The MLB Trade Deadline was yesterday, and a flurry of moves happened throughout the weekend. The news didn’t stop until late in the day Monday, and now every team has hopefully addressed some of their biggest needs for the stretch run. Here is our MLB Trade Deadline Recap to fill you in on the biggest moves from the last 72 hours.
The biggest headline from the weekend is that back-to-back defending Cy Young Tarik Skubal will be a Los Angeles Dodger. The Dodgers gave up three prospects, OF Zyhir Hope, RHP River Ryan, and RHP Brady Smith, in the move that many are criticizing. The headliner is Hope, a top-25 prospect. Los Angeles also snagged Kris Bubic from the Royals and brought back catcher Ben Rortvedt.
The Guardians clearly think that they have a good shot at the AL Central and even the AL as a whole this season, seeing as they were unusually aggressive this deadline. The big additions came in two power bats: Nathaniel Lowe from the Reds and Jo Adell from the Angels. Both players add some pop to a Guardians lineup that has desperately needed it. A late trade brought Foster Griffin over from the Nationals. Griffin will form a three-headed monster in Cleveland’s starting rotation that already includes Parker Messick and Gavin Williams.
Yankees fans were clamoring for a few different things ahead of the trade deadline. The main priority was a catcher. After that, it seemed like bullpen help and left-side infield additions were also on the needs list. Unfortunately for those fans, the Yankees front office decided to trade for a first baseman, Luis Garcia Jr., and an outfielder, Heliot Ramos. Both players are having good seasons, but the main priorities, according to some, were not addressed.
Philadelphia added to their bullpen with Brooks Raley and Caleb Killian, but the big swing from the Phillies was grabbing Luis Arraez. Arraez should immediately upgrade their lineup, adding a consistent contact threat to a lineup that previously featured a lot of high-strikeout sluggers. The big question on a lot of fans’ minds is about defensive alignment. It seems as though Arraez prefers to stay at second base, which would displace Bryson Stott. There have been reports that either Bryce Harper or Trea Turner could move to the outfield, but it remains to be seen what that would look like.
The Red Sox have been the best team in baseball for the last month, and they made one of the biggest splashes of the deadline, landing catchers Adley Rutschman and Jake Rogers from Baltimore. Rutschman figures to be a cornerstone for the Sox going forward, as they had to give up five prospects to get him. They also completed a rare one-for-one big league player trade, swapping INF Marcelo Mayer for Giants LHP Erik Miller.
The Cubs added five players to the big-league roster at the deadline, four of whom were pitchers. This was a necessity for Chicago, which could almost field an entire pitching staff from their current IL. The Cubs acquired two starters in Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays) and Clay Holmes (Mets), two relievers in Braxton Garrett (Marlins) and Ryan Zeferjahn (Angels). They also got OF Tyrone Taylor, possibly for depth, in the Holmes deal.
The big move for the Rays was grabbing Liam Hicks from their in-state friends the Marlins. Hicks will add a great offensive profile to the top of an already dangerous Rays lineup. Tampa Bay also got some depth in their pitching corps, acquiring reliever Tyler Wells from Baltimore and starter Freddy Peralta from the Mets. Wells has had a great season, but Peralta has not after several good ones in Milwaukee. The Rays hope to get something out of Peralta behind their main rotation pieces.
The Pirates have one of the most prolific offenses in the league this season, and their starting pitching staff has been solid. A terrible bullpen is mostly to blame for their position in the standings. They took several steps to address that, adding four proven arms to their relief corps. Pittsburgh acquired Camilo Doval from the Yankees on Saturday, then Luke Weaver (Mets), Lake Bachar (Marlins), and Kirby Yates (Angels) on Monday. They only parted with one of their system’s top prospects in SS Sammy Stafura.
The Padres, much like the Cubs, have had a pitching rotation hit hard by injuries. Their only healthy and effective starting pitcher this season has been Michael King. San Diego has been looking for something out of their starter to help out one of the best bullpens in baseball. They remedied that by adding veteran Robbie Ray from the Giants and Casey Mize at the buzzer from Detroit.
Three of the four moves that the Braves made came over the weekend, as Atlanta largely avoided the late flurry on Monday. The only Monday trade they made was a minor one, acquiring middle-reliever Brent Suter from the Angels. They got a package of LHP Bailey Falter and OF Lane Thomas from Kansas City on Saturday and then Tyler Mahle from San Francisco on Sunday.
Whether or not they were actually in on Skubal, the Brewers opted to add a few arms to their staff later on Monday. They got a package of Dustin May and Jojo Romero, two veterans having good seasons, from the Cardinals, as well as Antonio Senzatela from Colorado. The Brewers clearly hope that May can slot into the rotation somewhere behind Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski. Senzatela is also a sneaky pickup, as he has great numbers away from the dreaded Coors Field this year.
After sending Kevin Gausman to the Cubs, some assumed that meant the Blue Jays were going to start selling during a disappointing 2026 campaign. Toronto did a bit of both this deadline, as they sold Kevin Gausman and Daulton Varsho. They also bought, trading for Jose Soriano and Josh Smith. It looks as if Toronto is acknowledging that this season may be lost, but looking to re-tool for next year.
After several years of not having any sort of goal or direction at the trade deadline, Angels fans are happy that they are finally doing anything, even if it’s selling. The Angels shipped off Jo Adell, Jose Soriano, Kirby Yates, Ryan Zeferjahn, and Brent Suter. They reloaded what was previously one of the worst farm systems in baseball with eight prospects.
The Twins signaled on Saturday that they would be buyers at the deadline, which came as a surprise to many. They kept their word, adding their biggest need, pitching help. They got AJ Minter from the Mets, Jeff Hoffman from the Blue Jays, and Dean Kremer from the Orioles. Minter and Hoffman are solid veterans that will slot nicely into a bullpen that has struggled in 2026, while Kremer will add some innings to their starting rotation.
Despite being on top of the AL Central currently, the White Sox did not go all in at the deadline, opting to do more of a soft buy. The big piece was getting Luis Castillo from Seattle, hoping to add a veteran with playoff experience to a starting rotation that has none. Huascar Brazobán was acquired from the Mets as a leverage bullpen option. Their other additions seem more like depth adds, as they brought in Joey Bart, Brenton Doyle, and José Urquidy.
The Mariners didn’t make many moves, but they hope that the ones they did make turn out to be impactful. The big deal was getting outfielder Taylor Ward from the Orioles. The goal is for Ward to jumpstart a Mariners offense that has been abysmal this season; even with stars like Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena, they are near the bottom of the league in offense. They also got pieces like Seranthony Domínguez and Nolan Jones for Luis Castillo, who they hope can be helpful down the stretch. Trading away Castillo also helps with their starting pitcher logjam.
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