2026 MLB trade deadline grades: Report cards for every deal
From the early deals that got things rolling to the last-minute flurry of trade deadline day activity, this is your one-stop shop for grades and analysis breaking down this year's biggest trades.
ESPN MLB experts Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield evaluate and grade the most significant moves below.
Dodgers win sweepstakes for Skubal
Los Angeles Dodgers get:
LHP Tarik Skubal
Detroit Tigers get:
OF Zyhir Hope
RHP River Ryan
RHP Brady Smith
Dodgers grade: A
Let's consider this from the Dodgers' overall big league level of talent, measuring the period from 2023 to the present. The Dodgers have the hitters ranked Nos. 2, 7, 15, 25, 30 and 33 by wins above average, per Baseball Reference. (That's Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker, Max Muncy and Will Smith.) They have the relievers ranked Nos. 14, 28, 32 and 38 by ERA+. (Tanner Scott, Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia and Edwin Diaz.) Their rotation, also by ERA+, has Nos. 2, 4, 5, 7 and 24. (Skubal, Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.) It is very much an All-Star roster -- stuffed with potential Hall of Famers who are all producing at a high level.
It's amazing, it's an abomination, and it has become a rallying cry for the owners in the CBA talks. And it's very bad news for anyone hoping to topple the Dodgers this October and prevent what now feels increasingly like an inevitable three-peat.
Skubal is the best pitcher in the sport, going to the best team in the sport, and the worst of it for non-Dodger fans is that the team you were hoping would land Skubal did not get him.
For Bradford Doolittle's full grade on the deal, read here.
White Sox land Castillo in deal with M's
Chicago White Soxget:
RHP Luis Castillo
Seattle Mariners get:
RHP Seranthony Dominguez
OF Nolan Jones
C/LF Boston Smith
White Sox grade: C+
Castillo is a big-name acquisition for a White Sox rotation that has been rolling out struggling rookie Noah Schultz (6.15) and veteran Erick Fedde (4.13 ERA but a 5.34 FIP) as its back-end starters, so even a clearly declining Castillo with a 5.06 ERA looks like at least a minor upgrade.
The good news for the White Sox: They acquired someone who might help this season as they make a playoff push -- ahead of schedule -- without sacrificing any of their top prospects. All they had to give up were some nonessential players on their roster and their No. 15 overall prospect, according to MLB.com. Oh ... and take on the rest of Castillo's $24.15 million salary this season and the $24.15 million next season. That financial burden will be felt for a pitcher with an ERA on the wrong side of 5.00, but the White Sox, with so many minimum-salaried players, can afford to take on Castillo.
The question is how much Castillo has to offer. His strikeout rate has dropped from 29% during his first season in Seattle in 2022 to a career-low 19.4% this season. He no longer has a big swing-and-miss offering, and he has lost feel for his once-lethal changeup to the point where it's now his fourth offering, behind his fastball, slider and sinker. Without an effective changeup, left-handed batters have slugged .537 with an .890 OPS off him. Yes, he'll fill out the rotation for the rest of the season, but this isn't a pitcher you want to start in a playoff game.
Mariners grade: B
This is ... fine. With a six-man rotation and Kade Anderson in the minors, the Mariners didn't need Castillo. He has clearly lost effectiveness this season, even with a fastball that still averages 95.3 mph. The big win for the Mariners is trading the money Castillo will make next year. They don't need him, and that clears some money to spend elsewhere (well, presumably, you never know).
And Smith is an intriguing prospect, hitting .291/.448/.589 with 22 home runs in the minors, most of that in High-A before a promotion to Double-A. He's hitting even better there, with a 1.146 OPS and eight home runs in 22 games. He has power, draws walks and strikes out a lot as he works deep counts, looking for pitches he can drive. He might not be a catcher in the long run, but he runs well enough that he has played a little bit in the outfield and he's athletic enough that he played some shortstop at Wright State.
Does this trade help the Mariners in 2026 as they desperately try to avoid plummeting out of the playoff race? No, because Dominguez is a mop-up-caliber reliever, and Jones has spent the season in the minors, with those two included in the trade primarily for payroll purposes. But between the payroll relief for 2027 and Smith's under-the-radar potential, it's a good deal for the Mariners.-- Schoenfield
Braves bring in Thomas, Falter from Royals
Atlanta Braves get:
OF Lane Thomas
LHP Bailey Falter
Kansas City Royals get:
RHPLucas Braun
LHP Carter Holton
Braves grade C-
At some point late in the Braves' lost 2025 season, lead exec Alex Anthopoulos started to acquire just about every veteran with a recognizable name who popped up on the DFA/waiver market. The reason was never clear, though nothing was lost in the frenzy and all information you are able to glean on a player is useful information. None of those acquisitions moved the needle forward, including the pickup ofHa-Seong Kim, who, for a time, seemed slated to be Atlanta's every-day shortstop this season.
Though that strategy seemed intriguing as a response to a bad campaign, the fact that this move feels like one of those is less enthralling. After all, the Braves are in first place and in a spot to bolster their roster for the stretch run and the playoffs. Thomas fills a need for a right-handed-hitting outfielder who could work as a platoon partner withMike Yastrzemski. But Thomas is limited, and it feels like even in a market light on righty hitters, Atlanta might have done better with a more well-rounded performer. And maybe the Braves will -- Anthopoulos often takes a crowdsourcing kind of approach to filling roster holes.
Falter has been unplayable as a big leaguer since Kansas City added him last year in a trade with Pittsburgh. He has been decent in a swing role for Triple-A Omaha and has a lot of big league experience, though not much of it has been paired with above-average production.
This deal might make more sense when we have the full context of Atlanta's deadline approach. For now, it's uninspiring.
Royals grade: B-
Virtually nothing has gone right for the Royals this season. That's certainly true for everything that has happened during the regular season, but it applies to their offseason as well. The Royals entered the hot stove part of the calendar with a clear need for an outfield upgrade and they ended up with Thomas, whose slash line over the past three seasons is .224/.305/.380. He's better against lefties -- hence the Braves' interest -- but the Royals needed more of a full-service contributor.
This deal is a solid pivot now that the white flag has been unfurled. The Royals aren't really dealing from a position of strength, but in Braun and Holton, they have added a couple of solid pitching prospects for two players they did not need to retain. Braun, 24, is a command-over-stuff righty who fits the general mold of the kind of starter (Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo)who has worked well for Kansas City. He has been pitching well for Gwinnett and should help the Royals sooner than later, if not immediately.
Holton is a lefty with some injury baggage, but he was a second-round pick out of Vanderbilt just a couple of years ago. His development is well behind schedule because of the injuries, but the baseline talent is there. He'll add depth to a Royals system that needs more at the upper levels.-- Doolittle
Pirates get hard-throwing Doval from Yankees
Pittsburgh Pirates get:
RHP Camilo Doval
New York Yankees get:
C Omar Alfonso
OF Luis Cruz
Pirates grade: C-
The Pirates recently parted ways with occasional closer Dennis Santana and apparently missed the kind of high drama his appearances tended to produce. Doval has been, if nothing else, a human tightrope. His stuff is hard and heavy at elite levels, headlined by a 98 mph sinker that produces loads of ground balls if he manages to get it near enough to the strike zone to induce a swing.
His problem is mind-numbingly poor command that leads to both a scourge of free passes and meatballs that end up on the wrong side of the fence. But Doval does have success on his résumé. He led the NL in saves during an All-Star campaign in 2023 and, when he joined the Yankees, it was an open question as to whether he or Bednar, also acquired at last season's deadline, might seize the ninth-inning role.
Pittsburgh has had success with righting the ship of veteran relievers -- Santana had been one of them -- so maybe they can get Doval back on track. But for a club with little margin for error, Doval is maybe a bit too erratic to provide the immediate boost the Pittsburgh bullpen needs.
Yankees grade: B
For the Yankees' big league roster, this is a matter of addition by subtraction, because as good as Doval has been at times during his career, he just wasn't getting it done in pinstripes. For his 66 games in New York, he finishes with two saves, a 4.63 ERA and minus-1.1 bWAR. Presumably, New York will now seek better high-leverage options to support the back of its David Bednar-led bullpen.
In offloading Doval, the Yanks pick up a legit catching prospect in Alfonzo, a 22-year-old who is part of a family of backstops that includes his father and brother. He is ranked in the top 30 at both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline with grades that paint the picture of a solid defender with a good arm, decent offensive potential with average power and painfully little foot speed. A lefty hitter, he could potentially hold down the heavy side of a catching platoon if he continues to progress. Alfonzo is not a right-now solution for the Yankees' catching woes, however.
Cruz, 18, is raw in body and experience. An outfielder, he's listed at 6-foot-2, 155 pounds and is in his second season in the Dominican Summer League after signing with the Pirates in January 2025. His numbers suggest a young hitter with good bat-on-ball skills, for what the numbers are worth at that level. He has yet to homer as a professional. He is one of many wild-card prospects we'll see moved around the deadline. -- Doolittle
Brewers and Guardians make two-for-two swap
Milwaukee Brewers get:
C Bo Naylor
RHP Codi Heuer
Cleveland Guardians get:
RHP Craig Yoho
OF Blake Perkins
Brewers grade: C
A "C" grade in trade evaluation isn't any different than one earned in a classroom. It denotes a perfectly acceptable, average performance. There isn't much surplus value being exchanged here and so there is little reason to nudge the rating for either club too far away from the "C" baseline.
Naylor was a touted catching prospect, expected to possibly outshine brother Josh once he hit the majors. But he has never hit, and while he remained in Cleveland after his brother moved on, the Guardians are now out of the Naylor business altogether. His defensive numbers have jumped all over the place in the bigs, but he is more or less what his scouting reports previewed -- an above-average receiver who could stand to do a better job of controlling the running game. His offense has been a cipher.
Heuer is a journeyman righty who, like every player in this deal, has been up and down from the minors this season. Both he and Naylor were immediately assigned to Triple A Nashville by the Brewers when the deal was announced. He lacks a standout weapon like Yoho's changeup, but he does possess above-average velocity and elite extension. That intrigues you because the Brewers are apt to work magic with veteran bullpen acquisitions. To wit: Earlier this season, they plucked Joel Kuhnel from the Athletics, and while he didn't turn into Rollie Fingers with Milwaukee, he did suddenly add 3-4 mph to his fastball as if the Brewers flipped an invisible switch.
This trade may be just about creating roster space for players returning from injury. Perkins has been a solid role player but Milwaukee has a glut of outfielders. The Brewers could use more depth at catcher. At the same time, there could be something else brewing here, pun intended. One of Milwaukee top prospects, Jeferson Quero, is a catcher in Triple A and would be a fine component of any kind of splash trade for a frontline pitcher. Stay tuned.
Guardians grade: C+
The Guardians stubbornly prize elite defense behind the plate even with any concerns about hitting and while Naylor has the tools to be an above-average defensive catcher, he wasn't in the class of Patrick Bailey or Austin Hedges. With utility-guy-who-can-catch David Fry around and Cleveland trying to find a role for prospect Cooper Ingle, moving Naylor makes sense. Heuer wasn't doing much to help their big league bullpen and in Yoho, they add a solid role player whose off-speed stuff can complement Cleveland's deep relief staff.
Perkins can run the bases, defend and is a switch-hitter whose offensive production is lacking. In other words, he's a consummate Guardians position player. The plus on Cleveland's grade is for Yoho's fit, but for the Guardians, this feels like a low-level deal meant to squeeze a little more utility out of the 40-man roster spots beyond those 26 who are currently active. -- Doolittle
Twins acquire starter Kremer from Orioles
Minnesota Twins get:
RHP Dean Kremer
Baltimore Orioles get:
OF Jhomnardo Reyes
Twins grade: C-
The Twins are off to an aggressive start during the deadline period, adding Kremer to their rotation one night after picking up lefty A.J. Minter to bolster their bullpen in exchange for two infield prospects. Minnesota's system has lost three prospects -- and Reyes was the highest-rated of the three.
Kremer is under team control beyond the rest of the season, which is probably why he merited the better return. (That controllable season is the last of his arbitration-eligible campaigns, so who knows what that might mean under the next CBA.) Assuming the status quo regarding arbitration, Minnesota would have some stability for the back of its rotation. Kremer is on the books for $5.75 million this season and, barring a strong finish, won't have a case for a big raise this winter.
The reluctant grade is a result of Kremer's season, which has not been at a level that would aid the Twins' playoff push. In seven starts, he's 1-4 with a 6.50 ERA and 6.24 FIP, the latter a result of his alarming rate of three homers allowed per nine innings. Kremer is better than that, but he has been a persistently just-below-average producer for his career.
Perhaps the Twins see something in Kremer they think they can work with, and, to be sure, the bar for upgrading the bottom of their rotation is pretty low. I'm willing to write off a certain amount of value disparity in a deal if the team in add-mode has boosted its short-term probabilities enough. I'm just not sure the Twins have done that.
Orioles grade: B+
The Orioles have seen plenty of Kremer, and though some might see this move as the start of a deadline subtraction, that remains to be seen. Kremer hasn't been very good. If the Orioles, a team that had a 16% shot at the playoffs in my odds at the beginning of the day, want to hang in, they expect to get Chris Bassitt back soon to fill out the rotation. Or maybe they'll trade him too.
Either way, the chance to pick up a really quality prospect in Reyes, 18, for a pitcher who wasn't helping was too good to pass up. Baseball America had Reyes ranked 12th in a very good Minnesota system, and MLB Pipeline had him 24th. He's a lanky corner outfielder with plus power and a big arm, and though he's a high-risk/high-reward kind of prospect, his raw ability is worth the gamble.
We don't know Baltimore's deadline approach just yet -- add, subtract, both -- but this deal works for the O's in any context. -- Doolittle
Twins acquire reliever Minter from the Mets
Minnesota Twins get:
LHP A.J. Minter
New York Mets get:
IF Bruin Agbayani
IF Billy Amick
Twins grade: B+
Minnesota looked like a team ready to bolster its roster with its recent play, and the rhetoric coming out of the team's brass suggested the Twins would be adding to it. This is the first evidence of this happening. In nabbing Minter, 32, Minnesota adds an experienced lefty who has pitched in numerous big games in recent years. The Twins also addressed the weakest part of their roster -- a no-name bullpen that's kept manager Derek Shelton scrambling all season.
Minter is an impending free agent who has been sharp after returning to big-league action after a long injury absence. He had been out since April of last season due to a torn lat muscle that had to be surgically repaired. He suffered a couple of setbacks during his rehab earlier this season, finally appearing for the Mets on May 26. He proceeded to rack up 14 scoreless appearances, allowing his first run on July 3. Overall, Minter has a 2.35 ERA over 23 innings. Despite allowing just two walks against 20 strikeouts, Minter's FIP is 4.02 because of the four homers he has allowed since his scoreless streak ended.
Red flag? We'll see, but Minter doesn't throw as hard as he used to and relies increasingly on locating his cutter/four-seamer/changeup combo -- which he's done superbly for most of this season. The walks are evidence of that, while the homers are evidence of his reduced margin for error. Still, Minter is a reliever many contenders would have loved to add, and the Twins beat them to the punch by sending the Mets two non-elite infield prospects from their deep system.
Perhaps as much as anything, this deal sends a strong signal to Twins fans and players alike: Minnesota is in it to win it.
Mets grade: C+
This is what teams out of contention do. Minter would be a pivotal player if the Mets were in the race, but they aren't, so he's a short reliever on an expiring contract whose performance could be exchanged for future value. The level of that value, generally speaking, isn't going to jump off the page in a deal such as this. Neither Agbayani nor Amick are top prospects, both missing Baseball America's most recent Mets' top 30, while sliding into the bottom third of MLB Pipeline's top 30.
Agbayani comes from a family with a penchant for baseball heroics. His father, Benny, starred for the Mets during their 2000 run to the World Series. More recently, his sister, Ailana, lifted the Chicago Bandits into the championship round of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League with a game-winning hit. Bruin, 19, is a lanky, left-handed-hitting infielder who, in limited action, has shown good strike zone command and little power.
Amick, 23, is probably the higher rated of the two. A second-round pick out of Tennessee in 2024, he ranks in the top five of the Texas League in homers and RBIs, but his .217 average illustrates his difficulty in making consistent contact. A corner infielder with an iffy defensive profile, he'll likely have to hit his way to New York.
Sexy? No, but at least Mets fans can enjoy the Agbayani family connection. Regardless, this deal is just the start of the exodus from a Mets clubhouse that is going to look very different in a few days.-- Doolittle
Red Sox get infielder Mead in swap with Nats
Red Sox get:
IF Curtis Mead
Nationals get:
LHP Connelly Early
Red Sox grade: C
Perhaps this is giving short shrift to pre-Statcast evaluators, but this feels like a deal that would never have happened before the advent of tracking metrics. In a nutshell, Early's Savant page features a lot of blue and gray bars (bad) while Mead's have a lot of pink and red (good). Surely it's more complicated than that, but this is a good way to think through a deal that just doesn't work very well for Boston in a more traditional model of trade-related valuation. The machinery at Baseball Trade Values, for example, sees Boston as getting fleeced.
It's easy to understand the rationale. Early is a promising lefty, a consensus top-50-to-75 prospect entering the season, who has a 126 ERA+ over his first 21 big league starts. Even on the traditional stats line there are concerns, which we'll get into below, but that's still a valuable pitcher with loads of team control remaining. Mead was once a top-50-to-75 prospect himself, but that was several years and three teams ago. His 2026 season (137 OPS+, 2.0 bWAR) represents a breakout, but he was below replacement level entering the season.
The blue bars on Mead's Savant page are telling: He can't really field or run. But his long-tantalizing bat has come alive for the Nationals this season. With this deal, Boston is banking on that breakout being sustainable. Mead has evolved in measurable ways, which we can see in standard measures (vastly improved strikeout and walk rates, a spike in isolated power) and in more Statcasty ways. For instance, now that we have measures for bat speed and stance, we can see that Mead has adopted a more upright approach and now stands closer to the plate at the very back of the batter's box.
This last bit is crucial: With the changes, Mead's swing decisions have not only improved, but he's become even more of a flyball-heavy pull hitter with the home run results to show the tweaks have worked. A reminder: Fenway Park has long been a haven for righty pull hitters who get the ball in the air. Statcast's observations, which give us the ability to make smaller-sample judgments than those used in a typical valuation model, tell us Mead very much fits that mold.
The Red Sox are hoping Statcast is right because even if they have good rotation depth (which they do), Early is a lot to give up for someone with Mead's track record. And if Early was available, you have to wonder what other righty masher Boston might have been able to land.
Nationals grade: A-
Even if Mead's breakout proves to be real, the Nationals have plenty of offensive firepower to carry on -- and besides, his production was found money for Washington. Mead was a late-spring pickup for a low-level prospect after he was DFA'd by the White Sox. That turn of events seemed dire for Mead at the time, though we now know that the White Sox position group had moved beyond stop-gap solutions.
There is really no reason to not like the addition of Early to a rotation that needs help, now and going forward. He has been out for nearly a month with elbow inflammation that ironically got him removed from a start against the Nationals on June 30. He has resumed throwing and could return later in the season.
Either way, this is a big-picture addition for the Nats, and Early's promise, not to mention his years of team control, make this more than worth the value of Mead's bat-only profile. As mentioned, Early's Savant page doesn't inspire anyone. His command wavers, leading not just to too many walks but far too much hard contact. Early has coughed up 15 homers this season, a 3.8% rate of longballs allowed that would be one of baseball's 10 worst if he had enough innings to qualify.
But did we mention the career 126 OPS+, the top-50-75 prospect ranking and the years of team control? Yeah, it's worth a shot.-- Doolittle
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