With only one week remaining for MLB teams to set their rosters for the remainder of the year, there’s still a lot of question marks. Do the Atlanta Braves, despite being one of the most successful organizations in the game, sell off their team? Which of the twelve teams vying for the services of Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez land his services, and just how much do the Diamondbacks dismantle a team that was in the World Series just two years ago? Do their 2023 World Series opponents trade away their starting pitching away from Texas? How do AL East teams such as the Rays and Yankees address recent skids?
The Yankees needs are obvious. Heading into the deadline season, a third baseman, a starting pitcher, and a reliever were priority. For the Rays, perhaps it’s less obvious, especially for a team that could still re-tool and deal All-Star Brandon Lowe and closer Pete Fairbanks, while still maintaining contention. The Rays could also surprise everybody and make very anti-Tampa Bay decisions with the team sale likely being finalized before season’s end, if the new owner has already told the current regime that they want to go for it.
The most interesting teams to look at, however, are the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox after an early season trade sent stalwart third baseman Rafael Devers to the west coast. But with San Francisco’s struggles and the Red Sox playing hot baseball, maybe the roles reverse on who is expected to buy and who is expected to sell? Follow us below as we explore and analyze every trade, big and small, in Major League Baseball between July 24th and July 31st, in real time, as they happen.
TRADES
July 31st: Tigers land veteran starter and two-time World Series Champion Charlie Morton.
July 31st: The Jays score Twins setup man Louis Varland and first baseman Ty France.
July 31st: Rays acquire Minnesota reliever Griffin Jax for starting pitcher Taj Bradley.
July 31st: Yankees land flame throwing reliever Camilo Doval from the Giants.
July 31st: Rangers acquire Phil Maton from the Cardinals.
July 31st: All-Star reliever Taylor Rogers gets dealt to the Cubs just one day after being traded to the Pirates.
July 31st: The Rays acquire Adrian Houser from the White Sox.
July 31st: Jose Caballero swaps dugouts mid-game, goes from Tampa to New York.
With the Yankees lack of speed and Anthony Volpe’s struggles this season, a shortstop that can steal 50 bases feels right up the Yankees ally. It’s interesting that the Rays have only dealt three of their pieces, and none of the most attractive at this deadline, however.
July 31st: The Brewers send Nestor Cortes to San Diego.
July 31st: The Boston Red Sox acquire SP Dustin May.
July 31st: The Royals acquire Bailey Falter from the Pirates.
July 31st: The Reds acquire Miguel Andujar from the A’s.
July 31st: The Red Sox acquire Twins ace Joe Ryan, per J.P. Morosi.
The final piece of the Twins fire sale is the gem of the deadline for a contending Boston team in search of starting pitching. Ryan, who came to the Twins at the 2021 deadline in the Nelson Cruz trade with Tampa, has a 2.82 ERA, a sub-1 WHIP, 137 Ks, and 4.2 WAR across 122 innings this season.
UPDATE: FOX Sports has deleted its original tweet citing Jon Morosi reporting this. We will keep you updated as the sides remain close on a deal.
July 31st: All-Star superutility man Willie Castro from the Twins to the Cubs.
July 31st: The Yankees deal former top prospect Oswald Peraza to the Angels.
July 31st: The Texas Rangers are set to acquire SP Merrill Kelly from the Diamondbacks.
The Rangers seem ready to make a push. The 36-year-old will likely slot into the #2 spot in the rotation behind Jacob deGrom.
July 31st: The Dodgers acquire Alex Call from the Nationals.
July 31st: The Blue Jays send Will Wagner to the Padres.
July 31st: Ryan O’Hearn to the Padres.
With the Padres needed a powerful DH, they have continued their busy day acquiring the starting designated hitter of the 2025 American League All-Star team. O’Hearn has transformed in Baltimore to being one of the best power bats in baseball. They also acquired Ramon Laureano, giving them a left fielder and a DH to complete their lineup. The Padres are all in.
July 31st: The Twins trade Danny Coloumbe to the Rangers.
July 31st: The Houston Astros acquire Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez for starting pitcher Ryan Gusto, according to Brian McTaggart.
July 31st: Carlos Correa goes home as Twins tear it all down.
Former Rookie of the Year and 2017 World Series Champion Carlos Correa has returned to the Houston Astros after four years as a Twin. The three-time All-Star shortstop will take back his old position in Houston as the Astros try to make up for lost production with Isaac Paredes out for the year. Correa, one of the best defensive shortsops in the game, had his best years in Houston with 34 WAR in just over 750 games. Correa is signed through 2032.
Update: With star shortstop Jeremy Pena manning the position, Correa has offered to move to third base.
July 31st: Mets acquire All-Star centerfielder Cedric Mullins.
Just days after another highlight reel catch, the Mets now have another very good defensive centerfielder, but this time it is an All-Star bat in Cedric Mullins, reports Anthony DiComo. The Orioles are getting three prospects for the former switch hitter.
July 31st: Ryan Bergert is traded alongside Stephen Kolek for Freddy Fermin in an all-MLB swap between the Royals and Padres.
July 31st: Yankees acquire reliever Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies.
July 31st: Yankees snag David Bednar.
Just months after acquiring Devin Williams to be their closer, the Yankees grab another ninth inning option from the NL Central. David Bednar, who was sent to Triple A early in the year after underperformance, goes to the Bronx after a mid-summer bounce back. Bednar has an 0.39 ERA since the last week of May. There’s no guarantee he closes, but he does join a struggling bullpen and is signed through next season, whereas Devin Williams is a free agent to be. Bednar will likely be New York’s closer beyond this season.
Robert Murray is reporting that Pittsburgh is gaining NY’s #8 prospect Rafael Flores in return.
July 31st: Brock Stewart lands with the Dodgers.
The dismantling of the 2025 Twins continues as reliever Brock Stewart goes to the defending World Champions. Stewart heads back to the first organization he cracked an MLB roster with, particularly a much better pitcher, owning a 2.38 ERA on the season in 39 appearances, good for just nine runs over a 34 inning stretch.
In return, the Twins acquire outfielder James Outman, who is in his fourth MLB season.
July 31st: Phillies acquire Harrison Bader.
For a team that desperately needs improved outfield defense and a centerfielder, Bader isn’t the sexiest name that’ll come to the city of Brotherly Love this week, especially since the Philly faithful was holding out hope for a Luis Robert acquisition, but he carries a .778 OPS this season for the Twins to pair alongside his always steady defense and speed.
July 31st: The Tigers acquire closer Kyle Finnegan.
A year after his All-Star selection in the first half led to him being non-tendered after the second half, Kyle Finnegan’s weird National tenure is officially over, according to Ken Rosenthal. It remains to be seen if Finnegan can usurp Will Vest from the closer role after the start to the season he’s had, but the Tigers now have a second high-leverage option for October.
July 31st: In a mega-blockbuster, the Sacramento Athletics finally trade Mason Miller.
It wouldn’t be a 2020s trade deadline without San Diego stirring some drama. Jeff Passan of ESPN is reporting that they have acquired both flame-throwing closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears. The Athletics remained emphatic, much like the last two years, that the high-end closer would remain with the ballclub, despite him not pitching last night. Not too different from their trade with the Brewers a few years ago to gain the services of Josh Hader, Miller isn’t having his best season in 2025, but topping out at an easy 103, Miller is only one year removed from taking the league by storm in a way closers rarely do. This gives San Diego another dominant closer to pair with All-Star stud Robert Suarez for now, though Suarez is likely to opt out of his contract at years end, making Miller the long-term closer and Suarez a viable trade candidate before the end of today. For now, the Padres bullpen features four All-Stars in Miller, Suarez, Adrian Morejon, and Jason Adam.
The A’s receive the number three prospect in all of baseball Leo De Vries, per Jeff Passan. In addition, they also get pitching prospects Henry Baez, Braden Nett, and Eduardeniel Nunez.
July 31st: Longtime Cleveland ace Shane Bieber joins AL East World Series hopeful.
The Blue Jays have added another veteran Cy Young winner to their ranks, but interestingly, one who has yet to throw a pitch in the Majors this season. 2020 Triple Crown winner Shane Bieber, who has been rehabbing the last month, is likely to join the big league roster relatively soon for a team that’s started to struggle with pitching, but has a firm grip on first place. Bieber has a sub-3 ERA and more Ks than innings pitched during the decade, but a 2024 Tommy John surgery and rental status made him cheaper than most starting pitching options in the market. Jon Morosi posts that the return is prospect Khal Stephen.
July 31st: Tigers acquire Paul Sewald.
Detroit has yet another low-risk, high-reward bullpen deal, this time with a different division rival in the Cleveland Guardians. The return is a PTBNL or cash for a pitcher who was one a top closer just two years ago.
July 31st: Cubs shore up bullpen with Kittredge.
In a late night swap, our first official ‘deadline’ day deal sees former All-Star Andrew Kittredge go from Eutaw to Waveland, according to Jon Heyman. In this decade, across time with the Rays, Cardinals, and Orioles, Kittredge has a 2.63 ERA over 212 innings, providing good setup man experience.
July 30th: The Mariners bring back Eugenio Suarez.
The biggest prize of the trade deadline is Eugenio Suarez, who is on pace for his first career 50 homer season (career high: 49 with the Reds). With the Mariners having issues on both corners with production, the acquisitions of both Diamondbacks corner infielders gives the team a formidable lineup with no holes, but considering Suarez was initially traded to the Diamondbacks by the Mariners, Suarez is a recent enough Mariner to have been teammates with the entire ballclub. The Daimondbacks are currently in Sacramento, where the Mariners are, as that’s where their next games are and it’s currently where the Mariners are playing as this is currently being written, meaning Suarez should be activated tomorrow, pending the reported physical. The physical is key here as Suarez was hit on the hand yesterday, but did play for Arizona today. Suarez currently carries the most homeruns ever by a player dealt during that active season at 36. He has a .900 OPS on the season, making his second NL All-Star team this season.
Tyler Locklear and two pitching prospects are the reported return.
July 30th: The Reds acquire starting pitcher Zack Littell in three-team deal.
The first rotation piece of the Rays rumored to be traded has been dealt, as the main return is Brian Van Belle, a phantom ballplayer, and Dodger catching prospect Hunter Fedduci. For giving up their top catching prospect, the Dodgers acquire veteran journeyman backstop Ben Rortvedt from the Rays and pitching prospect Paul Gervase. Gervase, of course, is also on the Rays active roster.
However, Littell is the headline piece for the deal. In nearly 400 innings as a Ray operating as a swingman, Littell has a 3.73 ERA and accumulated six WAR, despite the lack of real swing and miss stuff, excelling at limiting the damage and pitching to contact.
July 30th: The Boston Red Sox acquire veteran pitcher Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals.
The fascinating thing to look at in this trade is that the prospect going back to St. Louis is Blaze Alexander, who was drafted by Chaim Bloom, Boston’s former GM who is in line to be the next Cardinal GM.
July 30th: Astros acquire Ramon Urias from the Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles receive minor league pitcher Twine Palmer in return, according to Brian McTaggert.
July 30th: Braves deal Rafael Montero to the Motor City.
The Braves received infield prospect Jim Jarvis.
July 30th: Mets acquire multi-time All-Star closer Ryan Helsley.
The NL East race continues matching tit-for-tat, as moments after the Phillies swung a deal to acquire arguably the best closer on the market, the Mets bring in the primary competition to that title. Helsley hasn’t had his A-stuff in 2025, but even a down year has his ERA right at 3, his K-per-9 over 10, and over 20 saves through the first alf of the season. We’re only a year removed from Helsley saving 49 games for the Cardinals, and from 2022-2024, Helsley had a 1.83 ERA across 168 innings to establish himself as the best closer in the National League. With his down year, Edwin Diaz has re-taken the claim, but seeing as they’re now teammates, one of them will have to be demoted to being the setup man. In this case, Helsley is likely as Diaz just made his third All-Star team and has a 1.48 ERA on the season. Ultimately, with the earlier acquisition of Rogers and now the acquisition of Helsley, the lack of relief depth behind Diaz is no longer an issue for New York. The Mets, who entered the deadline season with one of the worst bullpens in baseball, leave the deadline season with a bullpen of Edwin Diaz, Ryan Helsley, Tylor Rogers, Ryne Stanek, Reed Garrett, and Gregory Soto, transforming it into an October nightmare seemingly on the fly for a team that is all in.
For the Cardinals, this is the first of what promises to be a massive sell-off, but in return received the Mets #6 prospect in Jesus Baez, and two high-upside pitching prospects for a rental reliever.
July 30th: The Philadelphia Phillies acquire Jhoan Duran.
Only a night after his hug watch fake out indicated a non-existent trade, Twins closer Jhoan Duran has a new destination. Duran, who has an ERA of exactly 2 on the year and 74 saves in his career, was the top reliever on the market with plenty of teams looking for bullpen help and it’s the Phillies who pulled the trigger. Duran, the main piece in the Eduardo Escobar trade, is signed through 2028, making a trade a tad surprising, but likely commanding an incredible haul for the services of the closer. Duran comes with one of the speediest fastballs in the game, complimented by a filthy knuckle curve.
For the Phillies, surrendering Mick Abel after years of riding it out with relievers such as Craig Kimbrel and Jeff Hoffman down the stretch rather than trading the formerly untouchable pitching prospect shows that Dave Dombrowski is all-in at this deadline as the championship window of his team continues to dwindle and the Mets battle them for the NL East. Abel has only pitched six games in the Majors, but has shown electric stuff at only 23 years of age. The Phillies also sent number four organizational prospect catcher Eduardo Tait to the Twins, who are still trying to find a franchise catcher since Hall of Fame cornerstone Joe Mauer swapped positions over a decade ago. Should Tait progress quickly through the Minnesota system, this could be a battery force in Minneapolis for years to come.
July 30th: Cubs acquire Mike Soroka
Ken Rosenthal has reported that the Cubs have swung a deal to land Mike Soroka from Washington for prospects Christian Franklin and Ronny Cruz. This gives the Cubs an adequate swingman who was, in recent memory, an All-Star for the Atlanta Braves and is still only 27. His struggles have maintained while coming back from two ruptured achilles, but it’s a good player to take a flyer on.
July 30th: The San Francisco Giants trade reliever Tyler Rogers to the New York Mets, per Ken Rosenthal.
Reliever Tyler Rogers, the second of the Rogers twins to be traded this afternoon, will be able to travel to his new ballclub on the Giants charter to Queens tonight ahead of their series that begins Friday, as the Giants trade their first Major Leaguer of a deadline where their strategy is still relatively unknown. It’s worth noting that Rogers is 34 and in his final year of eligibility, meaning he’ll be an older free agent at the end of the season. But, he does bring a 1.80 ERA on the season thanks in part to his funky, submarine delivery. According to research from Jomboy’s Jolly Olive of ERA+ draft fame, players this decade with at least 300 IP and a 145 or higher ERA+: Max Fried, Emannuel Clase, Shohei Ohtani, Jacob deGrom, and Tyler Rogers.
For the Giants, they received a prospect haul, per Robert Murray. The highlight is former Tennessee Volunteer Drew Gilbert, NY’s top outfield prospect and #2 overall in the organization per 2024 rankings, but they also received #10 overall prospect, pitcher Blake Tidwell, for a pending free agent middle reliever. Both players are currently in Triple A, likely to be in the Major Leagues soon. Jose Butto, MLB reliever spotting a mid-3 ERA this season, is also heading to California in the trade.
July 30th: The Cincinnati Reds have acquired Ke’Bryan Hayes from division rival Pittsburgh Pirates.
In our first overly exciting move of deadline season, the Reds have found their long term third baseman by dealing within the NL Central. Still only 28, Hayes was at one point the prized piece of the Pirates eternally on-going rebuild, even inking an eight-year extension in 2022. Despite being a premiere defensive third baseman, Hayes bat has yet to deliver anything it promised at the MLB level. Even this season, his 1.2 WAR has provided value for the Pirates, but his 59 ERA+ has shown an absolutely putrid offensive profile, citing how excellent his defense is. It seems that Pittsburgh felt it was time to move on, perhaps shed his salary, and the Reds think that there’s something there to find, considering according to Jeff Passan, they traded an All-Star reliever in Taylor Rogers and their second round pick from 2023 in Sammy Stafura.
July 30th: The Seattle Mariners acquire left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson.
In a lower-level deal, the Pirates gained right-handed pitching prospect Jeter Martinez for Ferguson. Ferguson doesn’t have high strikeout stuff, but he looks to bring reliable innings to his fourth team in two years.
July 30th: The Los Angeles Angels acquire Luis Garcia from the Washington Nationals, per Jeff Passan.
Evidently, the Angels could be buyers, despite dangling some of the best pieces in a sellers market. Or, this could be a depth move to have arms ready to go at the Major League level when they trade pieces. The Angels sit in fourth place in the West, but only two games under .500 with a month to go, still relatively in striking distance. Garcia has pitched for eight teams in his career, but will return to the Angels to appear in his second consecutive season. Garcia has a 4.10 ERA on the year across time with the Nats and the Dodgers, but his 0.90 ERA for the Nationals in 10 outings has been excellent.
UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic is reporting that veteran reliever Andrew Chafin is also heading to Anaheim, solidifying a buy-in move to fortify the bullpen. The Nationals acquire pitcher Jake Eder and prospect Sam Brown.
July 30th: The New York Yankees acquire Austin Slater from the Chicago White Sox.
The team has announced the deal, originally reported by Jeff Passan. Slater represents a solid depth outfielder piece, but the acquisition of the veteran might be a larger sign for the Yankees who, up until now, have been adamant that they anticipate the return of Aaron Judge within the next week, which would, with this move, create an outfield logjam. In return, the White Sox acquired 22-year-old pitching prospect Gage Ziehl, who has struggled this season in AA.
July 29th: The Baltimore Orioles swing their second trade this month to send a reliever to a division rival, per Shi Davidi, as Seranthony Dominguez goes north of the border.
The Orioles will receive prospect Juaron Watts-Brown in return. Dominguez will be able to be activated as soon as right now, as the Jays and Orioles come set to play the second game of their day-night doubleheader in Baltimore. This will likely be the first of many bullpen reinforcements, coming just hours after the Jays staff gave up sixteen runs to a struggling Orioles squad. Dominguez brings an ERA of 3.24 and a K-9% over 11, both better than the norms over his seven seasons in the Majors.
July 28th: The Milwaukee Brewers acquire veteran backstop Danny Jansen from the Tampa Bay Rays per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Rays meanwhile work toward acquiring another catcher, per TBTimes Marc Topkin.
With the Brewers tied in first place and underperformance from All-Star slugger William Contreras, the Brewers have officially made a move to shore up their catching depth. Jansen has graded out average offensively this season, but slightly higher than Contreras, and is a much more reliable offensive solution than Eric Haase. Jansen, as a catcher, brings 11 homers and an OPS over .700 on the season, but with a lot of his game being elevated thanks to playing home games in Steinbrenner Field.
For the Rays, the message still looms large as to whether they’re selling or buying, considering that Jansen is only on a one-year pact and they’re currently working toward acquiring a catcher. The team was threatening first place in the East just a few weeks ago, but a recent skid has dropped Tampa to a 53-53 record in a competitive division. Jansen was set to start for Tampa tonight in New York, likely forcing Matt Thaiss into their lineup.
Ken Rosenthal has reported that the catcher the Rays are in talks to acquire is Nick Fortes of the Miami Marlins. Fortes would offer a more long-term solution for Tampa than Jansen brought as he isn’t a free agent until 2029. Fortes won’t offer offensive reinforcements considering his terrible track record at the plate, but has a good glove. Robert Murray is reporting that the return is Montgomery outfielder Matt Etzel, Tampa’s 28th ranked prospect.
July 28th: The Detroit Tigers acquire Chris Paddack in intra-division trade.
The Chris Paddack tenure with the Twins ends after a tumultuous ride as the main prize in the Taylor Rogers deal at the 2022 deadline. Once the Padres top pitching prospect, Paddack has posted an ERA of four and a half in his seven Major League seasons. Paddack, while still having electric stuff, has yet to put it together at the Majors and turns 30 next season, while teammate Randy Dobnak joins him in Detroit. An Uber driver by trade, his 4.99 driver rating comes to the streets of the Motor City during the day, while a career ERA that almost matches the rating comes to pitch at night in Comerica Park.
In return, the Twins acquired Enrique Jimenez. The 20-year-old catcher is currently struggling in rookie ball, but provides a lottery ticket for what are otherwise two depth pieces.
July 28th: Not too different than the trade for Fedde, the Braves have acquired SP Carlos Carrasco from the New York Yankees in a pure salary dump.
Carrasco will likely fill the same roster swing-mop up role that former rotation partner Josh Tomlin filled earlier in the decade as Atlanta desperately seeks innings. Since leaving his lengthy stint in Cleveland, Carrasco has posted a negative WAR and a 5.36 ERA across 431 major league frames. But Carrasco does provide not only valuable depth, but experience to bring to the pitching staff, having spent over a decade and a half in the Majors.
July 27th: In a depth move, the Atlanta Braves have acquired Erick Fedde for a Player to be Named Later or cash considerations, per Robert Murray of Fansided.
Neither of this teams are clear buyers or sellers, but Erick Fedde, whose return to MLB after a stint overseas was supposed to be a return to form, has not been that. Fedde had recently been designated for assignment a 4.69 ERA across two seasons in St. Louis, and has a lifetime 4.87 ERA (85 ERA+) across over 700 MLB innings dating back to his time with the Washington Nationals. The one thing Fedde does offer is innings, averaging over five per start, and the Braves entire Opening Day rotation is currently on the IL, with at least two of the arms out for the season. Fedde is a true rental, but one that could have been acquired at the absolute lowest of costs for a team that isn’t trying to win as much as they are trying to just make it to 2026.
July 26th: The New York Yankees acquire utility infielder Amed Rosario.
The first domino falls in the Capital as Amed Rosario is sent to the Bronx. The move makes sense for the Yankees, despite a loaded infield, to acquire an infielder that mashes left-handed pitching as Jazz Chisholm, a 2025 All-Star that started the season as the everyday third baseman and is now back at his natural position of second base, has been putrid against left-handed hitting, giving him a clear platoon partner and the Yankees additional roster depth, especially considering OF/1B Cody Bellinger is likely to be exclusively an outfielder for the remainder of the season following the news that Aaron Judge will be relegated to the designated hitter role should he come back off the injured list. Rosario, a shortstop by trade, has seen time at short, second, third, and outfield in 2025.
The Nationals in return receive pitcher Clayton Beeter, a 26-year-old righty who’s appeared in parts of two seasons for New York, but the prize is outfield prospect Browm Martinez. While only barely able to vote and hitting in just the Dominican Summer League (an A-ball equivalent), Martinez is mashing in 2025, posting an OPS over 1.000 and an OBP over .500, albeit in a sample size of approximately 70 trips to the plate. The Nationals essentially bought a lottery ticket on a hot streak, but with talents such as Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, and James Wood in recent memory, the Nationals have a knack for developing outfield prospects into superstar caliber MLB talent.
July 26th: Randal Grichuk traded to the Kansas City Royals for prospect Andrew Hoffman.
Randal Grichuk returns to the state of Missouri as the Diamondbacks continue to sell off veteran role pieces. With a lack of production from the carousel of MJ Melendez, Tyler Tolbert, and John Rave, Grichuk should at least be a cost-prohibitive stop gap that can provide some production for the Royals, even if he isn’t the same player as during his days in St. Louis. The 33-year-old has been largely adequate at the plate this season, sporting a 102 OPS+, but the Royals gave up little and even an average bat is a massive upgrade on the corners than what they’ve seen beyond Kyle Isbel and top prospect Jac Caglione.
For the Diamondbacks, the trend of MLB ready pitching continues as they acquire a rookie reliever in the deal with many years of control beyond this season. Hoffman’s 2.36 WHIP leaves quite a bit to be desired, but is still dipping his toes in Major League water with plenty of time to turn it around. Hoffman’s promise had been shown in AAA this year, though, with a 2.25 ERA in Omaha over 40 frames. Depending on how the deadline goes, this could be an option for the Diamondbacks set up man down the stretch.
Furthermore, the largest message sent here is that the Royals are now an established buyer despite finding themselves two games under .500. With the Royals sitting in third place and eight games behind the division-leading Detroit Tigers, there was a path to be selling for Kansas City. However, with the team only 3.5 games out of a wild card spot, there’s still a road to the postseason for the club to drive down, and the front office seems willing to give the players that opportunity.
July 26th: The Tampa Bay Rays acquire Tristan Gray from the Chicago White Sox for cash considerations.
Not much to talk about here, though Gray will return to his original organization where he was once a top infield prospect. Despite seeing time in the Majors last year with both the Marlins and Athletics, Gray’s last MLB homerun came with the Rays in ’23. It doesn’t seem as anything beyond a simple depth move with All-Stars on both corners and at third base, as well as Ha-Seong Kim manning short when healthy.
July 25th: The Colorado Rockies deal third baseman Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees.
After years of trade discussion, the Rockies have finally parted ways with Ryan McMahon. Maybe it’s a couple years too late, and maybe it’s selling low, but this was a good bargain for New York who desperately needed a third baseman and almost found themselves in a bidding war for Eugenio Suarez. With McMahon’s sub-.600 OPS outside of Coors Field in 2025, there’s a lot of apprehension surrounding his bat, however, the last Yankee to come from Coors Field was recently departed DJ LeMahieu, who posted a .296/.367/.440 average over his first four seasons in the Bronx following nearly a decade at Coors Field. While some players are a product of the environment, it’s rarely considered that the road splits are so jarring because their body takes a week to re-adjust to normal altitude. This also gives the Yankees at left-handed options in the box with home games in a ballpark that has a short right-field porch, as well as one of the best defensive third basemen in the game for a team whose defense hasn’t been reliable in weeks. The 2024 All-Star is also under contract for two years beyond the 2025 season, making it a better long-term move than a rental such as Suarez.
As for the return, good luck to the prospects trying to pan out in that pitching environment.
July 25th: The New York Mets acquire Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles for prospects Cameron Foster and Wellington Aracena.
Analysis: An Oriole sale seemed inevitable from the start of the season. With a team 12 games under .500 competing in a division with four teams over .500, there is no path to the postseason. Soto being the first domino to fall makes sense as well as relievers are always the biggest prizes come the trade deadline. Soto isn’t having his best year at the Major League level, but he also isn’t having his worst. The 3.96 ERA is below the veteran’s 4.24 lifetime ERA with his K-rate higher than his career average, but Soto also isn’t the multi-time All-Star he was earlier this decade for the Tigers, seeing his ERA+ fall by 24% than it currently is over that stretch of baseball. Regardless, the Mets bullpen desperately needed a lefty to pair with Brooks Raley, and they now have one that has high velocity and misses bats, further complimenting Raley’s strengths.
While struggling with command, Aracena is a prize for the Orioles that could be dominating at Camden two years down the road. With a 2.38 ERA so far this season in A-ball, Aracena is struggling with command but otherwise brings 101 with movement and solid breaking pitches. The Orioles got a stud for a rental reliever.
July 24th: The Arizona Diamondbacks send 1B Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners for prospects Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi.
Analysis: With a wide open AL West and a majority of the remaining games for the Mariners being >.500 teams, the division is up for grabs for a team that’s only made the postseason twice since setting the win record in 2001. Cal Raleigh is having the best season in MLB for a catcher, Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodriguez were 2025 All-Stars, and their starting rotation ranks among the top ten in MLB. It’s a clear win-now move for Seattle as Naylor, a 2024 American League All-Star for the Cleveland Guardians, is set to be a free agent at the end of the season. While originally hoping for a reunion with former Mariner and Naylor’s 2025 teammate Eugenio Suarez, the Mariners do find their corner infield upgrade at first base. The first base market has moved slowly and the Mariners weren’t reportedly in on a ton of players, but Naylor brings a .292/.360/.447 slash to Seattle in a position where the Mariners have received a paltry .234/.298/.410 production output. Naylor’s power is likely to subdue a bit going from the hitter friendly confines of Chase Field to a pitcher haven in T-Mobile Park, but the K-percentage represents a 13% drop by Naylor from Seattle’s previous first base options. This is likely a very good short-term fit.
For the Diamondbacks, it represents the club being open for business. Don’t anticipate a Corbin Carroll or Geraldo Perdomo being moved, but anticipated pending free agents and established All-Stars such as Suarez and Zac Gallen to be as good as gone. The return for Naylor likely wasn’t as good as it could’ve been, especially with Izzi struggling early in A ball and essentially being a lottery ticket, but Brandyn Garcia coming back in the deal implies that the team left potentially better talent long-term on the table for short-term gain seeing as Garcia had already made Seattle’s ballclub. With a 6.59 FIP and 9 RA9, the peripherals don’t bode well for Garcia’s 4.50 ERA, but it’s worth noting that it’s the smallest of sample sizes. Garcia’s prospect profile features a high groundball rate and a higher K rate than fly ball rate, which fits the profile of a successful pitcher in Arizona. Garcia threw 116 innings in 2024 to a 2.25 ERA in the minors as a starter, so there is a prospect pedigree to work with as well. The clear message here: he is MLB ready. That is wait Arizona is going for. This isn’t a rebuild, it’s a re-tool and come back next year with the good core.
