MLB trade season is a wrap.
From the early deals that got things moving along to the flurry of deadline-day activity Tuesday -- including a Los Angeles Dodgers trade for Jack Flaherty minutes before 6 p.m. ET -- we have your one-stop shop for grades and analysis breaking down the details of every trade.
ESPN MLB experts Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield evaluate and grade each move below.
Dodgers add front-line rotation player in Flaherty minutes before deadline ends
Dodgers get:
RHP Jack Flaherty
Tigers get:
C/1B Thayron Liranzo
SS Trey Sweeney
Dodgers grade: A
Flaherty represented the big-game catch in this trade market as Garrett Crochet, Blake Snell and Tarik Skubal stayed put. Back in the second half of 2019, Flaherty had one of the most dominant runs of recent years and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting. Years of injuries and disappointing results followed, but he rediscovered his slider with the Detroit Tigers -- and, subsequently, he's 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA, 133 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 106⅔ innings.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, looking for as much starting pitching insurance as possible after all the injuries that hit them last October, wanted a front-of-the-rotation starter and got one in Flaherty. They're still waiting -- or hoping -- for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler to get healthy, but they can now dream of a playoff rotation featuring Tyler Glasnow, Flaherty, Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw and Buehler as options. For a team that has gone 15 consecutive playoff games without a starter getting an out in the sixth inning, that's a rotation -- again, if healthy -- that finally gets the Dodgers back to a World Series.
Is there any downside here? I don't see it. The Dodgers -- with the San Diego Padres still close enough to make the NL West race close -- can now feel a little more comfortable in easing Yamamoto and Buehler back. Flaherty has been remarkably consistent, going at least five innings in every start so far this season and allowing more than three runs just once in his past 13 outings. Flaherty is just a rental, but he's the best starting pitcher to get traded and exactly what the Dodgers needed.
Tigers grade: C+
This return looks a little disappointing, especially in comparison to what the Toronto Blue Jays got for Yusei Kikuchi. The Tigers waited until the last second to flip Flaherty, perhaps waiting for a better offer that didn't come in.
Sweeney is a high-probable big leaguer, a 2021 first-round pick of the New York Yankees who was traded to the Dodgers this past offseason for pitcher Victor Gonzalez and minor league infielder Jorbit Vivas. Sweeney is hitting .255/.334/.427 at Triple-A -- but that's Oklahoma City, a good place to hit, and he owns a career .250 average in the minors. He has some pop, but it's difficult to see him as much more than a fringe regular at best -- though, of course, that would still be an upgrade over Javier Baez.
Liranzo is yet another Dodgers catching prospect. He just turned 21 and is hitting .220 with seven home runs in the Midwest League. There's power potential and he did have a huge year in Single-A in 2023, hitting .273/.400/.562 in his age-19 season. There's certainly upside here, but he has lost some of the pizazz he had after last season. This could certainly turn into a big win for the Tigers, and maybe this grade is a little unfair to Liranzo's potential. We'll see in a couple of years. -- Schoenfield
Bucs add two bats in pair of deals
Pirates get:
OF Bryan De La Cruz (reportedly)
IF/OF Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Marlins get:
RHP Jun-Seok Shim
Blue Jays get:
3B/OF Charles McAdoo
Pirates grade: B
The last time the Pirates made a big move at the trade deadline was the ill-fated Chris Archer trade, when they sent Tyler Glasnow, Shane Baz and Austin Meadows to the Rays for a playoff run that never happened. Let's hope these deals -- one with the Marlins, the other with the Blue Jays -- turn out better.
After showing some promise early in his career, De La Cruz has never quite taken off and is hitting .245/.289/.417 this season, giving him a below-average OPS+. While he has some hitting ability and raw power, he has been limited by a poor approach -- 26th percentile in chase rate and 22nd percentile in whiff rate. Those aren't bottom-of-the-barrel metrics, but not surprisingly, he has hit just .185 against breaking balls. The Pirates are 28th in the majors in OPS from right field and just sent down Jack Suwinski, so De La Cruz should slot in there.
Even if he hits like he has for the Marlins, this is at least a minor update -- and like every Marlins hitter moving to a new organization, you wonder whether there's more to unlock here. Probably not, but at least the Pirates addressed a weakness.
In the second deal, the Pirates picked up IKF -- the quintessential utility player. He has actually had a good offensive season, hitting .292/.338/.420, good for a career-best 115 OPS+ (he has never been above average before). He's signed for another season at $7.5 million (although he is currently on the IL with a knee injury) and De La Cruz still has three more years of arbitration remaining, so maybe that's the most interesting thing here: The Pirates are picking up salary. They earn an A for effort and a C for quality. We'll split the difference.
Marlins grade: C
Shim is a 6-foot-4, 215-pound 20-year-old from Korea, the Pirates' top international signing in 2023. He appeared in four games in rookie ball last season but has been injured all season (and also had an elbow injury in 2021). When he was healthy, he showed premium stuff, but he has pitched so little it's hard to evaluate or even project what the future holds. We'll give it a C and a "you never know."
Blue Jays grade: B
McAdoo looks like an interesting prospect, a 13th-round pick last year from San Jose State who has had a terrific breakout season in the minors, hitting .336/.415/.561 in High-A before a recent promotion to Double-A, where he has held his own in 27 games, with a .269/.348/.490 slash line and five home runs. He has played mostly third base, with a few games in right field, so it's a bat-first profile. Players drafted that late rarely make it to the majors, but McAdoo has put himself on the radar. -- Schoenfield
Padres land All-Star closer Scott
Padres get:
LHP Tanner Scott
RHP Bryan Hoeing
Marlins get:
LHP Robby Snelling
RHP Adam Mazur
IF Graham Pauley
IF Jay Beshears
Padres grade: A-
Can we have deadline day without A.J. Preller making a deal? Of course not. After acquiring Jason Adam a couple of days ago from the Rays, Preller adds another premier bullpen arm in Scott. The Padres need multiple high-leverage arms because outside of closer Robert Suarez, the San Diego bullpen had scuffled (29th in win probability added). Now the Padres can roll out one of the best late-game trios in the majors -- unfortunately, Scott won't get to San Diego in time for Tuesday night's game against the Dodgers, the first of a two-game series that could tighten the NL West race.
In Scott, Preller acquires a lefty who throws 97 -- a nearly unhittable four-seamer. That's no exaggeration. Batters are hitting .100 against it this year with just one extra-base hit (a double that arguably should have been caught). He throws his heater 60% of the time and complements it with a wipeout slider. His control was especially wobbly early in the season, but he has reeled off 17 consecutive scoreless appearances in which he has allowed just five hits in 17 innings, lowering his season ERA to 1.18. Hoenig is more of a bullpen depth addition, but he has a 2.70 ERA in 30 innings.
After slumping in early July, the Padres have turned things around with seven wins in their past eight games. Dylan Cease and Michael King are red hot in the rotation. If they can get Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove back (plus Fernando Tatis Jr.), the Padres look like a dangerous team down the stretch. I'm giving this one a nice grade, even if there's a chance a couple of the prospects come back to haunt Preller.
Marlins grade: B
As always, Preller isn't afraid to overpay to get a deal done. Many thought that was the case in the Adam deal and that could be the case here. That rests largely on Snelling. The 39th overall pick in 2022, Snelling emerged as a top prospect after a big season in 2023, posting a 1.82 ERA and earning the No. 59 ranking on Kiley McDaniel's preseason top 100 prospects list.
Things have gone backward for him, however, as he has been shelled in Double-A: 73⅓ IP, 90 H, 14 HR, 33 BB, 67 SO. He's only 20, so there's time to figure out what's gone wrong, but considering Scott is an impending free agent, it's a good arm to gamble on. Mazur is a 23-year-old righty out of Iowa who has made eight starts for the Padres -- with poor results (7.49 ERA, lots of hard contact, too many walks for a pitcher who needs to command his pitches to succeed). He has had some success in the minors and was close to a top-100 guy before the season, but he projects more as a back-end starter or an up-and-down guy.
Pauley reached the majors this year after hitting .308 with 23 home runs last season in the minors with solid contact rates. He has struggled in Triple-A this year, however, and probably projects as more of a four-corners utility -- not a particularly valuable prospect, but at least one who should get time in the majors. Beshears is a Class-A infielder hitting .261 with minimal power.
All in all, it's a sizable return for a rental closer. It might end up being a big platter of nothing, but if Snelling or Mazur develop into a rotation starter, that's a nice trade for the Marlins. -- Schoenfield
Mets get starter Blackburn from Oakland
Mets get:
RHP Paul Blackburn
A's get:
RHP Kade Morris
Mets grade: B-
Blackburn is a fairly consistent back-end starter who can help plug the gap opened by the short, unhappy season of Kodai Senga. Blackburn was out earlier this season with a foot injury, but he returned to active big league duty late last week with an uninspiring outing against the Angels. His strikeout rate this season (6.7 whiffs per nine) is around his career norm (6.9) but is down from a career spike last season (9.0). That's a stark difference but before 2023, he had a career 4.48 FIP, which seems like a reasonable baseline going forward given the strikeout dip. He adds stability to a New York rotation that had dealt with a lot in 2024.
Athletics grade: B-
Morris was a ranked prospect in some preseason outlets, though ESPN's Kiley McDaniel did not include him. A 6-3 righty out of Nevada-Reno, Morris was a third-round pick last year and had reached High-A in the Mets' system before being dealt. According to Baseball America, he throws a lot of pitches and is more of a weak-contact guy than swing-and-miss, but he does reach 97 at the top end with his fastball. He might be a project but the Athletics have plenty of time to work with a pitcher of his ilk. This trade is what they do. -- Doolittle
Royals add reliever, shortstop from two trades
Royals get:
RHP Lucas Erceg
SS Paul DeJong
A's get:
RHP Mason Barnett
RHP Will Klein
OF Jared Dickey
White Sox get:
RHP Jarold Rosado
Royals grade: B+
These were two separate trades for the Royals, but let's wrap them into one grade. Erceg was one of the more interesting relievers available since he's still in his arbitration years, and thus under team control through 2029. He'll help this year, but he's also a long-term play for a K.C. bullpen that has struggled all season (24th in ERA, 27th in WPA).
A former infielder, Erceg transitioned to pitching with the Brewers in 2021 and reached the majors last year with Oakland. He's a power guy, averaging 98.4 mph, but utilizes a four-pitch repertoire and has produced a 3.68 ERA while generating an above-average strikeout and groundball rate (and an elite rate of soft contact). In Erceg and Hunter Harvey, the Royals have acquired two relievers better than anyone they had, and two guys who top out at triple digits. Don't be surprised if Erceg ends up closing.
The veteran DeJong obviously isn't going to replace Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop, so DeJong profiles as a utility guy, perhaps getting time at second base, where the Royals have started four different players this month. DeJong has morphed into an avatar of today's game: 18 home runs, but that comes with a .228 average and a poor 112/14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. I'm giving the Royals a nice grade here, mostly for Erceg's potential high-leverage impact.
A's grade: B
Give the A's credit for giving Erceg an opportunity. He's also 29 and still inexpensive, but I think it's a smart move to flip him when he's going well and get a potential starting pitcher back. That's the case with Barnett, a third-rounder in 2022 out of Auburn who has struck out 109 batters in 91⅔ innings in Double-A. He had one of the best fastballs in the Kansas City system and owns a four-pitch repertoire.
Just Barnett is probably a decent enough deal for the A's, but they also get Klein, a reliever who had monster strikeout numbers in the minors last year but has wobbled with his control this year (and made a few appearances for the Royals). Dickey is more of a throw-in, a 2023 draftee from Tennessee with a .784 OPS in High-A.
White Sox grade: C
DeJong didn't have much trade value, so the White Sox flipped him for a 22-year-old arm in Rosado. He has good numbers in Low-A ball as a reliever (1.85 ERA, 45 SO, 11 B in 30 IP). He's a pure flier, which is all you were going to get for DeJong. Check back in four years. -- Schoenfield
O's add another SP in deal for Rogers
Orioles get:
LHP Trevor Rogers
Marlins get:
2B Connor Norby
OF Kyle Stowers
Orioles grade: B
Word was the Orioles wanted controllable starting pitchers if they made any deals and that has been the case, first with Zach Eflin and now with Rogers, who arrives in Baltimore with an additional two seasons of team control. He also arrives as a diminished pitcher from his outstanding rookie season in 2021, when he posted a 2.64 ERA while averaging 10.6 K's per nine, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year race. That year, Rogers relied on a four-seamer/changeup/slider repertoire, averaging 94.6 mph with his fastball. He struggled in 2022, made just four starts last season and has a 4.53 ERA this year in 21 starts. His fastball velo has dropped to 92, he has added a sinker to little effect and his changeup hasn't been the dominant pitch it was in 2021. Still, as the saying goes: If he did it once, he can do it again, and the Orioles will see if they uncover some additional velocity -- or at least better command.
At the minimum, the Orioles still get a decent back-end starter. Putting Rogers in front of the Baltimore defense rather than Miami's (next to last in the majors in defensive runs saved) should help as well. The O's get him with no cost to the big league roster as Norby has been the position player most caught up in the depth crunch among Orioles infielders, spending most of the season at Triple-A. Stowers is a fourth or fifth outfielder. I don't know if there's any big upside left in Rogers, and he might not be a guy you want to start in a playoff game at this moment, but it's a nice flip for the Orioles -- starting pitching is never easy to acquire.
Marlins grade: B+
A second-round pick out of East Carolina in 2021, Norby has done nothing but hit in the minors -- smashing 29 home runs in 2022, racking up 64 extra-base hits in Triple-A in 2023 and hitting .297/.389/.519 there in 2024. He hit two home runs in nine games with the Orioles, but also fanned 12 times with no walks.
Indeed, that's one worrisome thing in Norby's line: While repeating Triple-A, he has seen his strikeout rate climb from 21% to 27%. You'd like to see that going in the opposite direction. It has come with more power -- one homer every 20 at-bats compared to one every 27 at-bats last season, but there could be an adjustment period here to major league pitching. Still, he should hit, plus the Marlins will have him for six seasons of team control. If he turns into a solid-average second baseman with some pop, he and Xavier Edwards could be the double-play combo for the next few years if Edwards proves he can handle shortstop. -- Schoenfield
Yankees add Leiter Jr. to bullpen
Yankees get:
RHP Mark Leiter Jr.
Cubs get:
IF Ben Cowles
RHP Jack Neely
Yankees grade: B+
Leiter becomes one of the most dominant Yankees relievers (at least in terms of K%-BB%), but also the one with the lowest average velocity. This is a feature, not a bug. Leiter's top-end velocity is around 93.2 mph, well below that of the Yankees' key high-leverage relievers. But his strikeout rate (34.9%) is just behind Jake Cousins for tops on the current New York relief staff, and his OPS allowed (.531) is easily the best.
Leiter accomplishes this with a sinker/splitter combo that makes him unique among Yankees hurlers. No other reliever in the current New York bullpen features a splitter, and that gives him a ready-made role as part of Aaron Boone's late-inning toolkit. Leiter's ERA (4.21) is grossly inflated over his FIP (2.11) and because his hard-hit rates are better than average, and he has allowed only two homers, the disparity can largely be tacked up to bad luck. This is a very nice upgrade.
Cubs grade: C+
Neither Cowles nor Neely were ranked by Kiley McDaniel before the season. Cowles, 24, was a 10th-round pick in 2021 out of Maryland. He's in Double-A, where he's a tick older than his league's average hitter. He has split time between second, short and third and profiles as a utility type with a nice balance of skills in the slash categories and plus speed attributes given the volume and efficiency of his thefts.
Neely, a reliever, was taken one round after Cowles in 2021 and has reached Triple-A. He features a fastball/slider combo, both of which have low spin rates. His four-seamer averages 95.2 mph. He's a big dude, standing 6-foot-8. His strikeout rate in the minors is 14.3 whiffs per nine innings. If that mostly translates to the majors, he's a high-leverage possibility.
Leiter has two more years of team control left beyond 2024. The Cubs' scouts obviously see something in Cowles and Neely. Based on the evidence at hand, the return seems light, but Neely and his yet-to-begin service time could quickly erase that notion. -- Doolittle
Soler, Jackson rejoin Braves
Braves get:
OF Jorge Soler
RHP Luke Jackson
Giants get:
LHP Tyler Matzek
IF Sabin Ceballos
Braves grade: C+
Maybe because it's late and because the day before deadline day has felt like the actual deadline day, but I find it hard to get too revved up about this deal for either team, even as I can see the rationale for both.
If not for the inclusion of Matzek in this trade, you might think Braves honcho Alex Anthopoulos was trying to recreate the conditions in 2021 that led to Atlanta's World Series title that year. That's when Ronald Acuna Jr. hurt his knee, the Braves went out and traded for a bunch of outfielders, and they rode that group and a hot bullpen -- that included Jackson -- to the title.
Indeed, Acuna is again out for the year. The Braves picked up Eddie Rosario previously, though he is in the minors hitting .196. And now they've added Soler, their World Series hero in 2021, and Jackson. (The Reeve ploy breaks down with the inclusion of Matzek in the deal, as he was a key part of that 2021 run. Alas.)
The Braves rank 29th in bWAR in right field. If we told you that would be the case at the end of July, you'd say, "Acuna must have gotten hurt again." His replacements have not helped, and Soler, ever the hatchet man in the field, will try to plug the gap. And that's where he'll have to play, because Atlanta doesn't want to mess with the job responsibilities of Marcell Ozuna, who is enjoying an MVP-caliber season as a DH and only a DH.
Soler hasn't had a great campaign, mixing in a few of his usual tape measure blasts (but fewer than usual) with typical walk and whiff rates. Eight of his 12 homers have come on the road, and it turns out that San Francisco's Oracle Park is just not a great place for him. He has hit .280/.393/.522 in his Cobb County career, and the return to those friendlier environs could spur him on one of his patented hot streaks.
Jackson hasn't had a great season and doesn't throw quite as hard as he did when last with the Braves. But perhaps the return to a familiar venue will stir something.
Giants grade: C-
The underachieving Giants are in offload mode, and there is really no great excuse for their ongoing mediocrity. The acquisition of Soler was as much a matter of getting someone who would sign one of their offers as it was a sensible roster fit. The unloading of Soler's contract is presumably the centerpiece of the deal from the Frisco perspective so ... good job?
Matzek, as great as his story is and as good as he was during that Braves run, is not the same pitcher since he went down with a major arm injury. His velocity has been well under what it was in 2021, and his stat line is hard to look at. He missed all of last season, and perhaps the Giants are hoping he'll tick up as he regains arm speed (if he regains arm speed).
Ceballos was not a ranked prospect by Kiley McDaniel before the season. He is a 21-year-old corner infielder who has spent more time as a first baseman and DH than you'd like to see in a prospect of that age. That's especially true given his .356 slugging percentage as a minor leaguer. -- Doolittle
Brewers add Montas to rotation
Brewers get:
RHP Frankie Montas
Reds get:
OF Joey Wiemer
RHP Jakob Junis
Brewers grade: C+
Montas was an offseason gamble for the Reds, who gave him a one-year, $14 million contract even though he had pitched just one game in 2023. They were hoping for a return to his pre-injury form of 2021, when he finished sixth in the Cy Young voting. They got something less: He went 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA, and he has seen his strikeout rate plummet from 26.6% in 2021 to 19.0%. He still throws 95 mph, but he just doesn't have premier swing-and-miss stuff; and over the past eight starts, he has been going in the wrong direction with a 6.41 ERA.
So why do the Brewers want him? While their rotation has been surprisingly serviceable with a 4.10 ERA (16th in the majors), they also are getting little volume, ranking last in innings pitched. They've had to dig deep just to fill out the rotation this month, using the likes of Dallas Keuchel then Rob Zastryzny as an opener, while getting continued good work from unheralded Tobias Myers and Colin Rea. The bullpen just got deeper with the return of closer Devin Williams, who had been out all season with stress fractures in his back, but the Brewers need to see a few more innings from their starters. Montas will help there, even as a five-and-dive guy.
Reds grade: C-
Well, Elly De La Cruz and Wiemer on the same team could be fun. Maybe. Wiemer is a tool-laden 25-year-old with big raw power, a strong arm, good range in the outfield and plus speed -- oh, and a decidedly below-average hit tool. He saw a lot of time in the majors last season, hitting .204/.283/.362 in 410 plate appearances, but he has spent most of 2024 in Triple-A, where he has a .387 OBP but just three home runs in 190 at-bats. The Brewers have enough outfield depth that even with Christian Yelich injured, they didn't recall Wiemer -- which might tell you what they think of his future.
I'm inclined to agree. His best numbers came in 2021 in A-ball, but he has never hit for enough average or made enough contact at the upper levels. He really needs 500 at-bats to see if there's anything here; maybe he'll get that with the Reds, who have had trouble filling center field over the past several years. TJ Friedl gave them a nice season last year, but he has been injured a lot in 2024. In theory, Wiemer would provide them a good glove out there -- and maybe just enough offense. That's the best-case scenario, but I wouldn't bet on a breakout, leaving Wiemer as more of a fourth outfielder or up-and-down guy. -- Schoenfield
Dodgers deal for Rosario -- for second consecutive deadline
Dodgers get:
IF/OF Amed Rosario
Rays get:
RHP Michael Flynn
Dodgers grade: C+
Hey, it wouldn't be a trade deadline if the Dodgers didn't deal for Amed Rosario. This happened last year, of course, when Los Angeles traded Noah Syndergaard, currently out of baseball, to Cleveland for Rosario. The assumption was that the Dodgers would sprinkle their analytical pixie dust on Rosario and -- poof! -- a gem would be unearthed. Instead, Rosario was exactly what he was for the Guardians, and that turned out to not be good enough for him to earn a spot on the Dodgers' postseason roster.
This time around, Rosario comes to L.A. with a better batting line. (That Tampa Bay pixie dust is pretty good too.) He's hitting a career-best .307 in utility a role, though the average is a little empty given his lack of secondary production. Still, have you seen some of the numbers the Dodgers have been running out there in the bottom of their order?
They needed a bench upgrade, and in Rosario -- as well as the previously acquired Tommy Edman -- they've done that in impressive fashion. Both have lots of positional flexibility and raise the floor of a Dodgers roster that usually has a very high floor. Not for nothing: Rosario isn't making a lot this season, and he will be a free agent when the campaign is done.
Rays grade: C+
The story of the Rays' deadline is hard to tell one transaction at a time. By the time we get to 6 p.m. ET Tuesday, we're going to see that the Rays have added a tremendous amount of quality organizational depth for a bunch of players who didn't fit into their long-term plans. They will have shaved some payroll and positioned themselves for a return to prominence in 2025. That they kind of punted this season when they weren't absolutely out of the running can be questioned, but the overall haul is going to be impressive.
Flynn is more a flier than a prospect, one of those guys the Rays' scouts probably saw as worth a makeover in repertoire. He has been around awhile: He was a sixth-round pick by the Pirates in 2018. After some poor injury luck, he was released, was picked up by the Mariners, hit free agency again and was signed by the Dodgers last winter. He will turn 28 next week.
Flynn reached Triple-A for the first time this season, and he has posted impressive K-rates (12.4 per nine innings) while working in a relief role. He also has been more than a little vulnerable to the long ball. He doesn't throw hard (92 to 93 mph) but utilizes a high-spin slider and a cutter that the Rays will try to hone. If it doesn't work out, all they've lost is two months of a player they were going to lose anyway. -- Doolittle
Astros bolster rotation with Kikuchi
Astros get:
LHP Yusei Kikuchi
Blue Jays get:
RHP Jake Bloss
1B/OF Joey Loperfido
IF Will Wagner
Astros grade: C+
If there was ever a prototypical trade-deadline deal, this is it. The Jays ship a walk-year midrotation starter to the contending Astros for a pitching prospect unranked before the season whose stock might be on the rise.
Kikuchi was one of the better rental starters available at this deadline, and Houston needed the rotation help. After struggling in his first season with Toronto in 2022, Kikuchi put together enough success with the Jays that when he made his last outing at the Rogers Centre, he received a nice ovation from a crowd that knew he almost certainly was a goner.
This season has seen Kikuchi match a solid K-rate (10.1 per nine innings) with a career-low walk rate (2.3), which translates to some solid defense-independent indicators. His ERA (4.90) looks inflated next to his FIP (3.64) and is not at all helped by a .344 BABIP. That's an outrageously unlucky figure that will regress, hence the evaluation as a midrotation guy.
Now assuming Justin Verlander gets healthy, the Astros can point toward an October rotation led by Framber Valdez, Verlander and Hunter Brown, while selecting from Kikuchi and Ronel Blanco, among others, for a No. 4. That of course assumes Houston returns to October -- but this deal makes that a bit more likely.
While it's an nice addition, the price feels pretty steep for a midrotation rental.
Blue Jays grade: C+
Toronto needed to receive something from Kikuchi, considering they only had two months left with him. Bloss was a third-round pick last year by the Astros out of Georgetown, a school known more for shot-blocking centers and point guards with wicked crossovers than starting pitchers. But he rose quickly through the Houston system based on strong minor league numbers that included a hits-allowed rate of less than a half-hit per inning.
That hasn't yet translated to the majors, but he is just getting started. Bloss throws six pitches, according to Statcast, and features a working velocity of about 93 mph on his four-seamer. After that, his arsenal rotates depending on the hitter: a slider to everybody, a curve/change combo to lefties and a sweeper he uses against righties. A lot of moving parts, sure, but that also is fodder for optimization, and those hit rates in the minors suggest someone hard to barrel up.
Loperfido is a 40 FV ranked prospect who has a nice combo of contact, patience and pop. (He also is a budding chef whom I can confirm makes a mean paella. That's worth something, right?) Wagner, a Triple-A infielder with solid on-base numbers, is the son of Astros relief great Billy Wagner.
All in all, this is an excellent return for a walk-year pitcher at Kikuchi's level, as the Blue Jays apparently were able to leverage Houston's win-right-now mindset against them. -- Doolittle
Guardians add outfield bat in Thomas
Guardians get:
OF Lane Thomas
Nationals get:
LHP Alex Clemmey
IF Jose Tena
IF Rafael Ramirez
Guardians grade: B
The Guardians needed outfield help. While All-Star Steven Kwan has left field locked down, they've been faking center and right all season. They've started seven different players in center field, with converted infielder Tyler Freeman getting the majority of the reps. He has been platooning of late with rookie Angel Martinez -- another converted infielder who had played just three games in center field in the minors before getting called up. Right field hasn't been much better: Nine different players have started there. Collectively, the Guardians rank 26th in the majors in OPS between the two positions. This was no surprise: The Guardians have lacked offense in the outfield for years and repeatedly failed to address it.
Thomas probably slots in at right field most of the time. Even there, his defensive metrics are terrible this season (despite excellent speed), but he should provide some offense. He hasn't repeated his big power numbers from 2023 -- 28 home runs, 36 doubles -- but is hitting .253/.331/.407. He has hit well since a terrible April (.503 OPS), and there's a good chance he continues to hit well the rest of the season and helps the Guardians' lineup.
Thomas also fits the typical Cleveland profile, as he has improved his strikeout rate this season and has good plate discipline (91st percentile chase rate), though he doesn't walk a ton. He is under team control for another year, as well. He isn't a big star or anything, but it's a nice pickup for an organization that often doesn't do much -- or anything -- to improve the team at the deadline.
Nationals grade: A-
Clemmey is the big prospect in this deal, a second-round pick out of a Rhode Island high school in 2023 who was just 17 years old when drafted, so he's playing out his age-18 season (and just turned 19). He is in Single-A, and the Guardians have obviously kept him on an innings limit with 69 across 19 starts, but he has fanned 97 batters. He's 6-foot-6, and while the strike zone is more of an idea at this point (47 walks), he has power stuff into the upper 90s with a plus curveball. He is a long way from the majors, and we have no idea if he can hold his stuff deeper into a game, but this looks like a great swing for the Nationals. Even if he doesn't pan out, I love them going for the high ceiling here.
Tena is a 23-year-old infielder who has appeared briefly in the majors. He has put up a nice season at Triple-A: .298/.353/.493 with 17 home runs. He profiles as a utility player, although it makes sense for the Nationals to give him a run at third base over the final two months to see what they have here. Ramirez is struggling in Single-A while hitting .187, but he just turned 19 a few weeks ago. -- Schoenfield
Mariners get veteran hitter Turner from Blue Jays
Mariners get:
DH/1B Justin Turner
Blue Jays get:
OF R.J. Schreck
Mariners grade: C+
In the Ty France grade below, we mentioned the Mariners could use help at first base and/or DH. It took president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto only a couple of hours to strike, landing the 39-year-old veteran Turner to help fill those spots. Mariners first basemen are hitting .218/.296/.344, 26th in the majors in OPS, while DHs are hitting .204/.313/.395, somehow good enough for 18th in the majors -- although, regular DH Mitch Garver has been worse than that, hitting just .174. Garver has remained effective against left-handers and also serves as the backup catcher, so look for Turner to see time at both first and DH.
Turner's hitting relies almost exclusively on contact these days -- he has one of the slowest bats in the majors according to the new bat speed metrics, which explains his low hard-hit rate (19th percentile) and lack of power (six home runs). Still, he's managed a .254/.349/.371 line -- and in Seattle's weak lineup, that gives him the second-highest average (behind the injured Julio Rodriguez's .263) and the highest on-base percentage. Like France, the guy he's essentially replacing, Turner also grounds into a high rate of double plays.
In the end, it's Dipoto's typical frenetic wheeling and dealing for ... what, exactly? According to Baseball-Reference, Turner has created an estimated three runs above an average hitter; France had been exactly average (in nearly the same number of plate appearances). I would rather have Turner -- we'll see if he can keep up that OBP while going to a tougher hitter's park -- but it's a minor upgrade. In terms of WAR, we're talking less than one win the rest of the season.
Blue Jays grade: C-
Schreck was a ninth-round pick last year out of Vanderbilt as a fifth-year senior, so he's already 24 years old. He had a .401 OBP at High-A Everett with more walks than strikeouts and recently got promoted to Double-A (where he has hit .143 in eight games). The on-base skills make him mildly interesting, but he was a little old for High-A and is already limited to a corner outfield, so the bat will have to play to get him to the majors. Assuming no money exchanges hands, the value to the Jays is as much in the money saved on Turner's salary (about $4 million remaining) as the prospect.
If anything, it's just an exclamation point to a disappointing season. While the Jays are keeping Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette for another run next season -- one that will require some serious roster retooling in the offseason -- they've now traded three of their impending free agents in Turner, Danny Jansen and Yimi Garcia. So, look for Yusei Kikuchi and perhaps Trevor Richards to go next. -- Schoenfield
Cardinals get Fedde in 3-team, 8-player swap with White Sox, Dodgers
Dodgers get:
IF/OF Tommy Edman
RHP Michael Kopech
RHP Oliver Gonzalez
Cardinals get:
RHP Erick Fedde
OF Tommy Pham
Player to be named or cash considerations from the Dodgers
White Sox get:
IF Miguel Vargas
IF Jeral Perez
OF Alexander Albertus
Player to be named or cash considerations from the Dodgers
Dodgers grade: B+
I deliberated whether to go A- or B+ for the Dodgers but ended up at the latter. I love -- LOVE -- Edman for the Dodgers, but as a recent top-100 prospect with less than a year of big league service time, Vargas is a valuable player for Los Angeles to surrender. Kopech makes up some of the difference and could turn this into an A+ if the Dodgers are able to coax long-dormant consistent dominance out of his big arm.
Edman, meanwhile, hasn't appeared in the majors this season. He had wrist surgery early on, recovered and then hurt his ankle while on a rehab assignment. When he returns, he'll become manager Dave Roberts' latest factotum -- and perhaps the best combination of versatility and quality Roberts has had in that role yet.
Edman switch-hits with little platoon differential. He has playable power with average exit velocities. He steals bases with both quantity and efficiency. He has started at second, third, shortstop and all three outfield spots in the majors, often with Gold Glove-quality defense. His bat-to-ball skills are top notch and a perfect complement to the Dodgers' offensive profile. When healthy -- the big caveat here -- Edman might be the ultimate glue player in the majors right now, and that's perfect for this Dodgers roster.
And if they can work their magic on Kopech, look out. Edman and Kopech are both under control through next season, which improves the valuation on the deal from the L.A. perspective that much more.
Gonzalez is a 17-year-old righty out of Panama who was just getting started at St. Louis' entrant in the Dominican Summer League.
Cardinals grade: A
As much as I love Edman, the Cardinals are well situated to do without him. Masyn Winn is a star in the making at shortstop, veterans Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt hold down the corners and Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman and prospects such as Thomas Saggese give them coverage in the short and long term.
Meanwhile, Fedde is an impactful upgrade to the rotation for the rest of this season and beyond. St. Louis has had to get creative beyond the core four of Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn. Andre Pallante has been solid lately, but he has the versatility to hold down a multi-inning role and make an impact out of the bullpen.
Getting Pham -- who at one time was blocked as a prospect in a deep Cardinals system, causing him to debut in the majors later than he might have for another team -- is a delightful, full-circle move. The Cardinals needed another righty bat for the outfield, so he has a clear role. And if St. Louis makes the postseason, they will be very glad Pham is around.
Finally, in terms of cash, the Cardinals actually come about about even, given that Edman earns more through next season than Fedde and Pham is in a walk year. All this and St. Louis didn't give up a near-ready prospect, which frankly is kind of stunning.
White Sox grade: D
I didn't particularly like this deal for Chicago as the details of it began to leak out. I didn't love it when initial reports suggested that prospect RHP Noah Miller was also headed from the Dodgers to the White Sox, but then that turned out to not be the case. Still, I reserved my judgment while waiting to see what prospects the Cardinals were sending to the White Sox.
So I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, the deal went official and the Cardinals did indeed send out a prospect ... to the Dodgers. Meanwhile, Chicago is getting three prospects for a year-plus of control of Fedde and Kopech, and the always alluring postseason darling Pham. The Cardinals retained all of their prospects, giving up only Edman.
Reminder: The deadline is not today. It's Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, 27 hours from the moment I typed this sentence. But apparently first-year White Sox GM Chris Getz decided this was as good as he was going to do for Kopech, whose untapped potential is considerable, and Fedde, whose one-plus year of remaining control makes him possibly the most valuable player at this deadline. When you start to consider opportunity cost, this is not good. Not good at all.
It's not that Vargas can't help Chicago. When it's not even the end of July and your team wouldn't finish over .500 even if it won every remaining game, anyone can help. Vargas was rated in Kiley McDaniel's top 100 prospects before last season with a 50 FV (future value, on a 20-80 scale) before losing his prospect eligibility. He's a worthy pickup.
Still just 24 years old, Vargas' hype was based on an advanced hitting profile but he has not yet produced in the majors, posting an 80 OPS+ to date, though he has fared better in 80 plate appearances this season. He has the versatility to play at all four corners, but with the White Sox likely about to turn the page on the Yoan Moncada era, you can see Vargas taking over at the hot corner and playing there next to Colson Montgomery in the seasons to come. He isn't likely to remind anyone of Robin Ventura defensively, but if he reaches his ceiling as a hitter, he'll do.
Perez (40+ FV) and Albertus (40 FV) are both 19 years old and bat-first infielders who are a long way from the majors. Per McDaniel, Perez is a "hit/power/approach combo," but isn't likely to stick at shortstop. Albertus is the better glove and perhaps might play some at short, but he'll likely end up at third base. For now, they both are wild cards.
The White Sox need young position players at every level and they now have more than they did before. That's about the best thing you can say about a return that should have been ... more. -- Doolittle
Red Sox, Pirates swap prospects
Red Sox get:
RHP Quinn Priester
Pirates get:
2B Nick Yorke
Red Sox grade: C
This is a trade of former top-100 prospects -- Yorke ranked No. 47 in Kiley McDaniel's preseason rankings in 2022; Priester No. 77 in the same year -- although neither has quite taken off since then. Priester has made 14 major league starts with the Pirates, and Yorke has hit well since his promotion last month to Triple-A.
Priester was the 18th pick in the 2019 draft, and his prospect profile has always been more projection than dominant results. He was perhaps rushed to the majors last season and struggled in 10 appearances, recording a 7.74 ERA and 12 home runs allowed in 50 innings. He has been up-and-down between the Pirates and Triple-A in 2024, making six starts and four relief appearances with Pittsburgh. He has a five-pitch repertoire, throwing a 93 mph sinker more than his four-seamer, but neither pitch generates much swing-and-miss and lefties have crushed him with a .329/.398/.518 line.
The Red Sox have done well with pitchers who don't live and die on four-seam fastballs up in the zone, so maybe they see something they can work with here. The Red Sox have to upgrade their fifth starter, although the recently acquired James Paxton will get a shot there, so maybe Priester runs out to the bullpen for now with a longer-term idea of giving him another opportunity to start. The fastball profile doesn't scream "reliever," but the Red Sox's bullpen has a 6.39 ERA in July, so they need depth there as well.
Pirates grade: B-
Yorke was a massive surprise as a first-round pick in 2020 then hit top-100 status after hitting .325 in Class A in 2021. He struggled in 2022, but he was battling injuries (turf toe, wrist, back) and he had an OK season at Double-A in 2023. He was back there to begin 2024 and hit just .251 in 45 games, but he has hit .310/.408/.490 in 38 games for Triple-A Worcester, boosting his profile once again. His arm limits him to second base in the infield, but the Red Sox also gave him time in left field to give him a little more versatility -- and he's still just 22.
Nick Gonzales has been the Pirates' regular second baseman and he has been serviceable, hitting .258/.293/.387, although much better against lefties. Both hit right-handed, so there isn't a natural platoon situation here if the Pirates call up Yorke immediately. Given that Gonzales is three years older and has a poor strikeout-to-walk rate, I'll take Yorke as the better fit at second base moving forward -- if not right now, then at least in 2025. There isn't a huge ceiling here, but Yorke could settle in as a solid-average second baseman. -- Schoenfield
Reds add veteran France in deal with Mariners
Reds get:
1B Ty France
Mariners get:
C Andruw Salcedo
Reds grade: C-
The Mariners designated France for assignment last week, so this was essentially a free pickup for the Reds, who will pay the remainder of France's $6.775 million salary (minus whatever cash the Mariners are also including) without giving up much in return.
France had an excellent season in 2021 (4.4 WAR) and made the All-Star team in 2022 after hitting .308 with 11 home runs in the first half. He hasn't been as productive since injuring his elbow in a collision at first base right before that All-Star break, however, hitting .239/.320/.367 in 307 games since then, including .223/.312/.350 this season. His strikeout rate has climbed from 16.4% the previous three years to 24.4% this season. He also grounds into a lot of double plays, is a poor defensive first baseman and has below-average exit velocity metrics.
In other words, I'm not exactly sure what the Reds see here. France did have a .750 OPS against lefties, so maybe they'll use him in a DH platoon with Jeimer Candelario (who has a .617 OPS against LHP this season). Still, he didn't cost much and maybe getting out of Seattle -- everyone has struggled to hit at T-Mobile Park this year -- will help.
Mariners grade: Incomplete
Salcedo, 21, has been injured most of the season and hitting .188 in seven games for Single-A Dayton. He hit .167 in 21 games last year. And .198 in rookie ball in 2022. You get the picture. The Mariners save a couple million in payroll, which they can at least apply to any other roster upgrades they might make the next two days.
If anything, maybe the Mariners were a little rash in cutting France loose. They handed first base to rookie Tyler Locklear, who has hit .159 with 19 strikeouts in 15 games and looks a little overmatched. Minor league vet Jason Vosler is also on the roster but is hardly a solution. The Mariners rank 26th in the majors in OPS from first base/DH, so they could definitely use some help there. -- Schoenfield
Royals add to pitching staff with deal for Lorenzen
Royals get:
RHP Michael Lorenzen
Rangers get:
LHP Walter Pennington
Royals grade: B-
For all that's gone right for Kansas City's big league roster this year, the inevitable demands on organizational depth have started to put a drag on that success. One way to illustrate that is by looking at the performance of a team's rookies, who are often a club's first line of defense against injuries and fatigued pitching staffs. Well, the Royals are at minus-.64 bWAR collectively from rookies this season, a strong indicator that GM J.J. Picollo will need to be active at the deadline to bolster the 26-man roster for the stretch run.
In that vein, Lorenzen is an ideal pickup with a role that can fit as a form of spackle used to touch up cracks that appear in Kansas City's MLB-best run-prevention machine. Texas has used him almost exclusively to shore up its injured (but recovering) rotation, but Lorenzen has been used in every role in which you can use a pitcher during his career and even more true when you consider he has started games in the outfield and been used as a pinch hitter, pinch runner and fielding replacement.
The two-way days are (sadly) behind Lorenzen but Kansas City can deploy him as a No. 5 and starter, and marginal upgrade, to the fading Alec Marsh if -- and this is key -- the Royals think that they need to ease up on Marsh. Ideally, Marsh would refind his stride, allowing Matt Quatraro to use Lorenzen in multi-inning relief stints to shore up a bullpen that's been desperate for quality innings. (Marsh could possibly fill that role as well if Lorenzen enters the rotation.)
That desperation for innings might have increased on Sunday when both Hunter Harvey (back spasms) and John Schreiber (knee) had to leave their outings against the Cubs. Either way, Lorenzen will fill crucial innings down the stretch, either as a starter or middle-leverage long reliever and, as he's in a walk year, the financial commitment is nominal.
Rangers grade: C+
Texas used Lorenzen for four innings out of the bullpen on Sunday, his first relief outing of the season. He was in the bullpen because the long wait for Texas' rotation to get whole is gradually ending, and the $1.6 million or so that Lorenzen would have received for the rest of the season is money that might be deployed in either ways. (Or simply pocketed.)
Yes, the Rangers could have used Lorenzen in the manner I've envisioned for the Royals, but they are in a spot where the money matters. Pennington is a not-nothing return, an intriguing lefty who was undrafted in 2020 and absent from prospect lists since, but nonetheless rose quickly through the Royals' system and made his big league debut last month.
Pennington's velo tops out at 92-93 mph, but he leans heavily on a slider that's tough on lefties and mixes in a cutter against righties. He also throws an occasional four-seamer just to get hitters to adjust their eye level when needed. He's already 26, but has posted impressive whiff rates in the minors and has a degree in mechanical engineering which suggests, at the very least, he ought to be open to analytics-based optimization. -- Doolittle
Cubs acquire All-Star infielder Paredes as Rays continue to deal
Cubs get:
IF Isaac Paredes
Rays get:
IF Christopher Morel
RHP Hunter Bigge
RHP Ty Johnson
Cubs grade: B+
In a nutshell, the Cubs traded two prospects to obtain whatever the upgrade is in turning Morel's roster spot into the one now occupied by Paredes. They will also pay more in salary, as Morel is still in the pre-arbitration phase of his service time. Paredes, whose arbitration-fueled salary this season is $3.4 million, has three more seasons of arbitration eligibility remaining.
The Cubs weren't the only team to see surplus value in Paredes' profile given the prevalence of scuttlebutt around his availability over the past couple of weeks. By making this deal, for this return, the Cubs are declaring that they see Paredes as a regular over the next few years, presumably at third base, on a team that is angling for contention in 2025 and beyond.
Both Paredes and Morel are 25 years old with similar career slash lines: .234/.334/.438 for the former and .228/.308/.440 for the latter. Morel has shown improvement in his plate discipline indicators this year, though it has done him little good for the bottom line thanks to a .221 BABIP. Chicago has also struggled to figure out where to play him defensively, a problem that now belongs to Tampa Bay.
Paredes has demonstrated more contact ability and plate discipline, leading to a more consistent performance. He doesn't have Morel's raw pop off the bat, but he hit 31 homers last year -- and that will play just fine. Paredes is no Gold Glover, either, but he will be an upgrade at the hot corner for Chicago (at least compared to any continuing efforts to deploy Morel there) and will have the luxury of playing next to the Cubs' fine middle infield combo of Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson.
Trading with the Rays is always fraught, but this is a nice swap for Chicago in what sure seems like a trade market that favors off-loading teams. Paredes gives the Cubs everyday stability for three-plus seasons at, for now, team-friendly rates, and he improves them both now and going forward.
Rays grade: C+
I cringe at giving the Rays a modest grade because, well, they are the Rays. It's just that the valuation on this deal, based on the inputs I have, are heavily tilted in Chicago's favor. So much so that it makes you think the Rays could have done better for Paredes with a different trade partner.
And yet ... they have different inputs in their trade evaluation machinery, and I'd trust theirs way more than mine. Simply put, the Rays almost certainly see something in Morel that they believe will unlock his power more consistently, which could lead to prodigious home run totals in his near future. Also, the Rays never do anything to harm their consistently elite run prevention, so you know they have a plan for Morel in that regard, too.
As for the prospects, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel notes that Bigge, a 12th-round draft pick out of Harvard, has seen a velocity jump this year from 94.5 mph to 97.8. His command is "fringy," but the uptick in stuff has turned him into a real prospect. And, as McDaniel suggests, the Rays have almost certainly pinpointed him as their next repertoire optimization project.
Johnson is a starter whose velocity has ticked up this year as well, which in turn has boosted the quality of his slider. He's still a work in progress, but McDaniel suggests that the Rays have snagged Johnson just as he may be on the verge of cracking some prospect lists. -- Doolittle
Padres give up notable prospects for bullpen upgrade
Padres get:
RHP Jason Adam
Rays get:
RHP Dylan Lesko
OF Homer Bush Jr.
C J.D. Gonzalez
Padres grade: A-
Don't ever change, A.J. Preller. I recently wrote that Preller has traded away eight of his past 10 first-round picks since becoming Padres GM (not including their 2024 selection). Well, make it nine of 10 as Lesko, the team's first-round pick in 2022, is the biggest name going to the Rays to acquire Adam.
Preller is no doubt smelling an opportunity as the Dodgers continue to scuffle and the Padres heat up. The Padres have won seven in a row, cutting their deficit in the NL West to just 5.5 games. In Adam, Preller is acquiring a premier, underrated reliever. The changeup specialist has a 2.30 ERA over the past three seasons, including 2.49 in 2024. He has held batters to a .164/.250/.277 line this year and generates both a high whiff rate and a high ground ball rate. He's also making just $2.7 million, making him affordable for the Padres, and is under team control for two more seasons.
Importantly, he fills a huge hole. The Padres don't have a disastrous record in one-run games like they did in 2023 -- they're 11-12 after going 9-23 last season -- but the bullpen ranks just 29th in the majors in win probability added and 21st in ERA. Closer Robert Suarez has been outstanding (5-1, 1.51 ERA, but manager Mike Shildt has struggled to find consistency from his setup guys and Adam immediately becomes his top high-leverage guy for the seventh and eighth innings. The Padres are a better team after this deal. Catching the Dodgers won't be easy -- but note that the Padres host L.A. for two games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Win those two and the NL West race becomes very, very interesting down the stretch.
Rays grade: B+
Look, this is how the Rays do business. You don't have to like it -- especially when they're just four games behind the Royals for the third wild card -- but with few teams in trade-away mode this deadline, the Rays are using it to their advantage to cash in on prospects. They've already traded away Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale and now Adam -- and some combo of Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz, Isaac Paredes and Amed Rosario could also go before the July 30 deadline.
In Lesko, they get a pitcher who was considered the premier prep arm in the 2022 draft, a hard-throwing righty who might have gone in the top five selections before undergoing Tommy John surgery ahead of the draft. The Padres snapped him up with the No. 15 selection, he returned last June and he's now in his first full professional season. He's also very much a work in progress as he has a 6.46 ERA at High-A and has walked 52 batters in 69.2 innings. The breakout that many anticipated simply hasn't happened -- but it's not often you can get your hands on a first-round arm, and we all know the Rays' success in developing pitchers.
Bush -- the son of a former MLB infielder -- was a fourth-round pick in 2023 out of Grand Canyon, a burner who has 43 steals at Fort Wayne, good center-field defense and a chance to grow into some power (he has just four home runs in 86 games). Gonzalez was a third-round pick out of high school in Puerto Rico, a long-term project who hasn't hit in Low-A (.205, no home runs) but has projectable power. This is a hard one to grade given Lesko's volatility as a prospect, but the Rays have done well with this type of pitcher before (Tyler Glasnow and Shane McClanahan were both power arms with iffy control whom the Rays fixed). Check back in three years and this could end up being a big home run for the Rays -- all for a reliever. -- Schoenfield
Mets show they are going for it with Winker trade
Mets get:
OF Jesse Winker
Nationals get:
RHP Tyler Stuart
Mets grade: B+
The Mets are 31-14 since June 3, the best record in the majors since that date, while also leading the majors in runs scored over that span (5.67 runs per game). Still, it never hurts to add depth, and with Starling Marte injured, right field has been a revolving door between Tyrone Taylor, Jeff McNeil and DJ Stewart. Winker has had a solid season for the Nationals, hitting .257/.374/.419. That OBP is good enough to rank 14th in the majors, so this could be a nice pickup for the Mets, as Taylor and Stewart haven't produced and McNeil has only recently heated up. The Mets have also hit much better against left-handed pitching, so Winker should give them a boost against right-handers.
Winker's best position, however, is DH, so it will be interesting to see how Carlos Mendoza works him into the lineup. (Winker ranks in the second percentile in Statcast's outs above average, although defensive runs saved has him as an average left fielder. I'm more inclined to trust OAA here, as Winker's defensive metrics have been consistently poor in recent years.) It will likely end up being a lot of mixing and matching, with Brandon Nimmo moving between all three outfield positions -- and Harrison Bader relegated to the bench or a platoon role, with an outfield of Winker, Nimmo and McNeil getting a lot of traction.
Winker could also get some DH time if New York makes another move this week -- indeed, ESPN's Jeff Passan has reported that J.D. Martinez is a trade possibility, so don't rule out Winker simply replacing him as the DH if that happens. And with Kodai Senga going with a calf injury that could sideline him the rest of the regular season, we could see the Mets make another trade to land a starting pitcher before the deadline.
Nationals grade: C+
When the Nationals signed Winker, this is what they hoped for: Winker bouncing back from his career-worst 2023 season, when he battled injuries, and hitting enough to create some trade value. For $2 million, it was a good roll of the dice, and now they get an interesting pitching prospect in return.
Stuart is a 24-year-old who was drafted in the sixth round out of Southern Mississippi in 2022. A towering 6-foot-9, he was primarily a reliever in college, but the Mets turned him into a starter, and he has a 3.96 ERA in Double-A, allowing 85 hits in 84 innings with 90 strikeouts and 20 walks. It was a nice development story for the Mets. Stuart shows nice control for a big guy, but lefties have hit him pretty hard, posting a .286/.335/.461 line. His slider remains his best secondary weapon but he could end up in the bullpen unless his other stuff develops. The Nationals might have been able to do better than this for Winker given the limited number of bats available, but a lot of teams probably viewed him as only a DH and those players don't usually bring a big return. -- Schoenfield
Phillies send prospects to Angels for Estevez
Phillies get:
RHP Carlos Estevez
Angels get:
RHP George Klassen
LHP Samuel Aldegheri
Phillies grade: B
After trading Seranthony Dominguez for Austin Hays, the Phillies still believed they were an arm short in the bullpen, so in comes Angels closer Estevez for a couple of minor league pitchers. Adding Estevez probably wasn't a necessity, as the Phillies go five deep in quality relievers, including All-Stars Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm, but with a comfortable lead in the division there's also no reason to push their relievers hard down the stretch. Estevez provides insurance on that front as well as depth in case anyone gets injured -- and, of course, it also prevents him from going to another contender that might have been looking for a reliever (such as the Dodgers).
He's also having the best season of his career. Estevez became the Angels' closer last season after coming over from Colorado and saved 31 games, but he wasn't especially effective -- 3.90 ERA, 3.94 FIP, WHIP of nearly 1.50. This year, however, he has 20 saves in 23 chances while cutting his walks from 4.5 per nine to 1.5. He's a typical fastball-slider reliever, but the slider has been much sharper, holding batters to .148 average, compared with .300 last season. He's riding a streak of 18 consecutive scoreless appearances in which he has allowed just three hits in 18 innings. If that's the reliever the Phillies are getting the rest of the season, the best bullpen in the NL -- I'd put Cleveland's first overall -- just got better.
The Phillies have had a bit of an unsettled closer situation as Jose Alvarado has been inconsistent, so Hoffman has shared the role at times. It's possible Estevez becomes the closer, with Hoffman, Strahm, Alvarado and Orion Kerkering the high-leverage setup guys come October. It's worth pointing all this out because of what happened last October when the Phillies decided to live and die with the shaky Craig Kimbrel (it didn't work out). I'm also not convinced Estevez is this good -- eight of his past 10 appearances have been against Seattle, Oakland and Detroit -- three bad offensive teams -- but I guess Rob Thomson has two months to come up with a more defined bullpen order if he so desires.
Angels grade: A
This grade doesn't mean it's a sure thing to work out for the Angels, but it reflects the fact that they picked up two good pitching prospects for a veteran reliever who is headed into free agency and might have been simply riding a hot streak. Both pitchers rank in Baseball America's top 10 list of Phillies prospects list -- Klassen at No. 5 and Aldegheri at No. 7. The Phillies system is much improved, so this arguably a better return than, say, the Rays got for Randy Arozarena.
Klassen, in particular, has really emerged this season. He was a sixth-round pick last year out of the University of Minnesota, where he had poor control (47 walks, 49 strikeouts) but an upper 90s fastball that hit triple digits, and the Phillies have helped him clean up his command. He has crushed Single-A and High-A so far in 14 starts: 59⅓ IP, 37 H, 3 HR, 21 BB, 89 SO. Jersey Shore is a long way from Anaheim, and he has averaged only a little more than four innings per start, but he looks like a heck of an arm to pick up for a rental. -- Schoenfield
Red Sox nab catcher Jansen
Red Sox get:
C Danny Jansen
Blue Jays get:
IF Eddinson Paulino
IF Cutter Coffey
RHP Gilberto Batista
Red Sox grade: C+
The Red Sox rank seventh in OPS from the catching position, but that's entirely because of Connor Wong's .803 mark -- Reese McGuire's is .575 in a little less than half the plate appearances. Jansen has a .671 OPS this season and .733 for his career -- he has slumped badly over the past few weeks but given his track record, you like his chances to outperform what Boston could expect from McGuire.
For that matter, Wong's batting numbers might be expected to regress, as he is outperforming his forecasts by a considerable amount. He and Jansen should be a nice tandem going forward, assuming the latter can acclimate quickly to working with a new staff. McGuire, assuming he is the odd man out, has better defensive marks than Wong, who is a strong thrower. Jansen can plug most of a defensive void opened up by a loss or decline in playing time for McGuire but -- major caveat -- you never know quite what to expect when catchers change teams midstream.
One thing you do like is Jansen's power swing, which features well above average flyball and pull rates. That seems like a pretty good recipe for Fenway Park. He has a .793 OPS there in 42 games for his career. Perhaps Boston will try to carry three catchers and work Jansen in at DH on occasion. Jansen is a rental pickup who will enter free agency this winter.
Blue Jays grade: B-
The Blue Jays aren't in full reset mode yet, but they are actively subtracting as we race toward the deadline. Jansen and Yimi Garcia (traded to Seattle on Friday) were both walk-year players. Nate Pearson (traded to Chicago on Saturday) was as much as anything someone who needs fresh voices in his ear. As long as we're not seeing names like Gausman, Guerrero, Bichette, it's not quite a reset -- but the ship has sailed on 2024.
This is a solid return for a rental catcher who will be highly sought-after in free agency this winter. Coffey is a powerful infielder who has 14 homers this season. He had one spree from June 9 to June 15 when he homered in six straight games, including a two-homer contest. His inability to make enough quality contact to feature that power has kept him off most prospect rankings before this season even though he was the 41st overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Liberty.
Paulino was ranked as Boston's No. 31 prospect (40 FV) by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel before the season, a steady climber in the Boston system after signing at 16 in 2019. He's a lefty swinger with productive speed attributes who has moved around a lot defensively. He has a lot of trouble with same-side hurlers. Batista is a 19-year-old righty out of the Dominican Republic who is a flier-type of pickup. -- Doolittle
Yankees add needed bat by landing Chisholm from Marlins
Yankees get:
OF Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Marlins get:
C Agustin Ramirez
INF Jared Serna
INF/OF Abrahan Ramirez
Yankees grade: B+
Chisholm is a solid, if flawed, player, never as productive as the hype, the customized cleats and being the cover player for MLB The Show 23 might suggest. He missed a lot of time in recent seasons, appearing in just 157 games combined over the previous two years, although he has been healthy this year. He slugged .535 in 60 games in 2022, but is slugging just .407 this season (.249/.323/.407). As the trade rumors swirled, there were stated concerns about how he would fit in with a new organization.
Still, I love this deal for the Yankees. Yes, the Yankees lead the American League in runs scored, but this lineup has been desperate for more support for Aaron Judge and Juan Soto and Chisholm's current 104 wRC+, while barely above league average, makes him now arguably the third-best hitter on the team. Put it this way: Judge and Soto have combined to create about 104 runs above average; as a team, the Yankees are about 64 runs above average, meaning the non-Judge/Soto hitters have been 40 runs below average. Yankees' leadoff hitters have a combined .279 OBP, so Chisholm might fit into that slot batting in front of Soto.
Where will he play? Alex Verdugo has hit .211/.250/.330 since May 8, so maybe Chisholm takes over in left and spells Judge in center when the big man has a DH day. Maybe he plays some second base, where he played before moving to center in 2023, with Gleyber Torres moving over to third. Either way, the positional flexibility helps.
Chisholm is making just $2.6 million this year and is under team control for two more seasons (and could replace Torres at second base next year). I'm curious to see how he performs away from Miami and with a more advanced analytical organization. He's a pull hitter -- 12 of his 13 home runs this season have gone to right-center or right field, so he's a good fit for Yankee Stadium. He has also posted career-best strikeout and walk rates in 2024. There's a chance he puts up some nice numbers over the final two-plus months.
Marlins grade: A-
Ramirez is the headliner going to Miami. As ESPN MLB prospect expert Kiley McDaniel tweeted, the 22-year-old catcher is already in Triple-A with raw power (he has 20 home runs in the minors this season), decent contact skills, a good-enough glove and an average arm. He'll be close to ranking in the top 100 overall prospects, if not in there, once the list is updated. Acquiring a catcher also fills a hole the size of Crater Lake: Marlins catchers are hitting .187/.221/.256. Ramirez is just 22 and projects as the long-term solution at a position the Marlins have struggled to fill since trading J.T. Realmuto.
Serna is an undersized infielder with some pop, putting up decent numbers in High-A. He's playing shortstop right now, although his arm probably pushes him over to second. Abrahan Ramirez is a 19-year-old hitting .348 in the Florida Complex League -- which doesn't mean a whole lot, but that kind of production is worth taking a flier on.
In the end, the Jazz era never really took off in Miami, especially given the promise of that All-Star first half in 2022. It's never fun to trade one of your best players, but this isn't like when the Marlins traded Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna. Chisholm has never reached the heights of those players, so acquiring a catcher -- a position that is hard to find or develop -- while getting two additional interesting prospects in return for Chisholm looks like it could be a nice transaction. Yes, maybe it's more churn for a future that will never arrive, but given the disastrous 2024 season, it's a deal that makes sense. -- Schoenfield
Mets bolster bullpen with Ryne Stanek
Mets get:
RHP Ryne Stanek
Mariners get:
OF Rhylan Thomas
Mets grade: B+
The Mets' bullpen has been a bit of a revolving door this season, and with New York about to amazingly pass the Braves for second place in the NL East, David Stearns continues to transform the group behind closer Edwin Diaz. Stanek might now be Carlos Mendoza's second- or third-best setup option along with fellow former Astro Phil Maton (another recent New York pickup).
Stanek hasn't had his best season, but he has been leaned on heavily by Seattle manager Scott Servais. His 2024 peripherals and velocity are all at career norms, so the Mets are getting the same guy we've seen for years in Tampa Bay and Houston. He is a clear upgrade for the New York relief corps and adds stability to a group that has been more than a little in flux.
Mariners grade: D+
Too often, it just seems like the sound and fury of Jerry Dipoto's transaction frenzies end up signifying nothing once the dust settles. (Decide for yourself whether that's a Shakespeare or a Faulkner reference.) This is another one of those times.
In the grade for the deal that sent Yimi Garcia to Seattle, we wrote that while Garcia is an upgrade for the Mariners' bullpen, it didn't seem necessary given the quality of those in that group who have come off the IL in recent days. Where we landed, though: It did deepen the pen, and you can't have too many good relievers.
Except that apparently the deal rendered Stanek redundant, because now he's a Met and the Mariners have a fringe prospect to show for it. Maybe Thomas will be something, but he has shown a lack of pop and has an old-school combination of average with patience that you don't really see flourish in the majors any longer, at least not without some thump as part of the equation. On the basepaths, Thomas' 20 steals as a pro have been more than offset by 17 caught stealings, and he's already 24 years old.
In the end, it looks like Dipoto's work on the Seattle bullpen Friday yielded a marginal upgrade -- from Stanek to Garcia, both of whom are in walk years -- and an overall negative on the organizational talent scale given the inclusion of Jonatan Clase in the trade to get Garcia from Toronto. -- Doolittle
Mariners land Yimi Garcia for prospects
Mariners get:
RHP Yimi Garcia
Blue Jays get:
OF Jonatan Clase
C Jacob Sharp
Mariners grade: B-
The Mariners have one of baseball's best rotations. They also have an outstanding closer in Andres Munoz. But maintaining leads from the former to the latter has been problematic, a shortcoming that Garcia will certainly ease.
I vacillated between giving Seattle a C- or a straight C for a couple of reasons, but in the end I give the team some credit for a continuing effort to improve in the right-now opportunity. Garcia ostensibly becomes the second-best reliever in the Seattle bullpen, behind Munoz. In terms of repertoire, you always want a reliever who complements what you have, though at the deadline you take what you can get. Well, Garcia throws six pitches, so you can find a role for him anywhere.
The thing is, I'm just not certain Garcia was necessary. The Mariners recently got Gregory Santos and Gabe Speier back from injury. Even before that trade, that gave Scott Servais -- one of baseball's best bullpen managers -- two high-leverage options whose returns allowed him to go easier on the likes of Ryne Stanek (who was shortly traded to the New York Mets, helping explain this deal), Austin Voth and Trent Thornton.
The real question is whether the willingness to part with Clase could have helped pry another bat from a deadline subtractor. No knock on Randy Arozarena, but the Mariners need a lot more to shore up an offense that entered Friday hitting .216.
The bottom line, though: Garcia is a top reliever and you can never have too many of those.
Blue Jays grade: B+
When you're flipping a player on an expiring deal at the deadline, you usually have to temper your expectations -- especially for a short reliever/non-closer, who can generate only so much value over a two-month span. You target upside and get what you can.
Clase is bursting with upside. Kiley McDaniel ranked Clase as Seattle's ninth-best prospect before the season and gave him an 80-grade as a runner. That's a trait easy to see in his performance record -- 207 steals, 316 runs and 30 triples in 372 minor-league games. He also owns a .192 isolated power mark in the bushes and has homered 47 times.
Clase made his big league debut earlier this season but remains a work in progress, with a wild approach at the plate and a defensive profile in center that is more reliant on speed than technique. He's only 22, though, and more than worth a shot, especially for a walk-year reliever.
Sharp is a diminutive catcher out of UNLV who is athletic enough to have played some outfield in college. He's a bit off the radar in the prospect rankings but his small-sample numbers in the low minors suggest he might have a nice grasp of the strike zone at the dish. -- Doolittle
O's send trio of prospects to Rays for Eflin
Orioles get:
RHP Zach Eflin
Rays get:
OF Matthew Etzel
RHP Jackson Baumeister
IF/OF Mac Horvath
Orioles grade: B
The Orioles have been active this week. For all the success Baltimore has had in developing a legion of impact position players, it still has had to scramble to fill its rotation at the recent deadlines. Last year, the O's picked up Jack Flaherty from St. Louis and, well, that didn't work out. Now it's Eflin's turn to try to give an injury-hammered starting staff a boost.
Baltimore had three starting pitchers undergo elbow surgery in June: Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells. Perhaps not coincidentally, the team has cooled considerably from a pace that had it headed for a second straight 100-win season. The blame for the slump can't be aimed at just one area, but whereas there is just too much talent on hand to expect the offense to keep flailing, the same couldn't be said for the ever-thinning pitching staff.
Eflin is no ace, but he's good enough to slot right behind Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez in the rotation. That doesn't create a big three, as Eflin is closer to No. 4 Dean Kremer than he is the top two, but the overall rotation is still better. He's on the books for $18 million in 2025, so he can help Baltimore shore up its rotation now and beyond, when the ailing guys are likely still rehabbing. That's also why the Orioles parted with three decent prospects from their deep system.
The only question is this: Could the Orioles have looked higher up on the available starter list? Well, who is to say they aren't still? While Etzel, Baumeister and Horvath are all potential big leaguers who will now be exposed to the development machine in Tampa Bay, none of them ranked in Baltimore's top 10 organizational prospects before the season, per ESPN's Kiley McDaniel.
In other words: The Orioles still have plenty of prospects left to blow everyone out of the water should a top-of-the-rotation hurler become available.
Rays grade: B+
Generally, I'm a little hard on teams that subtract at the deadline when they aren't clearly, unquestionably out of the playoff race. I'm a "hold on by your fingernails until you fall off the cliff" guy. I see these things through a fan's lens, or at least a certain kind of fan who doesn't like to see any right-now opportunity go to waste. Tampa Bay is clearly putting its focus on 2025, not just because of this deal but also given the trades of Aaron Civale, Phil Maton and, hours before this trade, Randy Arozarena. This is a club in subtraction mode and yet, according to my latest sims the Rays still had a 1-in-10 shot at the postseason. Make of that what you will.
Nevertheless, this was a deal pretty hard to pass up. That $18 million Eflin has coming in 2025 is a big amount for the Rays, especially considering the number of injury returnees they can welcome back over the months to come. And not just dudes -- we're talking about standouts such as Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen, all of whom could join Shane Baz and Taj Bradley in a dynamite core rotation next year. Eflin might not have been able to crack that group, and $18 million is a lot for a depth hurler.
McDaniel rated Etzel the highest during preseason (No. 11 in the Orioles system), followed by Baumeister (18) and Horvath (25). Etzel is an up-and-comer as someone drafted in the 10th round just last year who has nonetheless reached Double-A with a .297/.388/.461 slash line as a professional. Horvath has the kind of power/speed/defensive versatility combo that the Rays like to deploy. Baumeister has a strong K rate and a 3.06 ERA in High-A over 18 starts in his first professional game action. He's got a lively high fastball, a good base from which a hurler can be plugged into the Tampa Bay pitching program.
All in all, it's a nice haul for a pitcher the Rays perhaps didn't need and it opens up salary as they build for 2025. (Note: At the time this was written, it was unknown whether the Rays were picking up any of the remaining money on Eflin's deal.) -- Doolittle
Orioles add Dominguez, Pache for Hays
Phillies get:
OF Austin Hays
Orioles get:
RHP Seranthony Dominguez
OF Cristian Pache
Phillies grade: C
It's not often you see a deadline trade like this one, between two leading World Series contenders, and one involving three big leaguers -- but I'm wondering if this says more about what these teams might not end up doing, rather than any value this trade brings.
For the Phillies, Hays feels like a backup plan: The more desirable acquisition to fill a hole in the outfield would have been Luis Robert Jr. or Randy Arozarena (who just went to Seattle). An All-Star last season, Hays got off to an awful start with a .111 average in April, missed a month with a calf injury and then hit better in June (.375, 1.132 OPS). He has been used in a platoon role of late, OK against lefties but ineffective against righties.
Overall, he has 40 strikeouts and just nine walks, so even at his best he's a low OBP hitter with OK power. He should take over in left field, where his best asset is a strong arm, with Brandon Marsh moving to center. Hays is an offensive upgrade over Pache or Johan Rojas -- but he's not Robert. At least this didn't really cost the Phillies anything; Dominguez would rate no better than the sixth arm in the Phillies bullpen and Johan Rojas is still around as a fourth outfielder. Maybe there's more to come, but if this is it, it's not the swing-for-the-fences deal Phillies fans were hoping for.
Orioles grade: C+
I'd say the same thing for the Orioles, though Dominguez does give them a power arm and some much-needed bullpen depth. He sits 97-98 with a hard slider, but he has been vulnerable to the home run the past two seasons (13 in 86 innings). If he's locked in and not hanging the slider, he can be a high-leverage reliever like he was in October 2022, when he fanned 18 and allowed two runs over 10⅔ innings. Pache might fill Hays' platoon role -- or maybe this opens up more playing time for Heston Kjerstad, with Colton Cowser playing more center field in place of the struggling Cedric Mullins.
The Orioles are just 12-16 since June 21, with a 5.36 ERA, raising concerns about the overall pitching depth. Maybe this is just the first domino to fall. Trading Hays clears a little salary while also addressing a bullpen need -- with maybe the juicier prospect-for-a-starting pitcher deal on the horizon. No doubt, the Orioles have a lot of wheels spinning, as Jeff Passan has reported that they could also move Mullins and/or first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. We still have a few days to go for the O's to be more aggressive than they were last year; this better not be their only deal. -- Schoenfield
Red Sox add to rotation with Paxton trade
Red Sox get:
LHP James Paxton
Dodgers get:
IF Moises Bolivar
Red Sox grade: C-
Because Paxton was DFA'd by the Dodgers this week, this isn't a true deadline deal but more of the standard kind of swap you see as teams manage their rosters through the season. That the Dodgers were willing to jettison Paxton as part of an attempt to improve the rotation is an indictment of where he's at in his career, though that's not to say he can't provide a modest upgrade in rotation depth for Boston.
Paxton pitched for the Red Sox last year but they are getting a different pitcher, even though his ERA is roughly the same. This version doesn't throw as hard, doesn't miss many bats and has given up an awful lot of hard contact. Perhaps because of this, Paxton's walk rate is also at a career nadir because he is unwilling to work in the strike zone with the diminished stuff. Or maybe it's his command but, either way -- it's not good.
It's those under-the-hood indicators that knock the Red Sox down a bit here, as they did give up talent for a DFA'd player and might have done better by waiting to see who else becomes available. That said, Paxton is a familiar face and the Red Sox should know what they're getting.
Dodgers grade: C+
Bolivar is a 17-year-old infielder from Venezuela signed in January for a $25,000 bonus, nominally as a shortstop though he has already moved off that position. He's not only just 17, he just turned that age three weeks ago and to project him out from here based on his Dominican Summer League stats would be silly. We can say that he hit well while often batting cleanup for the Boston entrant in the DSL (.844 OPS in 17 games at that slot). The Dodgers must have liked him, as you figure there was a non-zero trade market for Paxton given the number of teams looking for rotation depth. But, as with nearly all prospects this young: Who knows? -- Doolittle
Mariners make deadline's first splash with Arozarena deal
Mariners get:
OF Randy Arozarena
Rays get:
OF Aidan Smith, RHP Brody Hopkins, player to be named
Mariners grade: B
On June 18, the Mariners had a 10-game lead in the AL West. Then they lost it entirely in a span of 24 days, the fastest a team has ever blown a division lead that large. The Mariners lead the majors in strikeouts and are hitting .216, the worst team batting average in the majors. They've lost eight of their past nine games, hitting .174, and just had one of the worst series in franchise history -- losing three games to the Angels even though their starting pitchers allowed just one earned run. Oh, and Julio Rodriguez and J.P. Crawford landed on the IL this week. Yet they're just one game back of the Astros. Jerry Dipoto had to do something, and he gets one of the best bats likely to move at this deadline.
Arozarena alone isn't going to rescue this offense though. After a horrid start -- he was batting .158 at the end of May -- he has picked it up, hitting .284/.397/.507 since June 1 while cutting his strikeout rate from 29% to 20%. He draws walks (80th percentile). Basically, he's back to what he has been the past three seasons: a good, above-average regular, if not exactly the superstar he was back in October 2020. He's not a good defensive left fielder, and we'll see how his midrange power and exit velocity translate to T-Mobile Park, where nobody can hit this year (opponents are hitting .202 in Seattle).
Importantly when evaluating this deal, he's under team control through 2026 -- indeed, this deal is as much about helping out next season as it is a desperate attempt to salvage this year's sinking ship. We'll see what else the Mariners do -- they could use a temporary fix at shortstop, some bullpen help and, who knows, maybe a bigger deal for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in the cards. With Trader Jerry, you never know.
Rays grade: B
As always: Beware when trading with the Rays. No organization is better at scouting other team's players -- think not just of Arozarena (acquired from the Cardinals) but Yandy Diaz (Guardians) and Isaac Paredes (Tigers), three players who became All-Stars with Tampa Bay. Or top prospect Junior Caminero, acquired from Cleveland after he had played only in the Dominican Summer League.
In Smith and Hopkins, the Rays get two players drafted in 2023 who were performing well in Low-A ball. Smith, who just turned 20, is hitting .284/.402/.470 with nine home runs and 28 steals. A fourth-round pick from a Texas high school, the Mariners gave him twice the slot amount to steer him away from Mississippi State. He has the frame to add power and has the speed and arm to stick in center field.
Hopkins was a sixth-round pick out of Winthrop, where he was a two-way player. Sticking to pitching as a pro, he has made 18 starts with a 2.90 ERA, striking out 95 in 83⅔ innings while allowing just two home runs. He runs his fastball into the mid-90s with a plus slider and has already shown big improvement in his control (after walking 7.3 batters per nine innings at Winthrop, it was down to 4.3 at Modesto).
These are both long-range prospects, and maybe the return feels underwhelming, especially given the Arozarena-to-the-Dodgers rumors that were circulating this week. Obviously, the Rays like this package, especially buying into Smith's upside. I tend to trust the Rays' evaluations on deals like this. This could be just their first move. Zach Eflin, set to make $18 million next season, could be next, and Brandon Lowe is suddenly red-hot (1.054 OPS in July) and could draw some interest as well. -- Schoenfield
Diamondbacks shore up 'pen with Puk
Diamondbacks get:
LHP A.J. Puk
Marlins get:
IF Deyvison De Los Santos
OF Andrew Pintar
D-Backs grade: B+
When Arizona went on its late-season run in 2023, the one that deposited them into the World Series, it did so largely because a struggling bullpen turned things around later in the year. The in-season addition of Paul Sewald played a part in that transformation, and maybe Mike Hazen is trying to recreate that magic with the addition of Puk.
The towering lefty was pummeled early in the season while working in the Miami rotation, but after an IL stint for a shoulder problem, he returned to bullpen work and was an often dominant performer in that role. Puk will slot into an underperforming Arizona bullpen that nevertheless has the ingredients to fuel another Diamondbacks run.
Assuming Sewald retains the bulk of the save opportunities, Torey Lovullo can unleash a nasty lefty-righty set-up combo of Puk and smoke-throwing Justin Martinez, slotting Ryan Thompson, Joe Mantiply, Kevin Ginkel and the rest according to matchups. As a recent starter, Puk has the flexibility to work more than one inning when needed, which will help the Snakes shorten games.
Puk has two more arbitration seasons left after 2024, making him more than a short-term pickup, so he should be a core part of the Arizona bullpen over the next few years. For Arizona, he's more than worth the prospect cost (especially since it left De Los Santos exposed in last winter's Rule V draft, lost him to Cleveland, then got him back before the season when the Guardians opted to return him).
Marlins grade: C+
In a way, the deal is a sad outcome of the relationship between Puk and the Marlins, who tried to work him into a featured role, whether as a closer or in the rotation. Puk had been acquired from Oakland for J.J. Bleday, who has been a regular for the struggling A's but looks like a second-division performer.
So to spin Puk's remaining value forward for a needed position prospect (or two, as it turns out) makes sense. De Los Santos is a powerhouse corner infielder who has enjoyed a breakout season in the minors. He's not very athletic and is too much of a free swinger, but when he squares up a baseball, he does so with authority.
De Los Santos has hit .325/.376/.635 with 28 homers in 87 games across two levels this season, a marked upgrade over a lackluster showing in 2023. At 21, he's posted a .926 OPS in Triple-A after moving up a level in May, putting him on the cusp of his big league debut. He's likely headed for first base and the lack of discipline marks him as a high-risk prospect.
Pintar has a nice power-speed combination but is a bit of a flier as an unranked organizational prospect. He's 19-for-20 on the basepaths and is worth a look. Miami targeted organizational need in this deal, but we'll have to wait to find out how well the new front office assessed the market -- and the place of their new players within it -- in this swap. -- Doolittle