Trade Deadline Recap, Winners + Losers, and more!

The 2024 MLB trade deadline has passed, leaving baseball fans with plenty to discuss and analyze. What initially promised to be one of the most interesting deadlines in years, with legitimate star power potentially on the move and the AL wide open, ultimately saw less movement than anticipated.

Top names that could have been moved, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, and Luis Robert, all ended up staying put. Despite this, several teams made moves that could shape the remainder of the season and beyond.

American League: A Tight Race Continues

No AL team truly separated themselves from the pack during the deadline. In the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles added several players, though none were real needle-movers. The real additions for them could come from top prospects Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo, who would've been involved in a trade for Tarik Skubal or Garrett  Crochet. The New York Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm, who will help them in multiple ways, but their pitching (and pitching depth) remains a massive question mark.

The race for the AL Central didn't change much, as the Guardians and Royals each made a few additions. The Cleveland Guardians added Lane Thomas to bolster their lineup against lefties and added Alex Cobb to provide some pitching depth. The Kansas City Royals fortified their bullpen with Hunter Harvey and Lucas Erceg, and added starting pitching depth with the addition of Michael Lorenzen. Overall the Royals made more significant additions, but the Guardians were the better team heading into the deadline, setting us up for an exciting stretch run.

In the AL West, the Seattle Mariners made a (very) nice move in acquiring Randy Arozarena, though he alone doesn't fix all their offensive issues. To address this, the M's also added veteran Justin Turner, but his declining hard-hit percentage, exit velocity, and barrel rate are concerning, especially in a pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park. The Houston Astros made a bold move to solidify their rotation, giving up significant prospect capital to acquire half a season of Yusei Kikuchi. Given their track record of getting the best out of pitchers (think Justin Verlander's renaissance and Gerrit Cole's emergence), this could look like a fairer deal come October, but until then this is a headscratcher.

National League: Shaping Up for an Exciting Finish

In the NL East, the Philadelphia Phillies improved their bullpen, replacing Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto with Carlos Estevez and Tanner Banks (who can also start if necessary). They also added Austin Hays as another right-handed outfield bat. The New York Mets had an underrated deadline, adding much-needed pitching to complement their potent lineup. 

The NL Central trade deadline was somewhat of a flop. The St. Louis Cardinals probably had the best deadline in the division, but it would have been nice to see the Pittsburgh Pirates go for it, given they still have Paul Skenes and Jared Jones on cheap contracts. The Milwaukee Brewers added some pitching depth but failed to acquire a bat to help replace Christian Yelich's production.

The NL West, however, had a wild deadline and is shaping up to be the most exciting division race. The powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers salvaged their deadline with the acquisition of Jack Flaherty, potentially solidifying their rotation for the deep playoff run they expect to make. There are some concerns about his medical reports, but if he stays healthy and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Clayton Kershaw return strong, they could have the best rotation in the NL. They also added Michael Kopech to the bullpen, who could be one of the game's best relievers if he can improve his command.

The Dodger's main competition comes from the bold San Diego Padres, whose player development deserves immense credit. After giving up a plethora of top prospects for stars like Juan Soto, Josh Hader, and Dylan Cease in recent history, they were able to land Jason Adams and Tanner Scott, arguably the two top relievers available. The pitching staff was a strength before, but now they're a nightmare for any opposing lineup.

Winners and Losers

While my immediate reaction was to dub the Dodgers a winner of the deadline and the Blue Jays a loser, I've switched gears.  I was penalizing the Blue Jays for not moving Vladdy Jr., but the haul they got from the Astros is more than enough to keep them out of the loser column.  The Dodgers buzzer-beating trade for Jack Flaherty overshadowed their other moves, and they definitely were not one of the three biggest winners from this year's deadline given the news about his medicals.

Winners:

1. Miami Marlins: The Marlins had an excellent deadline, acquiring substantial hauls from the Padres, Orioles, and Diamondbacks, as well as solid players from the Yankees. They targeted pro-ready (or close to it) position players to complement their young pitching staff, setting themselves up to compete soon and for a while if they can overcome the development issues that have plagued them in recent years. A standout move was their mutually beneficial trade with the Orioles, swapping young pitcher Trevor Rogers for two position prospects (Kyle Stowers, OF, and Connor Norby, IF) who were blocked in Baltimore's system but could play for many teams today.
2. New York Mets: The Mets' lineup was never a concern this season, and despite some slow starts, it has come alive to provide a deadly offense at least six solid hitters deep. They addressed numerous pitching issues at the deadline, and if Edwin Diaz can return to form, they could be a force to be reckoned with in October.
3. Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays did an excellent job overall. They acknowledged their status as a .500 team and capitalized on a massive sellers' market. While the Mariners may have gotten the better end of the Arozarena trade, the Rays were able to shed his payroll, which is crucial for a small-market team. They also did very well in the Jason Adams and Zach Eflin trades, retooling a farm system that has been consistently excellent at maximizing talent.

Losers:

1. New York Yankees: Despite having a season with prime Aaron Judge, prime Gerrit Cole, and their only guaranteed year of Juan Soto, the Yankees only added three players. The Jazz Chisholm move is excellent, providing lefty pull power, speed, and team control. They also acquired Mark Leiter Jr. from the Cubs for almost nothing and added a strikeout artist from the Padres. However, in a year where they should've pushed all the chips in, this doesn't feel like it's enough.  The starting rotation is full of question marks after Luis Gil (who is probably on some sort of innings restriction) and Gerrit Cole (who might be injured again), and the bullpen could've used at least one more middle-inning reliever.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates: With the NL Central up for grabs, the team with two elite young (and cheap) pitchers didn't do enough to help their weak offense. While none of the NL Central teams made many moves, the Pirates could have separated themselves from the pack with one or two more bats.
3. Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox: In a seller's market, both these struggling teams failed to capitalize on their tradeable assets. The Rockies should have traded Ryan McMahon, Elias Diaz, and at least one of Cal Quantrill or Austin Gomber. Instead, they only traded two relievers. The White Sox situation was complicated by Garrett Crochet's stance on a potential postseason availability without a contract extension, but they still had a top-shelf tradeable asset in Luis Robert Jr. They also didn't get enough back in the three-team deal sending Kyle Kopech to the Dodgers and Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham to the Cardinals.

The Curious Case of the Chicago Cubs

The Cubs made a surprising move by trading young slugger Christopher Morel and pitching prospects for Isaac Paredes, despite saying they were eyeing moves for the 2025 season and beyond. However, this is a very good move for the Cubs.

Paredes is a significant upgrade over Morel defensively and is a better all-around hitter, though he has less team control. Morel has more power but has struggled to consistently hit at the MLB level, sporting a batting average that hovers around the .200 mark.  Paredes can be penciled into the middle of their lineup for the next few years, surrounded by players like Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson, Nico Horner, and more, creating the best top-of-the-lineup in the NL Central.