MLB’s Trading Deadline Deals

Yesterday, Major League Baseball’s trading deadline came and went. Fans across the country can let out a deep breath as it’s all over. But did their teams get better? Or did their favorite teams give up current players to build for the future?

And of course, which teams improved their rosters enough to make a serious run at the ultimate prize—a shot at winning the World Series.

Draft Nation analyzes the top trades, so here goes:

The Houston Astros made a big splash, perhaps unexpected in some circles, by reacquiring their former shortstop, Carlos Correa. Correa, who will be playing third base this time around for the Astros, was acquired for left-hander Matt Mikulski and cash from the Minnesota Twins, who were doing some of their own roster reshaping, setting themselves for future seasons. 

The San Diego Padres landed prized reliever Mason Miller from the Oakland A’s for top prospect Leo De Vries, as the Padres go all-in for 2025 and perhaps beyond. Miller’s arm is a cannon, as his fastballs consistently exceed 100 mph. As a closer, he brings a much-needed upgrade at the position for San Diego just in time for the stretch run.

Yes, the Padres did part with a package of prospects, including De Vries, who is considered by many as one of the top 5 prospects in all of baseball. But they secure a chance to win now by forfeiting “futures” by landing Miller, in possibly the biggest splash of the week. 

The Seattle Mariners also play a little “Back to the Future” themselves by reacquiring the services of sluggers Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor before the clock ran out. Suarez will add a much-needed bat to the lineup, and the Mariners set first base prospect Tyler Locklear and two other promising minor leaguers back to the Arizona Diamondbacks to bring Suarez back to the Pacific Northwest. The Mariners now boast two home run hitters capable of bringing much-needed power to their lineup before the playoff run. 

And finally, the New York Yankees added to their bullpen by acquiring reliever/closer David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the deadline for a bevy of prospects, including their 8th-ranked prospect, catcher Raphael Flores, and two other minor leaguers. Bednar is not expected to unseat current Yankees closer, Devin Williams, for the role of closer, but instead aid in bolstering the bullpen as a setup man and an insurance policy as the race for the pennant heats up.