MLB’s Largest Deadline Trades, Re-Ranked: Are the Tigers, Padres Pleased?

The Padres, Royals, and Phillies should be thrilled with their MLB trade deadline moves. 

The Cubs and Yankees? Not so much. 

While we can’t predict how the stretch run and postseason will unfold, we do have a decent sample size now to evaluate which moves we might have undervalued and which look a bit more suspect than initially anticipated. 

Maybe Ryan Helsley (0-3, 10.38 ERA for the Mets) gets back on track down the stretch. Maybe Camilo Doval (0-1, 5.79 ERA for the Yankees) will help a deep playoff run in the Bronx. 

A lot of time remains for the players who have gotten off to slow starts in their new spots, especially for those who were supposed to represent significant bullpen upgrades — to end the year on a high note. Until then, these are the 15 additions that look the best right now. 

(Note: Only players who were traded in the last two weeks of July were included — sorry, Rafael Devers. All stats are as of Thursday, Aug. 28.)

1) Padres acquire OF Ramon Laureano, 1B/DH Ryan O’Hearn

Laureano in SD: .315/.370/.598, 6 HR, 17 R, 20 RBI, 1 SB, 0.6 fWAR, 0.6 bWAR 
O’Hearn in SD: .269/.367/.448, 3 HR, 11 R, 10 RBI, 0.4 fWAR, 0.4 bWAR 

The Padres traded six prospects to the Orioles to make this happen, so the move was clearly a big deal at the time for a San Diego squad that desperately needed to find a way to lengthen its lineup and upgrade in left field. And yet, it still feels like it didn’t get the attention it deserved. O’Hearn was an All-Star in Baltimore, while Laureano was hitting 44% above league average at the deadline. They’ve both continued to rake for a Padres team that is now equipped to compete for a division title, in large part because of this move. 

By OPS, Laureano (.968) and O’Hearn (.815) have been two of the Padres’ four best hitters since the deadline, and no player who moved at the deadline has knocked in more runs than Laureano (20), whose presence is all the more important with Jackson Merrill nursing an ankle injury. The Padres are 15-10 in August, and their offense has already scored more runs this month than any previous month this season.

2) Astros acquire SS/3B Carlos Correa

Correa in HOU: .319/.385/.447, 3 HR, 12 R, 12 RBI, 0.9 fWAR, 1.0 bWAR

Correa’s last full season in Houston was in 2021, when he was a 26-year-old All-Star, a 7-WAR player and a Gold Glove Award-winning shortstop. The last few years in Minnesota had yielded a much more volatile version of the former Astros star. Correa was a below league-average hitter in 2023, an All-Star in 2024 who hit 53% above league average but missed half the season to injury, and then again a slightly below league average hitter in the first half this season with the Twins. But a return to Houston, where he decided to waive his no-trade clause, seems to have rejuvenated Correa, who has an .831 OPS while transitioning admirably to third base with Isaac Paredes out. If the Astros can hold off the Mariners in the division, it looks like Correa will be a significant reason why. 

3) Blue Jays acquire SP Shane Bieber

Bieber in TOR: 1 GS, 6 IP, 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 9 K, 0 BB, 0.2 fWAR, 0.3 bWAR

We’ll get a better idea Friday night how real Bieber’s debut performance with Toronto was when he makes his second start with his new club, but it certainly looked legit. The starting pitching market never materialized at the deadline, with the asking prices too high to see frontline arms such as MacKenzie Gore, Joe Ryan and Edward Cabrera move. Many contending teams in need of starters might regret their inaction…or at least regret not doing what the Blue Jays did, taking a flier on Bieber, who was in the late stages of his return from Tommy John surgery at the time. He has only made one start, but he looked like prime Bieber, who could be a major asset come October for a Toronto rotation that ranks 20th in ERA. 

4) Tigers acquire RP Kyle Finnegan

Finnegan in DET: 10 G, 11.2 IP, 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.43 WHIP, 15 K, 2 BB, 4/4 SV, 0.6 fWAR, 0.9 bWAR  

It seemed like the Tigers decided to use the deadline to make moves on the margins rather than find an impact piece. And yet in a market that saw a plethora of elite closers change hands, no high-leverage reliever has performed better than Finnegan, who has seen his strikeout rate double in his move from Washington to Detroit, where he has significantly increased the usage of a splitter that has been virtually untouchable. The pitch is responsible for 13 of his 15 strikeouts since the move, and he has not allowed a run in 10 appearances.

5) Padres acquire RP Mason Miller

Miller in SD: 10 G, 10 IP, 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 18 K, 5 BB, 1/2 SV, 0.3 fWAR, 0.5 bWAR 

It cost a fortune, with the Padres parting with one of baseball’s top prospects in shortstop Leo De Vries along with three pitching prospects, but this is not about grading who won or lost the deal — it’s about the impact of the player they received, and that player has the highest strikeout rate among all MLB relievers since he entered the league two years ago. He has gotten right back to it in San Diego with an MLB-best 47.4 K% in August. The Padres didn’t need him the way the Phillies needed Jhoan Duran — Miller is ceding most of the ninth-inning opportunities to closer Robert Suarez — but he turns an already formidable bullpen in San Diego into an absolute force and gives manager Mike Shildt a plethora of late-inning options. 

6) Phillies acquire RP Jhoan Duran

Duran in PHI: 10 G, 7.2 IP, 0-2, 2.35 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 9 K, 0 BB, 7/8 SV, 0.5 fWAR, 0.2 bWAR 

Through his first seven scoreless appearances in Philadelphia, Duran looked like the lockdown closer the Phillies have needed and the best midseason pickup in MLB. He allowed just two hits and secured each of his seven save opportunities in that time. Over his last three appearances, though, he has allowed eight hits and three runs (two earned), including four straight hits to the Mets on Tuesday without recording an out. Is this just a blip? Maybe some lingering effects of the comebacker off his foot two weeks ago? As long as he’s healthy, I expect to see more of what he demonstrated right when he arrived. He will be a vital piece for Philadelphia down the stretch. 

7) Mariners acquire 1B Josh Naylor

Naylor in SEA: .267/.319/.457, 5 HR, 16 R, 14 RBI, 11 SB, 0.7 fWAR, 1.1 bWAR 

That stolen base total is not a typo: Naylor, who had never swiped more than 10 bags in a full season before this year, has already stolen 11 in 29 games in Seattle (and had 11 in Arizona before the trade). That has helped increase his value, but the enhanced production the Mariners are getting from him with the bat is plenty valuable in its own right. He is already the team’s leader in WAR at first base this year. 

8) Royals acquire OF Mike Yastrzemski

Yastrzemski in KC: .260/.356/.603, 6 HR, 18 R, 12 RBI, 1.1 fWAR, 1.2 bWAR 

This deal snuck in at the buzzer, but it didn’t generate a ton of buzz at the time. It should now. Yastrzemski rarely has to face lefties — he’s 1-for-8 against them as a Royal, though that one hit is a home run — but he has an OPS over 1.000 against righties since joining Kansas City, and it’s time to take note of what he’s doing. He’s slugging over .600 since the move, has an equal number of walks (12) and strikeouts (12), and has given the Royals the outfield pop their lineup has needed. He’s a big reason why the Kansas City offense has scored more runs in August than any previous month this season. 

9) Yankees acquire RP David Bednar

Bednar in NYY: 10 G, 11.1 IP, 2-0, 3.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 19 K, 5 BB, 3/6 SV, 0.4 WAR,  0.2 bWAR  

It started on the wrong foot, with Bednar among the trio of new Yankees additions to collapse in their New York debut. Since then, though, he’s been great, striking out 17 batters with only two runs and three hits allowed in his last nine outings, though he has only converted half of his six save opportunities with his new club. 

10) Phillies acquire OF Harrison Bader

Bader in PHI: .313/.397/.493, 2 HR, 11 R, 6 RBI, 0.4 fWAR, 0.8 bWAR 

Bader, who’s quietly enjoying a career year, is giving the Phillies more than just a plus defender in center. If you take away the minimums, Kyle Schwarber (.956) is the only player with a higher OPS on the Phillies than Bader (.890). 

11) Reds acquire OF/DH Miguel Andujar

Andujar in CIN: .339/.413/.589, 3 HR, 11 R, 12 RBI, 0.4 fWAR, 0.5 bWAR 

His offensive numbers since joining Cincinnati are eye-popping — he is one of 15 batters this month with an OPS of 1.000 or higher in at least 50 plate appearances — and it only cost the Reds one lower-level prospect to acquire him. The problem is he may never get a chance to contribute for them in October. Andujar has been held back a bit lately dealing with a lingering quad issue, which is too bad for a Reds team that really could have used more of his bat while getting swept by the Dodgers this week and falling farther behind (four games back now) in the wild-card race. 

12) Mariners acquire 3B Eugenio Suárez

Suárez in SEA: .189/.260/.433, 6 HR, 14 R, 17 RBI, 3 SB, 0.3 fWAR, 0.0 bWAR 

The top power threat on the market is starting to heat up. After a painfully slow start in Seattle, he has four home runs in his last seven games. This is starting to look like what the Mariners signed up for. 

13) Royals acquire SP Ryan Bergert

Bergert in KC: 5 GS, 28.1 IP, 2.54 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 25 K, 8 BB, 0.3 WAR, 0.8 bWAR 

14) Rangers acquire SP Merrill Kelly

Kelly in TEX: 5 GS, 29 IP, 1-1, 3.10 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 26 K, 8 BB, 0.3 WAR, 0.3 bWAR 

We’re grouping these together considering their eerily similar numbers beteween Berget and Kelly. But Bergert gets the edge in ranking here by allowing two earned runs fewer in their five starts. The Bergert deal worked out for both parties, as the Padres got an upgrade behind the dish in Freddy Fermin while the Royals got a remarkably consistent depth piece in the rotation: Bergert has also gone at least five innings while allowing no more than two runs in each of his five starts in Kansas City. 

15) Royals acquire UTIL Adam Frazier

Frazier in KC: .302/.339/.425, 2 HR, 14 R, 15 RBI, 0.6 fWAR, 0.7 bWAR 

His numbers are inflated compared to most of the deadline adds considering he was added two weeks before the deadline, but we’re going to include him here. He has been a valuable and versatile piece, playing all over the diamond while hitting over .300 in Kansas City. Frazier is one of five players on the Royals roster hitting above league average this year, which makes him stand out more. 

Honorable Mentions: Padres SP Nestor Cortes, Tigers SP Charlie Morton, Yankees UTIL José Caballero

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

 

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