When the Pirates in 2022 signed Hayes to an eight-year, $70 million extension, he was an all-world defender with peripherals that pointed to a breakout at bat. But, by last July, the club was tired of waiting. Pittsburgh traded Hayes for shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura and reliever Taylor Rogers, who was then flipped to the Chicago Cubs. It felt a little cheap: Would a big-payroll club feel the need to dump a contract of that size?<\/p>\n
Still, Stafura\u2019s upside was significant, so I gave the Pirates a B+. I handed the Reds a B- but wrote they\u2019d \u201clook like geniuses\u201d if Hayes started hitting.<\/p>\n
Hayes is batting .146 with a .418 OPS this season, with scant power, despite a hitter\u2019s home park, and continued lower-back issues. He is platooning. He is guaranteed at least $29 million after this season. Meanwhile, the 21-year-old shortstop Stafura is batting .311 with a 1.015 OPS at High A.<\/p>\n
Mea culpa. Here\u2019s a regrade:<\/p>\n
Pirates: A
Reds: D (hedging in case that breakout ever comes)
Me: F<\/p>\n
Grades we got rightIn Josh Naylor, Mariners acquire slugger they\u2019ve been missing<\/a><\/p>\n Mariners get: 1B Josh Naylor Original grades A year ago, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto had clear holes at the infield corners. He acted early to land Naylor and was richly rewarded. Naylor slashed .299\/.341\/.490 down the stretch with nine homers and a somewhat shocking 19 steals. After starting the postseason with a 0-for-13 rut, Naylor batted .471 with a 1.308 OPS the rest of October.<\/p>\n At the time of the trade, Arizona\u2019s return felt light but roughly in line with market expectations for a rental first baseman. Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen will feel all right about the result now. Lefty reliever Brandyn Garcia has a 1.69 ERA in 26 2\/3 MLB innings this season, and Double-A starter Ashton Izzi is ranked by Baseball America as the organization\u2019s No. 15 prospect. \u2014 Nesbitt<\/p>\n Regrade Blue Jays land Louis Varland, Ty France from the Twins at the buzzer<\/a><\/p>\n Blue Jays get: RHP Louis Varland, 1B Ty France Original grades Spot on \u2014 for Toronto, at least. Considering Varland\u2019s performance and length of club control, the Twins should lose a grade for not getting more in return. Varland was indispensable in the Jays\u2019 run to the pennant, appearing in seven of their 10 postseason victories and providing shutout relief in three of their close World Series losses. He parlayed that success into his first All-Star appearance this month, and cannot be a free agent until after the 2030 season. France did his part in a limited role, batting .277 with a hit and an RBI in the World Series before signing with the San Diego Padres.<\/p>\n As for the Twins, Roden has hit worse for them than he did in Toronto, where his average was .204. Rojas, a 23-year-old lefty from Cuba, has been mostly effective in long relief and spot starts, but he\u2019s issued 18 walks in 21 2\/3 innings and won\u2019t sustain success without better control. \u2014 Tyler Kepner<\/p>\n Regrade Yankees acquire Ryan McMahon from Rockies, fill key need at third base<\/a><\/p>\n Yankees get: 3B Ryan McMahon Original grades The Rockies\u2019 A was almost a participation trophy. At least they\u2019d done something! Herring has since struggled, but that\u2019s the inevitable risk of acquiring an arm while dumping salary. Grosz has since been flipped to acquire outfielder Jake McCarthy from the Diamondbacks, and McCarthy has been excellent. Again, the sort of thing the Rockies should be doing.<\/p>\n The trade obviously looks bad for the Yankees. McMahon hasn\u2019t hit. But that\u2019s also true of the other two third basemen traded at last year\u2019s deadline \u2014 Eugenio Su\u00e1rez and Hayes \u2014 and it doesn\u2019t appear the Yankees gave up much. Before the trade, the 2025 Yankees had gotten -0.7 fWAR from their third basemen. Afterward, McMahon and Amed Rosario led the charge to a (comparatively) whopping 0.9 fWAR. McMahon, who has produced 0.7 fWAR this season, is still better than the options the Yankees had. That\u2019s enough for a passing grade, though probably more of a C than a B-. \u2014 Chad Jennings<\/p>\n Regrade Yankees address top need by landing reliever David Bednar from Pirates<\/a><\/p>\n Yankees get: RHP David Bednar Original grades If anything, I should have been more enthusiastic about the return for the Yankees. Bednar has been a good, if unspectacular addition to the Yankees bullpen. He took over as the closer and has remained in that role in 2026. If the club goes on a deep run this coming October, he will be trusted to secure important outs. To acquire him, the Yankees gave up a trio of players who would have been unlikely to contribute in the Bronx in the near-future. Although I\u2019m sure you could find a Yankees fan who prefers Flores, the Pirates\u2019 rookie backup catcher, to Austin Wells. \u2014 Andy McCullough<\/p>\n Regrade Red Sox get Steven Matz as Cardinals\u2019 deadline sell-off continues<\/a><\/p>\n Red Sox get: LHP Steven Matz Original grades The Red Sox made the postseason by just two games, and while the difference can\u2019t all be chalked up to Matz\u2019s 2.08 ERA in 21 \u2154 regular-season innings, he was part of a larger September push that worked. While neither of his two scoreless outings in the postseason came in the one game the Red Sox won, it was still a pure and wholesome trade deadline experience. Get a grizzled vet, have him pitch well on the way to the postseason, and give it the ol\u2019 college try when you get there. Bully for the Red Sox, then.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cardinals might be excited about this trade for a lot longer, though. While Blaze Jordan isn\u2019t a speedy center fielder with 50 steals, which seems like it should violate FTC regulations, he might be the Cards\u2019 third baseman of the future. He hasn\u2019t done much in the majors since his debut earlier this season, but he has a long track record of good swing decisions in the minors, and he has loads of raw, untapped power. This is the kind of deadline return for a pending free agent reliever that front offices dream about.<\/p>\n Also: Even though the name doesn\u2019t fit Blaze in terms of his baseball profile, he still does look like a guy from your dorms who named his pet turtle after himself, something like \u201cLi\u2019l Blaze\u201d or \u201cBlazeito\u201d, so it\u2019s still a 70-grade baseball name, don\u2019t get us wrong. Baseball needs more Blaze Jordans. \u2014 Grant Brisbee<\/p>\n Regrade Phillies upgrade outfield, acquire defensive wiz Harrison Bader from Twins<\/a><\/p>\n Phillies get: OF Harrison Bader Original grades It was obvious Bader was going to fit in perfectly with the Phillies\u2019 brand of lunk-fueled chicanery, and he did, with some of the best sustained offensive production of his career (.305\/.361\/.463, 1.3 bWAR). The Phillies didn\u2019t survive long enough to get Bader his postseason moment, but he would have had one, and would have involved a lot of large, bearded men congratulating him back in the dugout. It didn\u2019t happen, but the Phillies get credit for the vision.<\/p>\n As for the Twins, they got two prospects. The pitcher, Villoria, is still a teenager in the complex leagues, so we\u2019ll know more about him in a decade or so. If he\u2019s a middle reliever who pitches an inning in the 2043 World Series, remember that we called it here.\u00a0<\/p>\n The prize of the deal, however, might be Mendez, who\u2019s already reached Triple A and should reach the majors for the Twins within the next calendar year. He\u2019s a tall, spindly fellow who might grow into some power as he matures, but he\u2019s hit at every level, even after joining a new organization and getting promoted. Every team with a rental player at the 2026 deadline is hoping for something like this trade, at least in spirit. \u2014\u00a0Brisbee<\/p>\n Regrade Grades we got wrong \n Eugenio Su\u00e1rez seemed like he would fit perfectly with the Mariners, but his post-trade production underwhelmed. (Steph Chambers \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n The all-in Mariners land the big bat they coveted in Eugenio Su\u00e1rez<\/a><\/p>\n Mariners get: Eugenio Su\u00e1rez Original grades The Mariners needed another bat, and why not reunite with the lovable Su\u00e1rez coming off a stellar first half? After the trade, Su\u00e1rez hit only .189, though he did pop 13 home runs. His OPS was .897 with the Diamondbacks and .682 with the Mariners. Su\u00e1rez hit .213 with three home runs in the postseason. Given Seattle\u2019s deep run, it\u2019s hard to knock any move intended to make the team better. But imagine if he had not cooled off.<\/p>\n Locklear remains the most interesting prospect Arizona got back. He recently made his debut after hitting .313 in Triple A. The Diamondbacks have the worst production from first basemen in the majors this year. Locklear\u2019s bat can play, but there are serious limits to his right-handed, first-base profile. Cranton had season-ending hip surgery early this spring. Burgos has thrown 2 2\/3 innings in the majors and punched out only 6.1 batters per nine innings in Triple A. This deal felt huge at the time, but unless Locklear\u2019s bat takes off, it might go down as a shoulder shrug. \u2014 Cody Stavenhagen<\/p>\n Regrade Mets continue bullpen revamp, add Ryan Helsley from Cardinals<\/a><\/p>\n Mets get: RHP Ryan Helsley Original grades For a baseball executive trying to make a trade, the relief market can be the toughest to navigate. A reliever\u2019s performance can be volatile under the best of circumstances, and it can be hard to predict how he will pitch upon uprooting his life and joining a new club. Mets executive David Stearns was banking on Helsley mowing down hitters as part of a dynamic late-game relief corps. So was I. Seemed like a good move, at the time. Instead, Helsley started tipping his pitches, posted a 7.20 ERA with the Mets, and the team missed the postseason. Turned out to be a disaster. \u2014 McCullough<\/p>\n Regrade Yankees add Giants closer Camilo Doval to cap reliever trading spree<\/a><\/p>\n Yankees get: RHP Camilo Doval Original grades Doval has been worth -1.1 bWAR in his year with the Yankees, which sure doesn\u2019t look like an A grade anymore. Since blowing a save May 9 in Milwaukee, Doval has lost his role as a high-leverage reliever. The Yankees have gone 7-17 since then when Doval pitches, quite a comedown for a guy who in 2023 made an All-Star team while earning 39 saves. That track record made him a worthwhile pick-up, but it just hasn\u2019t worked. Doval has allowed about two more hits per nine innings for New York while striking out two fewer hitters per nine.<\/p>\n The Giants got farm-system depth, with three of the four minor leaguers acquired in the trade appearing on Keith Law\u2019s preseason top-20 Giants prospect list: Harber (No. 12), Rodr\u00edguez (No. 13) and De La Rosa (No. 19). Rodriguez, 24, has hit consistently in the minors (.305\/.391\/.447 in 456 games) and was recalled by the Giants this month. \u2014 Kepner<\/p>\n Regrade Carlos Correa rejoins Astros in stunning trade with Twins<\/a><\/p>\n Astros get: SS\/3B Carlos Correa Original grades This trade was worse for the Astros and better for the Twins than initially thought. Correa actually played well for the Astros last season, hitting .290 with six home runs down the stretch. Houston failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2016. Although Minnesota covered $30 million of the $96 million left on Correa\u2019s deal, taking on that contract now looks like a disaster. Correa played only 32 games this year before undergoing season-ending ankle surgery. He will be 32 next season, and even if he can recapture production it\u2019s hard to envision Correa being worth even two-thirds of his $31 million salary.<\/p>\n Mikulski was never hailed as much of a prospect. The Twins released him after the season. Still, they must be thrilled to be off the hook for $66 million of Correa\u2019s guaranteed money. They can at least move forward in reshaping their team without the baggage of that contract. \u2014 Stavenhagen<\/p>\n Regrade Twins trade Griffin Jax to Rays for Taj Bradley in last-second deal<\/a><\/p>\n Rays get: RHP Griffin Jax Original grades A year ago, I wrote: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to trust that Minnesota will get more out of (Bradley) than the Rays were able to.\u201d That was some bad analysis. Bradley has been a key reason for the Twins\u2019 overperformance in 2026, posting 2.8 WAR and a 116 ERA+. He\u2019s transformed into a very solid big-league starter.<\/p>\n I did like this trade for the Rays a year ago, and that belief has generally paid off, though not fully. Tampa Bay took a struggling reliever in Jax and turned him into a solid, above-league-average starting pitcher. In that sense, it\u2019s been a win. Still, Jax is worth just 0.2 bWAR this season, and his underlying metrics suggest his stats are a little better than his expected numbers. Jax only has one-plus years of team control remaining, while Bradley doesn\u2019t hit arbitration until next year. The Twins seem to have won this trade, which isn\u2019t easy to do against Tampa Bay. \u2014 Sam Blum<\/p>\n Regrade Jury\u2019s still out \n Mason Miller is great. It\u2019s hard to know whether this trade was or not. (Orlando Ramirez \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n With Mason Miller deal, Padres GM A.J. Preller did what he does best<\/a><\/p>\n Padres get: RHP Mason Miller and LHP J.P. Sears Original grades It\u2019s complicated. Miller has done his part. With San Diego, he has held opponents to a sub-.150 slugging percentage. Yeah, slugging percentage. The Padres acquired a reliever so lethal he sits in his own tier of closers. The problem is, he pitches the ninth. He can\u2019t hit. He doesn\u2019t start games. So, the Padres traded an A-list prospect for a guy who, as dominant as he is, couldn\u2019t prevent A.J. Preller from having to consider trading him away a year later. Miller has three-plus years of team control, so he\u2019ll have a healthy market if the Padres opt to dangle him. We might need to wait on that before we revise our grade. Teams are typically reluctant to part with prospects as talented as Leo De Vries, though. If only Preller could trade with himself.<\/p>\n It\u2019s certainly a home run for the A\u2019s, as De Vries \u2014 who doesn\u2019t turn 20 until October \u2014 has flourished at Double A this season and is a consensus top-10 prospect in the league. When the A\u2019s begin operations in LV, LDV should be a prized attraction. \u2014 Zack Meisel<\/p>\n Phillies find what they need in Jhoan Duran, Twins \u2018win,\u2019 too<\/a><\/p>\n Phillies get: RHP Jhoan Duran Original grades There\u2019s no more deliberation on the Phillies\u2019 side. Duran is the best NL reliever not named Mason Miller, and he remains an ideal fit for a team firmly in the World Series hunt. Last year\u2019s bases-loaded walk in the playoffs notwithstanding, Duran has been exceptional for a team that long struggled to build a bullpen.<\/p>\n At the time of the trade, Abel was an almost perfect combination of big-league readiness and long-term upside \u2014 a first-round pick who seemed to be figuring things out in the upper levels. But he\u2019s been on the injured list since April with an elbow issue, and his MLB results have been spotty. Tait remains a high-upside, risk-reward catcher, and he could ultimately swing this trade one way or the other. But the initial uncertainty with Abel is enough, for now, to knock the Twins grade down a notch or two. \u2014 Jennings<\/p>\n
Diamondbacks get: LHP Brandyn Garcia, RHP Ashton Izzi<\/p>\n
Mariners: A-
Diamondbacks: B-<\/p>\n
Mariners: A
Diamondbacks: B<\/p>\n
Twins get: OF Alan Roden, LHP Kendry Rojas<\/p>\n
Blue Jays: A
Twins: B-<\/p>\n
Blue Jays: A+
Twins: C<\/p>\n
Rockies get: LHP Griffin Herring, RHP Josh Grosz<\/p>\n
Yankees: B-
Rockies: A<\/p>\n
Yankees: C+
Rockies: B+<\/p>\n
Pirates get: C\/1B Rafael Flores, C Edgleen Perez, OF Brian Sanchez<\/p>\n
Yankees: B
Pirates: B-<\/p>\n
Yankees: A-
Pirates: C+<\/p>\n
Cardinals get: 1B\/3B Blaze Jordan<\/p>\n
Red Sox: B+
Cardinals: A<\/p>\n
Red Sox: B-
Cardinals: A<\/p>\n
Twins get: OF Hendry Mendez, RHP Geremy Villoria<\/p>\n
Phillies: A
Twins: A<\/p>\n
Phillies: A-
Twins: A<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2241303054-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Diamondbacks get: 1B Tyler Locklear, RHP Hunter Cranton, RHP Juan Burgos<\/p>\n
Mariners: A
Diamondbacks: B<\/p>\n
Mariners: B-
Diamondbacks: B<\/p>\n
Cardinals get: 2B\/SS Jes\u00fas B\u00e1ez, RHP Nate Dohm and RHP Frank Elissalt<\/p>\n
Mets: B
Cardinals: B<\/p>\n
Mets: C
Cardinals: B<\/p>\n
Giants get: 3B\/OF Parks Harber, C\/OF Jes\u00fas Rodr\u00edguez, LHP Carlos De La Rosa, RHP Trystan Vrieling<\/p>\n
Yankees: A
Giants: B-<\/p>\n
Yankees: C
Giants: B<\/p>\n
Twins get: LHP Matt Mikulski<\/p>\n
Astros: C-
Twins: C+<\/p>\n
Astros: D
Twins: A-<\/p>\n
Twins get: RHP Taj Bradley<\/p>\n
Rays: B+
Twins: B-<\/p>\n
Rays: C
Twins: A<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2282870607-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Athletics get: SS Leo De Vries, RHP Braden Nett, RHP Henry B\u00e1ez and RHP Eduarniel Nu\u00f1ez<\/p>\n
Padres: B+
Athletics: A<\/p>\n
Twins get: RHP Mick Abel and C Eduardo Tait<\/p>\n
Phillies: A
Twins: A-<\/p>\n