3 days ago
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David SchoenfieldJul 31, 2025, 07:00 PM ET
- Covers MLB for ESPN.com
- Former lawman exertion of Page 2
- Been with ESPN.com since 1995
This year's MLB commercialized deadline didn't person prima players connected the determination -- similar Juan Soto successful 2022 -- oregon the measurement of past twelvemonth -- erstwhile determination were 68 trades connected deadline time -- but, arsenic usual, the 6 p.m. ET cutoff went down with a flurry of activity.
We did person 2 shocking trades: The Astros brought backmost erstwhile prima Carlos Correa portion the Athletics traded person Mason Miller to the Padres for Leo De Vries, 1 of the champion prospects successful the game. Former Cy Young victor Shane Bieber, inactive rehabbing successful the minors, went from Cleveland to Toronto, portion the Orioles and Diamondbacks were engaged arsenic expected. And the Twins? Well, we'll get to them.
Who came retired connected apical arsenic the biggest winners of the deadline? And who were the biggest losers, leaving overmuch to beryllium desired? Let's excavation in.
The large winner: Seattle Mariners
The Mariners acquired the 2 champion hitters to determination astatine the deadline successful Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor successful 2 abstracted trades with the Arizona Diamondbacks -- and remarkably didn't person to springiness up immoderate of their apical 10 prospects to bash so. That's immoderate crackerjack dealing from president of shot operations Jerry Dipoto, who has ever been an assertive trader but has besides been constricted done the years by a stingy ownership radical that has capped the Mariners' payroll. Given the support to adhd immoderate dollars, Dipoto has present constructed 1 of the champion lineups successful the majors with the apical location tally duo successful Cal Raleigh and Suarez.
The Mariners person conscionable 1 playoff quality since 2001, having missed the postseason by 1 triumph each of the past 2 seasons aft making it successful 2022, truthful determination surely was an urgency to spell large successful a play wherever the American League is truthful wide open. They're inactive battling for a wild-card spot and trying to pursuit down the Houston Astros successful the AL West, truthful October is nary guarantee, and they'll request to get much consistency from a rotation that was among the champion successful the majors successful 2024 but ranks 14th successful the majors successful ERA this play (and 23rd connected the road).
The lone sound connected Seattle's deadline: Dipoto had said helium wanted to adhd an interaction reliever, and portion helium did get lefty Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates, getting a high-leverage setup feline for Andres Munoz would person capped an adjacent amended commercialized deadline.
Other winners
With an aging roster and 3 starting pitchers who are crushing it close present successful Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez, the Phillies are perfectly successful full-throttle win-now mode and getting Jhoan Duran addresses their biggest Achilles heel. Jordan Romano and his 6.81 ERA leads the squad with 8 saves. They'll get Jose Alvarado backmost from his PED suspension but he's ineligible for the postseason. Phillies fans don't request to beryllium reminded of the 2023 NLCS (when Craig Kimbrel mislaid 2 games) oregon past year's NLDS (when Jeff Hoffman mislaid twice).
In Duran, president of shot operations Dave Dombrowski acquires not lone an contiguous upgrade for his person but besides a semipermanent solution, since Duran is nether squad power done 2027. It outgo the Phillies their No. 4 and 5 prospects successful catcher Eduardo Tait and pitcher Mick Abel, but Tait is inactive conscionable 18 years aged and years distant from the majors portion Abel scuffled a spot successful six starts with the Phillies. With the request to amended their high-leverage relief, this was a woody the Phillies had to make. In a 2nd commercialized with the Minnesota Twins, Dombrowski besides added utile outfielder Harrison Bader, who provides a needed right-handed bat and could extremity up arsenic the regular successful halfway tract if helium keeps hitting similar helium did with Minnesota.
The Mets bullpen had been struggling for 2 months -- astatine least, speech from Edwin Diaz, who has been lights retired of late. So president of shot operations David Stearns utilized the deadline to remake it, turning it into what, astatine slightest connected paper, present looks similar 1 of the champion successful the game. Tyler Rogers is unconventional with his underhand transportation and men's league velocity, but helium gets batters to lb that sinker into the crushed and he's been 1 of the apical relievers this play with a 1.80 ERA. Ryan Helsley and Gregory Soto supply a powerfulness arsenal from the close and near sides, respectively.
With Diaz, Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek and Brooks Raley already connected the roster, this pen is present loaded. October shot is simply a antithetic crippled than the regular season: There are much days off, which makes it adjacent easier to spell dense connected the bullpen. We've seen the Atlanta Braves successful 2021, the Houston Astros successful 2022 and the Los Angeles Dodgers successful 2024 triumph the World Series connected the backs of their bullpens. The deals outgo the Mets 2 of their top-10 prospects successful infielder Jesus Baez (No. 5) and outfielder Drew Gilbert (No. 7), positive pitcher Blade Tidwell, who was No. 10 connected Baseball America's list. Dombrowski and Stearns person shown wherefore they're regarded arsenic 2 of the apical executives successful the crippled -- they're not acrophobic to marque a bold move, acting a time earlier the deadline to guarantee they got the apical relievers available.
To headdress it off, the Mets added halfway fielder Cedric Mullins, who gives them much discourtesy than Tyrone Taylor but little defense. That volition astir apt crook into a platoon concern oregon let the Mets to dispersed retired immoderate DH at-bats to Juan Soto. Nothing incorrect with improving the depth.
The Astros added Carlos Correa to play 3rd base, outfielder Jesus Sanchez to springiness them a much-needed left-handed bat and inferior infielder Ramon Urias. They're getting shortstop Jeremy Pena backmost connected Friday, truthful abruptly the lineup is overmuch improved compared to the stopgap radical Houston has been moving retired determination for overmuch of July.
Correa looms arsenic 1 of the cardinal players these last 2 months arsenic the Astros look to clasp disconnected the Mariners and Texas Rangers successful the AL West. He hasn't been an interaction hitter successful 2025, batting .267/.319/.386 with conscionable 7 location runs successful 93 games, but he's 1 play removed from a 151 OPS+, erstwhile his OPS was 200 points higher than it is this year. It volition beryllium fascinating to spot what happens successful his instrumentality to Houston.
The Astros person 1 of the champion late-game bullpens successful the majors and 1 of the champion 1-2 starting pitcher duos successful Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown. They've been winning without Yordan Alvarez. They don't needfully request a large discourtesy with their pitching, but they person a amended 1 with Correa, Sanchez (.814 OPS against right-handers) and Urias.
The Mason Miller-for-Leo De Vries commercialized was 1 of the much shocking we've seen successful years, not conscionable due to the fact that top-100 wide prospects are seldom traded astatine the deadline -- fto unsocial a statement top-five imaginable successful De Vries -- but due to the fact that the A's got him for a reliever. Yes, a precise bully 1 successful Miller, who the San Diego Padres mightiness effort arsenic a starter adjacent season, but immoderate clip you tin flip a reliever for a imaginable superstar, you marque the move.
At 18 years old, De Vries is holding his ain successful High-A, with an OPS 60 points supra the Midwest League mean contempt being the youngest subordinate successful the league (and 1 of conscionable 2 teenage presumption players). You could accidental he's wherever Carlos Correa oregon Francisco Lindor were astatine this age, though you could conscionable arsenic easy constituent to a agelong database of hyped teenagers who didn't marque it. Still, everybody thinks De Vries is the existent woody and his precocious results suggest helium should make into astatine slightest an above-average regular. This a imaginable franchise-altering move.
General manager Brian Cashman promised the Yankees were going to "go to town" this deadline. They added 3rd baseman Ryan McMahon, infielders Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario, person David Bednar, outfielder Austin Slater and reliever Jake Bird, which is ... a batch of pieces. But is that going to town? McMahon could extremity up arsenic 1 of the sleeper acquisitions of the deadline, arsenic escaping Colorado for a much analytical enactment could beryllium bully for the psyche and the numbers. Caballero gives them an enactment to play shortstop implicit the struggling Anthony Volpe oregon astatine slightest gives them 1 of the champion basestealers successful the game.
But the Yankees didn't get Eugenio Suarez oregon Jhoan Duran oregon a starting pitcher.
Bottom line: This was hardly the Death Star attack we ever expect from the Yankees -- but, really, they haven't operated similar that successful a agelong time. Their biggest deadline moves successful caller years were Jazz Chisholm Jr. past twelvemonth and Andrew Benintendi successful 2022. Don't punctual Yankees fans of Joey Gallo successful 2021. They person dramatically improved their extent and versatility, truthful we'll telephone them winners, but did they bash capable to pursuit down the Toronto Blue Jays successful the division?
The large loser: Minnesota Twins ... fans
What a sad, brutal time to beryllium a Twins fan. Gone this deadline period: Carlos Correa, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Danny Coulombe, Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, Brock Stewart and Chris Paddack. That's 9 players disconnected the 26-man roster, including the backend of a championship-caliber bullpen. At slightest they kept Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton.
Sure, immoderate of those guys -- Bader and Castro successful peculiar -- were heading to escaped agency. It's much the messaging here: We're inexpensive and we don't attraction astir winning. Was that apt this season? Probably not, arsenic the Twins are 5½ games retired of the wild-card race. But it wasn't an intolerable idea. One blistery streak and they're close backmost successful it. Is it apt adjacent year? Probably not now. The Twins volition request to physique an full bullpen from scratch, for starters. They person 1 morganatic prima presumption subordinate successful Buxton and helium has occupation staying healthy.
Did they bash good successful the trades? Time volition tell, but it's not similar they loaded up connected top-100 prospects oregon thing similar that. Catcher Eduardo Tait is the astir absorbing imaginable they got, but he's an 18-year-old successful High-A and apt years distant from making an impact. It's imaginable the Twins -- if they walk immoderate of the savings connected trading Correa's declaration -- tin reallocate their resources to physique a much competitive, well-rounded team. It's besides possible, with the squad for sale, that the Twins are entering a Rays- oregon Pirates-like epoch of frugality, pocketing much profits portion the losses heap up.
This Twins epoch began with a 101-win squad successful 2019. They signed Correa successful 2022, but the Correa epoch volition person produced conscionable 1 playoff play successful 4 years. It mightiness beryllium a fewer years earlier the Twins are adjacent reasoning of the playoffs again. Twins fans tin lone anticipation that appraisal is wrong.
Other losers
The Cubs weren't inactive -- they added 3rd baseman/utilityman Willi Castro and a mates marginal pitchers successful Michael Soroka and Andrew Kittredge -- but it was a amazingly non-aggressive deadline for a squad battling the Brewers for the National League Central title. No Eugenio Suarez. No interaction starting pitcher similar Merrill Kelly. None of the interaction relievers who exchanged teams. The Cubs person a beauteous bully workplace system, truthful had the resources to marque a commercialized for 1 of those players, but erred connected the broadside of caution. We'll spot if that costs them a part rubric oregon haunts them successful October.
The Red Sox added pitchers Dustin May and Steven Matz. Meh. May had a 4.85 ERA portion starting for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Matz had a 3.44 ERA pitching successful alleviation for the St. Louis Cardinals. Both person immoderate inferior -- May gives them a rotation enactment and Matz has been a multi-inning reliever -- but don't truly change Boston's playoff odds, particularly factoring successful the moves the Yankees and Blue Jays made oregon adjacent the Tampa Bay Rays adding a mates higher-impact pitchers successful Adrian Houser and Griffin Jax.
The Red Sox could person traded for a archetypal baseman oregon gotten originative and dealt from their logjam of outfielders. It's understandable wherefore they didn't privation to bash that now, fixed they've gone 17-7 successful July. Why messiness with that momentum? Still, a amended starting pitcher than May oregon an interaction reliever would person helped.
We applaud the Reds for making a mates of deals -- aft all, they haven't made the playoffs successful a afloat play since 2013 -- but Ke'Bryan Hayes and Zack Littell are unusual fits. As my colleague Brad Doolittle wrote, Hayes is simply a terrific antiaircraft 3rd baseman but hits similar a 1970s shortstop (he has the lowest slugging percent of immoderate subordinate with 600 sheet appearances implicit the past 2 seasons). The Reds volition effort Noelvi Marte successful close tract to wide abstraction for Hayes, but fixed that Marte had zero acquisition successful the outfield until 11 days ago, the gains Hayes provides connected defence mightiness beryllium offset by Marte successful close field. Yes, this tin beryllium viewed arsenic a semipermanent woody arsenic overmuch arsenic a win-now determination since Hayes is signed done 2029, but erstwhile his defence slips adjacent a little, he'll beryllium unplayable.
Littell is simply a unusual acquisition arsenic good since the rotation has been a spot for the Reds and his location tally tendencies -- helium leads the majors successful homers allowed -- are an particularly atrocious acceptable for the cozy confines of Great American Ballpark. He's allowed conscionable 21 walks successful 22 starts, truthful astatine slightest the plus-plus bid eliminates immoderate of the harm of the location runs. But Littell doesn't look similar an upgrade implicit what the Reds already person and, dissimilar Hayes, he's a escaped cause aft the season.
The Tigers were engaged adding pitching astatine the deadline -- with starters Chris Paddack and Charlie Morton and relievers Kyle Finnegan, Paul Sewald, Rafael Montero and Codi Heuer -- but that radical doesn't bash overmuch to code the bullpen problems that person plagued the Tigers for 2 months and Paddack oregon Morton simply replaces the injured Reese Olson without providing an upgrade.
Granted, with a comfy nine-game pb successful the AL Central and their part rivals not doing thing to improve, the Tigers weren't nether immoderate aggravated unit to improve. Still, successful a play wherever the AL is truthful wide open, it was a disappointingly blimpish attack to the commercialized deadline, particularly since Detroit has 1 of the apical workplace systems successful the majors. The Tigers didn't person to commercialized Kevin McGonigle oregon Max Clark oregon Bryce Rainer to get better, but they should person astatine slightest added an interaction reliever.
The Brewers are hardly losers successful the large picture, arsenic this is arguably the champion squad successful baseball, and you tin reason they already made their 2 large additions with the instrumentality of Brandon Woodruff a mates weeks agone and the June call-up of flame-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski. It's besides existent that their needs -- a powerfulness bat for the lineup -- didn't lucifer what was available, though Eugenio Suarez would person been a bully addition.
They did get reliever Shelby Miller from the D-backs, who is having a bully year, but the Brewers already had 1 of the champion bullpens successful the majors. And if Andrew Vaughn keeps hitting, they'll beryllium OK astatine archetypal basal -- though, helium was unspeakable for the Chicago White Sox anterior to the Brewers getting him for a song. Ryan O'Hearn would besides person been a bully addition, susceptible of playing archetypal basal oregon the outfield and improving the bench, but helium was dealt to the San Diego Padres. The Brewers are battling the Cubs for the part rubric -- and avoiding that wild-card bid volition beryllium huge. We'll spot if the Brewers tin bash that without making immoderate large deals.
