MLB Trade Deadline: 5 teams that improved, and 3 teams that left us confused

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These are the teams that got better at the MLB trade deadline, and ones who didn’t do enough.

The 2025 MLB Trade Deadline is in the books.

Of course, now you want to know who the winners and losers were.

It is often tough to grade baseball trades, given that some of the players moved at the Deadline might not contribute for a few more years. So what we will do today is look at the teams we think truly improved for 2025, as well as a few teams that left us scratching our heads.

What teams improved at the MLB Trade Deadline?

Seattle Mariners

As the MLB Trade Deadline approached, rumors held that the Arizona Diamondbacks had asked for “multiple” Top-100 prospects from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for slugger Eugenio Suárez.

In the end, Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto brought Suárez back to the Mariners in exchange for Tyler Locklear and minor-league pitchers Hunter Cranton and Juan Burgos.

It was that kind of deadline for Dipoto, who added perhaps the two best hitters on the market in Suárez and Josh Naylor in separate deals with the Diamondbacks. While Suárez is likely a pure rental, as he is set to hit free agency ahead of next season, pairing him with Cal Raleigh gives the Mariners two of the best sluggers in the game this season.

They’ll need to get more out of their starting rotation if they want to chase down the Houston Astros, but with the lineup, manager Dan Wilson can fill in each night; that pitching staff saw their lives get a little easier these past few weeks.

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres entered the deadline with three big needs: Outfield, DH, and catcher.

Enter Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn from the Baltimore Orioles to fill the first two holes, and Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals to fill the third.

If those were the only moves that general manager A.J. Preller made, then it would have been considered a successful deadline for San Diego. But Preller kicked off Deadline Day with a stunning move, acquiring Athletics closer Mason Miller (along with lefty JP Sears) for four prospects, including shortstop Leo De Vries. Yes, De Vries is one of the top prospects in the game — more on him in a moment — but this was an aggressive, stunning move from Preller.

Why does it make the Padres winners? Consider these two factors: First, the Padres arguably had the best bullpen in baseball before the move for Miller, as the San Diego relief corps led the majors with a combined ERA of just 2.98, along with a league-best WHIP of 1.16.

Add in Miller, and you have a bullpen that can shut games down once they are handed the ball, which is something you can lean on down the stretch and into the playoffs. Talk about doubling down on a strength.

Plus, consider what has happened in the National League West around them these past few weeks. The Diamondbacks were sellers, the San Francisco Giants traded away closer Camilo Doval and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, and the Colorado Rockies were sellers before the last school year ended.

As for the team the Padres are chasing, the Los Angeles Dodgers, they were 10-14 in July, and San Diego is now just three games behind them in the West. The Dodgers also largely stood pat at the deadline.

If there was a time to be aggressive, it was now for Preller.

Philadelphia Phillies

Dave Dombrowski made two different deals with the Minnesota Twins, who, if we are not mistaken, traded someone to SB Nation yesterday during a frenetic firesale.

Wait, I’m being told my editor wants to see me. Maybe it was for me …

Still, the Phillies had a glaring need in the bullpen, a unit “led” by Jordan Romano, whose eight saves are the most on the roster, and whose 6.81 ERA does not scream “go-to pitcher in the postseason.”

Dombrowski solved that problem by adding Jhoan Duran from the Twins, and while it cost Philadelphia two of their top-five prospects in Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel, Tait is still just 18 years old, and Abel was 2-2 this year in limited action for the Phillies, with an ERA of 5.04 and a WHIP of 1.36.

The price was high, but not only does Duran solve a glaring need, but he is also under control through 2027 (with a pair of arbitration years) before he hits free agency in 2028.

In a second move with the Twins, Dombrowski added outfielder Harrison Bader, who, at a minimum, gives Philadelphia a right-handed bat off the bench. But with Bader slashing .258/.339/.439, along with 13 doubles and 12 home runs, he could play himself into an everyday role with the Phillies in center field.

New York Mets

Similar to the Phillies and the Padres, the New York Mets improved their bullpen ahead of the Trade Deadline.

But that is not all that David Stearns did.

We will start with the bullpen, which badly needed an injection of talent. Stearns brought in Tyler Roders, Ryan Helsley, and Gregory Soto, giving the Mets three new — and distinct — arms for late-game situations. Helsley can get his four-seam fastball into the upper 90s, but he combines that with a slider for a tough one-two arsenal. The righty can also work in a curveball as well as a cutter to keep hitters off-balance. Soto, a lefthander, is primarily a sinker/slider pitcher, but can work in a four-seam that tops out at 97, along with a sweeper and even a splitter.

As for Rogers, he is a sinker/slider pitcher with an arm angle of -60 degrees.

You read that right:

Those three will certainly keep hitters off balance as the Mets try to get games to closer Edwin Diaz, who has not allowed an earned run since June 2.

But again, that is not all Stearns did, as he also added outfielder Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles, who gives the Mets some offense and could allow New York to give Juan Soto more DH at-bats, letting him focus on what he can do at the plate.

Even with what Stearns had to give up to acquire those relievers — three of their top prospects in infielder Jesus Baez (No. 5), outfielder Drew Gilbert (No. 7), and pitcher Blade Tidwell (No. 10) — this was a great deadline for the Mets.

Athletics

Ok we are cheating a bit, as up top we said we would look at teams that improved for 2025.

However, let’s revisit that Padres-Athletics trade for a moment.

It is … rare … to see a consensus top-five prospect overall traded at the deadline. Consider this:

But that is what happened when the Padres sent shortstop Leo De Vries to the Athletics in the Mason Miller trade.

Yes, there is a chance De Vries does not pan out. The 18-year-old is playing well in High-A right now, slashing .245/.357/.410 while being the youngest player in the Midwest League and one of just two teenage position players.

But that is High-A, and Fort Wayne is a long way from the major leagues.

Still, if De Vries does pan out, this is a potentially franchise-altering acquisition for the Athletics.

What teams left us scratching our heads?

Boston Red Sox

It’s not that the Boston Red Sox stood pat at the deadline, as they made a few moves. They added pitchers Dustin May and Steven Matz, with the hope that May can give them another option in the rotation and Matz can give them innings out of the bullpen.

But … perhaps long-time Boston scribe Peter Abraham put it best:

Now, one way to look at what Boston did (or did not do) is that this is a team that ripped off a 17-7 record in July to get right back into the playoff mix. Why mess with momentum?

Well, as Abraham points out, when the competition improves, you should try to improve as well.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are another team that largely stood pat at the deadline. Yes, they made some additions, notably Willi Castro (who can literally play everywhere but catcher, but he could probably strap on the shinguards if you need him to), and pitchers Michael Soroka and Andrew Kittredge.

But for a team just one game back in the division, and the lead in the Wild Card race, this was a rather cautious deadline. They could have bolstered the rotation or been more aggressive to add to their lineup, given the depth of prospects they could have used in a trade.

Now we wait to see if standing pat was the right move.

Pittsburgh Pirates

In the days leading up to the MLB Trade Deadline, we argued that the Pirates were one of the potential sellers that needed to “get it right.”

Did they?

Holding on to pitcher Mitch Keller, who was getting significant trade interest in the middle of a career year, does make sense. After all, Keller is under team control until 2029 when he hits free agency, on a rather team-friendly deal for a starting pitcher. He is making $15.4 million this year, will make $16.9 million in 2026, $18.4 million in 2027, and $20.4 million in 2028. Perhaps that contract made the asking price for Keller too much for teams to pay.

Ok, so not moving him is understandable. They did trade closer David Bednar to the Yankees, getting their No. 8 prospect in Triple-A catcher Rafael Flores, along with 1B/C Edgleen Peres and OF Bryan Sanchez, both of whom are in Single-A. That is a move that we can live with.

What we do not understand is holding onto three players — Tommy Pham, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Andrew Heaney — who are set to hit free agency and are on expiring contracts. How does holding onto those three players in a losing season get this roster ready to contend next year?

The Pirates have a window with Paul Skenes as the cornerstone of their franchise. Holding onto Keller makes sense given the financials. Flores can potentially contribute next year.

But not moving any of those expiring contracts is going to come back to bite them.