Here\u2019s a look at the winners and losers from this year\u2019s deadline.<\/p>\n
Winner: Dodgers<\/p>\n
They got the best player on the market without surrendering any of their top five prospects<\/a>. That\u2019s a huge win. Tarik Skubal will only make the Dodgers stronger and, let\u2019s be real, everyone thinks he\u2019ll re-sign there in the offseason. He\u2019ll pair with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and … whoever else the Dodgers decide to deploy from their ridiculous stable of starters to form potentially the greatest playoff rotation in MLB history. It was a massive coup.<\/p>\n In addition to Skubal, the Dodgers landed former All-Star Kris Bubic from the Royals for 25-year-old reliever Carlos Duran, who doesn\u2019t have much, if any, upside. Bubic is having a down year after dealing with a shoulder injury for months. He feels like an insurance piece if Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell can\u2019t get back in the rotation, and the lefty could otherwise come out of the bullpen. <\/p>\n L.A. entered trade deadline week with questions about its rotation thanks to a litany of injuries. It emerged with the best pitcher in the sport and a former All-Star. The rich get richer. \u2014Ryan Phillips<\/p>\n Loser: Red Sox<\/p>\n I applaud Red Sox GM Craig Breslow for going all-in now that his team has earned its way into contention. But the stockpile of players he gave up to acquire modest upgrades is genuinely staggering. <\/p>\n We had the Red Sox badly losing both the Adley Rutschman <\/a>and Curtis Mead trades<\/a>. For Mead, they sent controllable lefty starter Connelly Early, who has a 3.44 ERA in 17 starts this season, while Mead was DFA\u2019d by the White Sox earlier this year and was having a pop-up season for the Nationals that feels like a mirage. Mead unfortunately fractured his wrist in his first game with Boston after the trade, making it look even worse. <\/p>\n While improving the catching situation was important, Boston surrendered a massive prospect haul to the Orioles for Rutschman, who has declined since his 2023 peak and can become a free agent after next season. In exchange for him, they surrendered two or three of their top five prospects, depending on how you rate them, in righty starters Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, plus outfield prospect Endy Azocar.<\/p>\n Then, to top it all off, they sold extremely low on infielder Marcelo Mayer, vastly overpaying for 28-year-old lefty reliever Erik Miller. Miller is solid and is having a nice 2026 campaign at 2\u20130 with a 2.76 ERA over 32 2\/3 innings. But bullpen arms can be volatile, while Mayer is a former top prospect who is still just 23. <\/p>\n Yes, the Red Sox made the big league team better with some of their trades. But they gave up far too much to do so. Breslow misjudged the market and overpaid for marginal improvements. \u2014R.P.<\/p>\n Kevin Gausman gives the Cubs an experienced starting pitcher to plug into their playoff rotation. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Winner: Cubs<\/p>\n The Cubs desperately needed pitching at the trade deadline, and they acquired plenty of it. Kevin Gausman is a great addition to the rotation<\/a>. The veteran righthander boasts plenty of postseason experience and has been a steady arm for the Blue Jays over the past five seasons. Gausman has made 14 career postseason appearances and owns a 3.83 ERA in October. He\u2019ll be a reliable starter for the Cubs as they look to compete in the postseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n Additionally, Chicago also moved to acquire right-hander Clay Holmes from the Mets. Holmes is a big addition<\/a>, boasting a 2.39 ERA across nine starts this season, and like Gausman, he comes with postseason experience under his belt. They did have to surrender prospect Jefferson Rojas to do it, but it could be a worthy price if the team makes a deep postseason run.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cubs also traded for Braxton Garrett from the Marlins. While Gausman and (likely) Holmes are rentals, Garrett heads to Chicago with an additional two years of control before he\u2019s due to hit free agency. The lefty has only made two starts since returning from Tommy John surgery that kept him out of commission for the entire \u201925 season, but he owns a 4.16 ERA and has recorded just shy of one strikeout per inning pitched in his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n For a team that was looking for stability in its starting rotation, the Cubs were aggressive in addressing their needs at the deadline.\u00a0 \u2014Karl Rasmussen<\/p>\n Loser: Tigers<\/p>\n They took less than they should have for Skubal, but even if they couldn\u2019t have gotten more, why the rush to deal him? The return they received is one they could have gotten just before the deadline on Monday. Instead, they traded him on Saturday without waiting out the market. It made little sense at the time and even less in hindsight. <\/p>\n Zyhir Hope is a really nice prospect; he might even develop into an All-Star. But Detroit allowed L.A. to hold on to each of its top five prospects when giving up the back-to-back reigning AL Cy Young winner. Hope was arguably the team\u2019s fifth-best outfield prospect. River Ryan has good stuff, but he\u2019s 27, has had a slow return from Tommy John surgery and boasts a 4.46 ERA in Triple A this year. And 21-year-old Brady Smith has some potential but is 0\u201310 with a 4.72 ERA in two professional seasons. <\/p>\n Detroit sold Skubal, which was the right decision, but the return is proof the franchise should have done it before the season. <\/p>\n Just as the deadline ticked past, Detroit also shipped Casey Mize to San Diego for a modest package centered around 2024 first-rounder Kash Mayfield. The lefty has good size and a really nice changeup but profiles as a No. 4 starter at best. Getting anything for a rental like Mize was good, but it\u2019s not anything to get excited about. \u2014R.P.<\/p>\n Liam Hicks should prove to be a massive upgrade for the Rays in terms of offensive production from the catcher position. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Winner: Rays<\/p>\n For a team that\u2019s typically been pretty passive at the trade deadline in years past, the Rays were anything but this season. After landing Freddy Peralta<\/a> in a deal with the Mets on Sunday, Tampa continued to add pieces on Monday, acquiring catcher Liam Hicks from the Marlins and reliever Tyler Wells from the Orioles.\u00a0<\/p>\n Peralta adds to an already strong rotation, joining the likes of Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez in Tampa. He struggled with the Mets this season, but he\u2019s shown his upside as a starter during his tenure with the Brewers, where he made a pair of All-Star teams and owned a 3.59 ERA across 211 appearances (162 starts).\u00a0<\/p>\n The Rays had a need at catcher, and the acquisition of Hicks represents a significant upgrade over the tandem of Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes. Hicks is under team control through the 2030 season and isn\u2019t eligible for arbitration until \u201928. He\u2019s been excellent this year, recording a .795 OPS, 14 home runs and 62 RBIs in 101 games. Wells will also be a welcome addition to the Rays\u2019 bullpen. He has a 2.67 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 54 innings this year, and has notched four saves. <\/p>\n Considering the organization only surrendered one top 10 prospect (RHP Michael Forret) across all three deals, they\u2019ve successfully improved the MLB roster while not hemorrhaging the farm system.\u00a0\u2014K.R.<\/p>\n Loser: Astros<\/p>\n Probably a small loser here, but the Astros badly needed to find a left-handed bat and were only able to acquire Daulton Varsho, who has a reputation as a plus defender and decent hitter but has noticeably declined in the field while turning 30 this year. In exchange for landing him they shipped starter Spencer Arrighetti to the Blue Jays. The 26-year-old righty is under team control through the 2029 season. <\/p>\n Arrighetti has good stuff but has never been able to harness it. Still, he\u2019s a controllable starting pitcher with some upside. Varsho kind of is what he is at this point. The veteran outfielder is slashing .243\/.307\/.375 with seven home runs, 26 RBIs and a 91 wRC+ this season. I\u2019m not sure how much he actually adds to Houston\u2019s playoff pursuit. <\/p>\n The Astros had a chance to add some bigger pieces at the deadline and opted to mostly play it safe. Prices were lower than many expected them to be, but Houston largely sat things out. \u2014R.P.<\/p>\n Winner: Austin Wells<\/p>\n Austin Wells, with a 55 wRC+, .161 batting average and just 14 RBIs in 77 games, was like the epitome of the \u201cI\u2019m in Danger\u201d meme<\/a> in the lead-up to the trade deadline. The Yankees were rumored to be checking in on any and every possible available catcher at the deadline, though Wells got a vote of confidence behind the scenes when a report emerged suggesting the club still valued his improved defense behind the plate and his relationships with the pitching staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s always dicey adding a catcher at midseason and having to cultivate new partnerships with the pitchers on the staff on the fly. It seems the Yankees weighed that factor, as well as the exorbitant price tag on the available catchers, and said thanks, but no thanks to adding a backstop. So, Wells dodged that bullet, then sidestepped another when all indications pointed to Ben Rice, who played catcher in the minors, remaining at first base despite the acquisition of another first baseman in Luis Garcia Jr. But hey, New York did sign eight-year veteran and catcher Christian Bethancourt to a minor-league deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n For better or worse, the Yankees are seemingly riding it out with Wells behind the plate. \u2014Tim Capurso<\/p>\n Braves pitcher Bryce Elder has rapidly declined after a quick start to the season, but he\u2019ll likely still be depended on in Atlanta\u2019s rotation. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Loser: Braves<\/p>\n Starting pitching is a hot commodity every year at the deadline, and the same was true this year. The prices for some of the top arms that ended up changing teams were steep, but, as they say, such is the cost of doing business. With a relatively comfortable eight-game lead in the NL East, the Braves didn\u2019t necessarily need to get an impact starter to win the division. But, if they were to be serious World Series contenders, they absolutely did. Instead of landing a pitcher like Jose Soriano, Casey Mize or Robbie Ray\u2014not to mention Tarik Skubal\u2014Atlanta instead settled for Tyler Mahle, a rental arm with a 5.13 ERA over 18 starts on the season, and Bailey Falter, currently in Triple A.<\/p>\n Atlanta has Chris Sale to open up a playoff series but not much to inspire confidence behind him. Bryce Elder has come back down to earth after a scorching start, with a 6.35 ERA and 14 homers allowed in his last 10 starts. After that it\u2019s Martin P\u00e9rez, Reynaldo L\u00f3pez, Grant Holmes and JR Ritchie as the team awaits the return of Spencer Schwellenbach from elbow surgery that\u2019s kept him out all year. Of course, it’s very possible the Braves made strong runs at any of the available arms and came up short. They reportedly checked in on Jacob deGrom<\/a>, who told the Rangers he wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause. It’s unclear how deep the talks between the two sides advanced, but deGrom certainly would have been an October difference-maker.<\/p>\n Aside from Atlanta, the three NL teams with the best playoff odds are the Dodgers, Brewers and Cubs. All three made significant additions this week\u2014the Dodgers with Skubal, the Cubs with Gausman and Holmes, and the Brewers with Dustin May and a pair of bullpen arms in JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela\u2014that will be impact players come the postseason. The Braves needed to do the same to keep pace, and fell short. While we can expect to see Atlanta in October, their playoff appearance could be a brief one. \u2014Nick Selbe<\/p>\n Winner: Tyler Stephenson<\/p>\n It seemed almost a foregone conclusion that the Reds would move catcher Tyler Stephenson at the trade deadline. Stephenson gave an emotional interview after Cincinnati\u2019s game on Sunday, clearly aware that he was the subject of various trade rumors heading into Monday\u2019s deadline. Stephenson has been in the Reds\u2019 organization since he was drafted in 11 years ago. He\u2019s the franchise\u2019s longest-tenured player, having debuted in 2020 and appeared in 643 games. He was fighting back tears when discussing his time in Cincinnati after Sunday\u2019s game in an interview that tugged on the heartstrings of Reds fans. In the end, Stephenson wasn\u2019t traded, so he\u2019ll remain with the organization that drafted him over a decade ago after showing all of Reds Nation just how much it means to him to be there. \u2014K.R.<\/p>\n Loser: 2027 season<\/p>\n After the Dodgers added Tarik Skubal to arguably the most loaded roster in baseball history, the cries for major financial changes to the sport grew even louder. The relatively light package L.A. surrendered to land the two-time Cy Young winner exposed the fact that the Dodgers can hoard prospects due to their ability to outbid everyone for major league talent on the open market. That allows them to keep and grow their young players and deal from that depth. <\/p>\n The chances we got a full season in 2027 were low, and only got lower as the Dodgers continued to expose the built-in advantages they hold over everyone else in baseball. It should be a long offseason. \u2014R.P.<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kz53gcv8sspcqqmpd1.jpg\" "\\"Toronto")
<\/p>\n![\"Miami](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kz53q6esccvdzs64rp.jpg\" "\\"Miami")
<\/p>\n![\"Atlanta](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kz543k0jtpb7askz5f.jpg\" "\\"Atlanta")
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