, certainly, but he’s been just below league average this season, and he should fit in right in the middle of this group. Even if the Orioles didn’t want to part with any of their most prized prospects to land, say, Verlander, they could have tried to go a little bigger here. Alas! The lack of a big deadline acquisition here certainly isn’t damning. (And this front office is clearly looking at a window of contention that should extend far beyond this year, anyway.) But it stings that there wasn’t a splashier move here.
Tampa Bay Rays
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Acquired right-handed starter Aaron Civale from the Guardians in exchange for minor league first baseman Kyle Manzardo. Acquired right-handed starter Adrian Sampson and minor league pitcher Manny Rodriguez from the Cubs in exchange for minor league pitcher Josh Roberson.
The top of Tampa Bay’s rotation has been stellar this year. But it’s lacked depth as injuries have hit the back of the staff hard. Enter the need for Civale—who was enjoying a career year in Cleveland (2.34 ERA in 13 starts). It’s true that Manzardo is considered a plum prospect to give up for a pitcher who doesn’t exactly have a record of consistency. But if anyone can keep this kind of performance going forward for Civale, it’s a savvy organization like the Rays, and the starter is under contract for 2024 and ‘25, too. (While the Sampson acquisition isn’t nearly as splashy, he’s also a pitcher enjoying a career year who should provide some depth here.) Will this be enough for the Rays to take first place back from the Orioles? Perhaps. But it certainly helps.
Toronto Blue Jays
Acquired shortstop Paul DeJong from Cardinals in exchange for minor league pitcher Matt Svanson. Acquired right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals in exchange for minor league pitchers Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein. Acquired left-handed reliever Génesis Cabrera from the Cardinals in exchange for minor league catcher Sammy Hernandez. Acquired infielder Mason McCoy from the Mariners in exchange for pitcher Trent Thornton.
Notice a theme here? The Cardinals have got to know the Blue Jays’ farm system better than their own at this point. Much of this activity was to cover injuries: Hicks will slot in for Toronto closer Jordan Romano, who’s sidelined right now with back inflammation, and DeJong can cover for Bo Bichette, who injured his knee earlier this week. (Mercifully for Toronto, though, Bichette did not sustain any structural damage.) These moves should let the Blue Jays stay above water in a tough AL East, helping them keep their hands on a wild-card berth, if nothing else.
Boston Red Sox
Acquired minor league pitchers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman from the Dodgers in exchange for utility player Kiké Hernández.
Feel a bit weird to see the Red Sox as a contender here? It probably should. But they’re just two-and-a-half games out of a wild-card spot … which clearly was not enough to make them buyers here. (Not in this AL East.) Hence this relatively quiet deadline, selling off no one except Hernández, a pending free agent who had been struggling in Boston.
Minnesota Twins
Acquired right-handed reliever Dylan Floro from the Marlins in exchange for right-handed reliever Jorge López.
How does one approach the weakest division in baseball? If you’re the Twins, the answer is by doing almost nothing at all, making sure a potential trip to the playoffs will be a quick one.
Cleveland Guardians
Acquired minor league first baseman Kyle Manzardo from the Rays in exchange for right-handed starter Aaron Civale. Acquired right-handed starter Noah Syndergaard from the Dodgers in exchange for shortstop Amed Rosario. Acquired infielder Jean Segura (who will be released) and minor league infielder Kahlil Watson from the Marlins in exchange for first baseman Josh Bell.
If it felt weird to see the Red Sox listed as a contender, well, consider the Guardians. They’re just a game back of the Twins and theoretically could have tried to overtake them with a modest upgrade to this offense. But that never seemed in the cards for Cleveland. When its best potential trade chip, Shane Bieber, hit the injured list earlier this month, the front office simply moved further into the rotation by dealing Civale. And getting a first base prospect for Civale opened them up to deal current first baseman Josh Bell.
Texas Rangers
Acquired right-handed starter Max Scherzer and cash considerations from the Mets in exchange for minor league infielder Luisangel Acuña. Acquired left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery and right-handed reliever Chris Stratton from the Cardinals in exchange for minor league pitchers Tekoah Roby and John King and minor league infielder Thomas Saggese. Acquired catcher Austin Hedges from the Pirates in exchange for international cap space.
The Rangers have led the AL West since mid-April. With their best chance at a serious playoff run in a long time—Texas is coming off six consecutive losing seasons—the front office decided it wasn’t letting this moment pass without a big push. They made a splash by adding front-of-the-rotation starters Scherzer and Montgomery, fleshed out the bullpen with Stratton and got a defensive catcher in Hedges. (They didn’t need to do anything to this offense: It’s the best in the American League.) Yes, they gave up a lot of prospects to do it. But no team improved more this week.
Houston Astros
Acquired right-handed starter Justin Verlander from the Mets in exchange for minor league outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. Acquired right-handed reliever Kendall Graveman from the White Sox in exchange for catcher Korey Lee.
The Astros’ biggest need was starting pitching depth. They got that in a big way with Verlander—bringing back their erstwhile ace less than nine months after he left in free agency. The veteran should help stabilize this staff and bring experience down the stretch as Houston tries to overtake Texas.
Los Angeles Angels
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Acquired first baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Rockies in exchange for minor league pitchers Jake Madden and Mason Albright. Acquired right-handed starter Lucas Giolito and right-handed reliever Reynaldo López in exchange for minor league catcher Edgar Quero and minor league pitcher Ky Bush. Acquired right-handed reliever Dominic Leone from the Mets in exchange for minor league infielder Jeremiah Jackson.
The Angels took the most tantalizing potential trade chip off the market last week by announcing they would keep Shohei Ohtani. But while they certainly made some upgrades here, they didn’t quite do enough to make it seem like they have a serious shot at a playoff berth. (It doesn’t help that they likely lost first baseman Taylor Ward for the season after he was hit in the face by a pitch on Saturday.) This rotation is better than it was a week ago. The lineup will ideally benefit from the upcoming return of Mike Trout. But it would have taken much more than this pair of moves to give the Angels a real chance for October.
Atlanta Braves
Acquired left-handed reliever Brad Hand from the Rockies in exchange for minor league pitcher Alec Barger. Acquired infielder Nicky Lopez from the Royals in exchange for left-handed reliever Taylor Hearn. Acquired right-handed reliever Pierce Johnson from the Rockies in exchange for minor league pitchers Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon.
What do you get the team who already has everything? The Braves have the best record in baseball (and highest championship odds) by a very comfortable margin. Here, they went for a few modest, practical upgrades. With some bullpen depth here, a defensive-minded bench presence there, Atlanta looks as powerful as ever.
Philadelphia Phillies
Acquired right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen from the Tigers in exchange for minor league second baseman Hao-Yu Lee. Acquired infielder Rodolfo Castro from the Pirates in exchange for left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter.
It’s hard to parse the Phillies’ season, an up-and-down, injury-riddled carnival ride that has nevertheless landed the team in the center of the mix for a wild-card berth. They could have really used an upgrade in the outfield. But the pitching depth provided by Lorenzen—who might work as a swingman here rather than a true starter—should at least create some flexibility for this staff down the stretch.
Miami Marlins
Acquired right-handed reliever David Robertson from the Mets in exchange for minor league infielder Marco Vargas and minor league catcher Ronald Hernandez. Acquired infielder Jake Burger from the White Sox in exchange for minor league pitcher Jake Eder. Acquired first baseman Josh Bell from the Guardians in exchange for infielder Jean Segura and minor league infielder Kahlil Watson. Acquired right-handed reliever Jorge López from the Twins in exchange for right-handed reliever Dylan Floro. Acquired left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers from the Padres in exchange for first baseman Garrett Cooper and minor league pitcher Sean Reynolds.
The Marlins did their best to hang on to a wild-card berth here. They addressed two major needs with a closer in Robertson and a pair of sluggers in Burger and Bell—of course, another bullpen arm and one more bat would have been much appreciated, too, but this at least helped cover some obvious weaknesses.
Cincinnati Reds
Acquired left-handed pitcher Sam Moll and international cap space from the Mariners in exchange for minor league pitcher Joe Boyle.
The Reds’ fun bunch of rookies has seen them arrive at their window of contention a year (or two or three) ahead of schedule. To that end, they didn’t ever seem like potential big buyers, and they stuck with what they had at the deadline.
Milwaukee Brewers
Acquired outfielder Mark Canha from the Mets in exchange for minor league pitcher Justin Jarvis. Acquired first baseman Carlos Santana from the Pirates in exchange for minor league infielder Jhonny Severino. Acquired left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin from the Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handed reliever Peter Strzelecki.
The Brewers were in dire need of some offense: Their 90 team OPS+ is the worst of any contender on this list. While Canha and Santana have been slightly underperforming at the plate this year—both have been just roughly league average—they represent instant upgrades for an offense that needed them badly. That just might be what it takes for Milwaukee to reassert itself in the NL Central.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Acquired right-handed starter Lance Lynn and right-handed reliever Joe Kelly from the White Sox in exchange for outfielder Trayce Thompson and minor league pitchers Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure. Acquired shortstop Amed Rosario from the Guardians in exchange for right-handed starter Noah Syndergaard. Acquired utility player Kiké Hernández from the Red Sox in exchange for minor league pitchers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman. Acquired left-handed reliever Ryan Yarbrough from the Royals.
The Dodgers didn’t go for any big swings here. They brought back familiar faces in Kelly and Hernández, shored up a few obvious weaknesses (hello, shortstop) and added depth throughout. That’s enough to qualify as a productive deadline for a first-place team. But it’s hard to shake the idea that they could have really used one more starter. Which, in fairness, they did reportedly try to get! But they weren’t able to work out an alternative after Tigers pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez refused to waive his no-trade clause to go to L.A.
San Francisco Giants
Acquired outfielder A.J. Pollock and utility player Mark Mathias from the Mariners in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.
The Giants could have used some more offensive pop and some additional starting pitching depth. Instead, they more or less held still—all due respect to the bench additions of Pollock and Mathias.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Acquired outfielder Tommy Pham from the Mets in exchange for minor league infielder Jeremy Rodriguez. Acquired right-handed reliever Paul Sewald from the Mariners in exchange for outfielder Dominic Canzone, infielder Josh Rojas and minor league infielder Ryan Bliss. Acquired infielder Jace Peterson from the A’s in exchange for minor league pitcher Chad Patrick. Acquired right-handed reliever Peter Strzelecki from the Brewers in exchange for left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin.
The Diamondbacks’ recent performance has complicated their deadline strategy. After going a miserable 5–11 since the All-Star break, they’ve lost their grip on first place and have tumbled into the last wild-card berth. If they looked like clear buyers a month ago, well, they certainly didn’t by Aug. 1. The result was this kind of mild approach: They bolstered their offense with Pham, who’s having his best season in years, and added to the bullpen with Sewald, but they didn’t go for anything transformative here.
