2023 MLB Trade Deadline Tracker
The Major League Baseball Trade Deadline has come and gone and there were a lot of trades, especially right before the 6 p.m. ET hour. Some contenders really boosted their chances for making the playoffs and making some noise upon getting there, while others failed to improve their standing.
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You can read about the deals below, but here are a couple of winners and a couple of losers in my estimation from the Trade Deadline.
Winners
New York Mets – The season is a loss for the Mets, but they didn’t make matters worse by pretending they could get back in the race or leaving themselves in a bad spot for next year. With a full-fledged pursuit of Shohei Ohtani likely on the horizon, the Mets gave themselves a little bit of financial flexibility by shedding Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. They also moved Tommy Pham and some relievers, but I really liked that they were honest about how things looked moving forward.
Drew Gilbert is a top-50 prospect per FanGraphs and was said to be the top man in the Astros system. Ryan Clifford’s projection varies from source to source, but he was a consensus top-five prospect for Houston. The Mets also grabbed some toolsy lottery tickets like Ronald Hernandez, Marco Vargas, and Jeremy Rodriguez, who are all in rookie ball.
Texas Rangers – I really like what the Rangers did as well. While I’m not super bullish on Max Scherzer going forward, Jacob deGrom’s Tommy John surgery creates a need for next season and Nathan Eovaldi is battling a forearm problem. The rest of the rotation is pretty unreliable as well.
I’m also a huge Jordan Montgomery guy. He throws four pitches and has some really good command. He should be an excellent fit within that rotation and the Rangers are also an excellent defensive team. Speaking of which, they added catcher Austin Hedges, who is an elite pitch framer with the injury to Jonah Heim.
Losers
New York Yankees – The worst thing any MLB team can do at the Trade Deadline is nothing. On paper, the Yankees did something. They traded for Keynan Middleton and Spencer Howard, but they didn’t buy or sell. They didn’t trade any of their impending free agents like Wandy Peralta or Isiah Kiner-Falefa. They didn’t buy any of the rental players that were out there or any tangible upgrades.
It was a real bust of a day for Brian Cashman. The Yankees were 3.5 games out of the Wild Card and 10 games out in the AL East when the day began. They’re in reach for sure, but this roster isn’t very good and any Aaron Judge setback would be curtains. Cashman should have either bought or sold. Anytime nothing happens, it is a losing Trade Deadline.
Toronto Blue Jays – In their current state, the Blue Jays don’t strike me as a World Series team, but they could be. I don’t think it would take a lot. A little more rotation depth would’ve gone a long way, but the Blue Jays opted not to get any starters. They got Jordan Hicks and Genesis Cabrera, but the drop-off after Kevin Gausman is pretty big, even with Hyun Jin Ryu back from injury.
It’s not that the Blue Jays had a terrible Trade Deadline, but they failed to address the biggest weakness. Nearly every contender did address weaknesses. Some might say that the Reds are a loser, but with Hunter Greene back in less than three weeks and Nick Lodolo back a week or so later, they opted not to trade prospects for rentals, and I can’t fault them for that.
2023 Trade Deadline Tracker
I’ll be updating this as deals get completed:
August 1
A flurry of trades roll in right at the Deadline. Let’s catch up on all the transactions:
Orioles trade for Jack Flaherty from Cardinals
It took a while, but Baltimore finally added some help for the starting rotation by picking up rental right-hander Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals. Flaherty has a 4.43 ERA with a 4.68 xERA and a 4.22 FIP on the season, so the numbers are not eye-popping, but he goes to a really good spot to be a pitcher, as the Orioles have an impressive track record with arms recently.
Baltimore is +1200 to win the World Series, but the Rays are +800 and both teams are +115 to win the AL East.
Tommy Pham heads to Arizona
The Diamondbacks have struggled against left-handed pitching throughout the season and acquired Tommy Pham to help. Pham is slashing .268/.348/.472 on the season with 10 homers and 11 stolen bases. He’s hit eight of his 10 homers against lefties and has a 136 wRC+ in that split, so he’s been 36% better than league average.
For his career, Pham has a 132 wRC+ against southpaws, so he’ll be a big help for the Snakes, who are +115 on Yes to make the playoffs.
Phillies bolster rotation with Michael Lorenzen
It took a while to find a deal, but the Tigers finally found one for Michael Lorenzen and sent their lone All-Star to the Phillies for Hao-Yu Lee, a top-five prospect in the Philadelphia system.
Lorenzen has a 3.58 ERA with a 4.08 xERA and a 3.88 FIP, but he’s been outstanding over his last five starts, so we’ll see if he can keep that going.
Marlins acquire Josh Bell; Guardians trade for Jean Segura; Padres get Garrett Cooper
In something of a three-team deal, the Marlins, Guardians, and Padres came together. Miami got 1B/DH Josh Bell from Cleveland in exchange for Jean Segura and prospect Kahlil Watson. The Guardians planned to release Segura, so that was just a paper transaction to makes the finances work.
In getting Bell and Burger, the Marlins added a little punch and pop to their lineup. At the same time, they traded Garrett Cooper to San Diego for left-hander Ryan Weathers.
Bell is only batting .233/.318/.383 for the season, but the underlying stats look a bit better recently. Cooper has been an above average hitter in four straight seasons, but he’s slashing .256/.296/.426 this season with 13 homers.
Padres add Royals closer Scott Barlow
The Padres were buyers right up until the final minute when they added Kansas City closer Scott Barlow. He has a 5.35 ERA on the season, but a 3.83 xERA and a 3.63 FIP. He’s been a reliable reliever in his career with a 3.39 ERA and a 3.31 FIP over 277 appearances.
Dodgers make Ryan Yarbrough the backup plan
After Eduardo Rodriguez refused to waive his no-trade clause to go to the Dodgers, LA had to move quickly to figure out another option and found one with Ryan Yarbrough from the Royals. Yarbrough has a 4.24 ERA with a 4.81 xERA and a 4.29 FIP on the season and has his lowest HR/FB% of his six-year career.
Rangers add backup C Austin Hedges
The Rangers could be without Jonah Heim for the rest of the season and Austin Hedges is a terrific defensive catcher, so he makes sense as a late-inning defensive replacement. The Rangers only had to surrender some international bonus pool money in the deal.
Hedges is a total black hole with the bat, but his defensive prowess is well-documented.
Yankees get bullpen help
It was a real dud of a Trade Deadline for the Yankees, as they acquired RP Keynan Middleton right before the deadline. The White Sox traded Reynaldo Lopez, Joe Kelly, Kendall Graveman, and Middleton from the bullpen, along with some starting pitchers.
Middleton has a 3.96 ERA with a 4.11 xERA and a 4.59 FIP on the season.
Angels add another arm in Dominic Leone
The Angels have been one of the more active teams at the Trade Deadline and they added another piece with RHRP Dominic Leone from the Mets. He isn’t having a great season with a 4.40 ERA, 4.78 xERA, and a 5.26 FIP, but he has a career 3.75 ERA.
Marlins order a Burger…a Jake Burger
The Marlins picked up Jake Burger from the White Sox to get a little bit of offensive upside into the lineup. Miami has only scored 52 runs in 15 games here in the second half, so this is an acquisition that makes a ton of sense.
Justin Verlander traded back to Astros
Win-at-any-cost owner Steven Cohen has now traded his two high-priced veteran starting pitchers, as Justin Verlander was traded to the Astros for two of Houston’s top prospects in Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. Verlander’s trade follows the trade of Max Scherzer from over the weekend as the white flag waves even harder in the trade winds over Citi Field.
Verlander has experienced a huge K% decrease this season, but still has a 3.15 ERA with a 3.29 xERA and a 3.81 FIP. He returns to Houston where he won the Cy Young in 2022 and also saw huge K% spikes in 2018 and 2019 relative to his career numbers. The 40-year-old could very well be the last big trade domino to fall among pitchers.
DraftKings Sportsbook took down the futures odds for the World Series, American League, and AL West. When the market reopened, the Astros were +750 to win the World Series and the AL favorite in that market behind the Braves (+330) and Dodgers (+500). The Rangers moved out to +1100. Houston is also the -130 favorite to win the AL West.
Blue Jays get Bo Bichette insurance with Paul DeJong from Cardinals
Blue Jays SS Bo Bichette pulled up hurt last night, so Toronto used the Trade Deadline to find a replacement and a little depth with Paul DeJong from St. Louis. DeJong can play multiple positions and serve as utility guy, but he’s definitely not going to replicate Bichette’s .321/.352/.494 slash line, but he is a solid glove man.
DeJong was batting .233/.297/.412 with the Cards prior to the deal. The Cardinals are still likely to trade Jack Flaherty at some point, but unless they trade Dylan Carlson or Brendon Donovan for a young, controlled MLB starting pitcher, they look to be just about done.
Padres become buyers; add Rich Hill and Ji-Man Choi from Pirates
Two teams that were expected to be big sellers at the Trade Deadline are actually buyers. The Cubs took Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman off the board over the weekend and now the Padres are adding instead of subtracting. San Diego picked up veteran LHP Rich Hill and 1B Ji-Man Choi from the Pirates in exchange for three prospects.
The 43-year-old Hill can serve in a variety of roles, but the Padres needed a starter for now with Michael Wacha still not ready to come back. Hill has a 4.76 ERA with a 5.60 xERA and a 4.45 FIP in 22 starts over 119 innings.
Choi has missed a lot of time this season, but is a career .238/.339/.432 hitter with a 115 wRC+, meaning he has been 15% above league average offensively over the course of his eight-year career.
With San Diego officially a buyer, the Yes to make the playoffs is +280, but I’d expect that to come down now that they aren’t trading Blake Snell or Josh Hader.
Braves get a helping "Hand"
The reliever trade market stayed busy with Atlanta’s acquisition of Brad Hand from the Rockies. The Braves sent prospect Alec Barger to Colorado in the deal. Hand has a 4.54 ERA with a 4.56 xERA and a 4.03 FIP in his 40 appearances. Righties have crushing him, but lefties are only batting .143 with a .204 SLG in 59 plate appearances.
The Braves have now gotten Hand and Pierce Johnson from the Rockies bullpen.
In an unrelated deal I hadn’t mentioned yet, Atlanta got glove-first infielder Nicky Lopez from the Royals for LHP Taylor Hearn a couple days ago.
The Rockies replaced Hand in a separate deal with LHRP Justin Bruihl from the Dodgers.
Diamondbacks get Jace Peterson; Chicago Cubs get Jose Cuas
Just a little housekeeping here on some trades from late last night. After trading Josh Rojas in the Paul Sewald deal with the Mariners, the Diamondbacks added Jace Peterson to fill their utility player void. He’s only batting .221/.313/.324 on the season.
Cuas has a 27.1% K% on the season, but walk rate and home run issues as well. The Cubs, like so many teams, just wanted a little bullpen depth. He has a 4.54 ERA with a 5.07 xERA and a 4.45 FIP in 41.2 innings this season, but posted a 3.58 ERA in 47 appearances last year.
Calm before the storm early here today as sellers are trying to leverage every last ounce of potential trade value from their players.
July 31
Reds add RP Sam Moll from Athletics
Cincinnati has finally answered Milwaukee’s multiple trades by adding some relief help with lefty Sam Moll from Oakland. Moll has a 4.54 ERA with a 3.03 xERA and a 3.25 FIP in 37.2 innings of work. The Reds only had one relief lefty in Alex Young and lefties have hit him better than righties, so Moll comes in as more of a specialist.
Giants look for balance by adding AJ Pollock
The Giants traded for AJ Pollock to be a guy that can help out against lefties. He owns a career .277/.327/.511 slash against southpaws, even though he has been way less effective this season with a .141/.195/.183 slash during an injury-plagued season.
The Giants rank 29th in wRC+ against lefties at 85 in a stat where 100 is equal to league average, so they are 15% below the league average in that offensive category.
The Yes is -190 on SF to make the playoffs and they are +500 to win the NL West.
Cubs officially buyers; acquire Jeimer Candelario from Nationals
The Cubs have been one of the best in baseball since the All-Star Break, which caused them to pull Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman from the trade market. Now, they’ve cemented their status as buyers by getting 3B Jeimer Candelario from Washington for prospects Kevin Made and DJ Herz.
Candelario is one of the better hitters available and he’s batting .258/.342/.481 and is a switch hitter. The Cubs are +450 to win the NL Central and +300 Yes to make the playoffs.
Brewers pick up Mark Canha from Mets
The Mets are continuing to sell, as they traded Mark Canha to the Brewers for minor league pitcher Justin Jarvis. Canha has a history of hitting lefties really well and that is an area where the Brewers struggled early in the season before turning it up this month. For the season, the Brewers have an 87 wRC+ against lefties, meaning they are 13% below league average when adjusted for park factor and run environment.
Milwaukee is the -110 favorite to win the NL Central.
Diamondbacks add closer Paul Sewald from Mariners
The Mariners aren’t that far out of the playoff picture, but it appears that they are more on the selling side than the buying side. Seattle sent closer Paul Sewald to the Arizona Diamondbacks and got Josh Rojas, Dominic Canzone, and minor leaguer Ryan Bliss.
The Diamondbacks are 23rd in reliever ERA (4.49) and 20th in reliever FIP (4.29), so Sewald will help with a 2.93 ERA and a 2.98 FIP in his 43 innings pitched. Arizona is +140 on the Yes to make the playoffs and -170 on the No.
The Mariners get the 29-year-old Rojas, who batted .269/.349/.391 last season in 510 PA, and the 25-year-old Canzone, who made his MLB debut on July 8. Bliss is a 23-year-old IF prospect who is outside Arizona’s Top 20 per FanGraphs. The Mariners are +350 Yes to make the playoffs and -450 No.
Rays get Aaron Civale from Guardians
The Guardians don’t have many starting pitching options, but their quest to get a young, cost-controlled hitter was strong enough to trade Aaron Civale to the Rays for 1B Kyle Manzardo. Civale is in the midst of a spectacular season with a 2.34 ERA, 3.67 xERA, and a 3.55 FIP in his 77 innings, but he’s never thrown more than 124.1 innings in an MLB season.
Civale has two arbitration-eligible seasons left, so the Rays are buying a longer-term pitcher for Manzardo, a Triple-A 1B with 11 homers in his first season in the International League. He put up huge numbers in High-A and Double-A in 2022 before struggling a little this season.
This certainly weakens the Guardians in the short-term, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them trade one of their middle infield prospects for some more starting help. Cleveland is +160 to win the AL Central (Twins -205), even though the Guardians are just 0.5 games back.
As far as the Rays, they are now +800 to win the World Series and the +130 co-favorite with the Orioles to win the AL East.
July 30
Angels keep buying at Trade Deadline store; add CJ Cron and Randal Grichuk from Rockies
After proclaiming that they would be buyers, the Angels have followed through on that promise, first getting Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez and now acquiring CJ Cron and Randal Grichuk from the Rockies for a couple of minor league arms.
Grichuk is batting .312/.367/.502 on the season with eight homers and Cron is only batting .259/.300/.473, but has dealt with injuries. Most importantly with any player whose home games have been at Coors Field, Grichuk has a .282/.338/.444 slash on the road, while Cron has a .240/.280/.460.
Grichuk also has a .364 BA against lefties, so he’s an ideal platoon bat for the Angels and both guys are good insurance policies with Mike Trout and Taylor Ward out.
The Angels are still +2800 to win the AL West, but their Yes/No Playoffs odds should have improved when those get posted.
Rangers add another starter with Jordan Montgomery from Cardinals
Texas needed starting pitching before Nathan Eovaldi got put on the IL, but his injury made it even more imperative that the Rangers add to the rotation. A day after getting Max Scherzer, the Rangers added Jordan Montgomery and reliever Chris Stratton from the Cardinals in exchange for left-hander John King and two prospects. Both prospects, Thomas Saggese and Tekoah Roby, were in the top 15 in the Rangers’ system, but are not league-wide Top 100 prospects.
The Rangers are now +900 to win the World Series, while the Astros are +800 and the Rays are +850 among AL contenders. The loss of Eovaldi plus the injury to C Jonah Heim put a damper on the deadline deals from a futures standpoint.
Montgomery is an impending free agent and has a 3.42 ERA with a 4.28 xERA and a 3.76 FIP in 121 innings over 21 starts this season. Stratton can be a multi-inning relief weapon and has a 4.36 ERA, but a 3.89 xERA and a 3.06 FIP in 42 appearances over 53.2 innings of work.
Blue Jays trade for Jordan Hicks from Cardinals
With Jordan Romano on the IL, the Blue Jays had a big need for relief help and found it in triple-digit thrower Jordan Hicks. Hicks was acquired for a couple of Double-A pitchers. The Blue Jays are +1200 to win the World Series and +350 to win the AL East.
Hicks has a 3.67 ERA with a 3.15 xERA and a 3.02 FIP in 40 appearances this season with eight saves.
July 29
Rangers, Mets agree on Max Scherzer trade
The Mets and Rangers have completed the Max Scherzer trade. The Rangers received cash towards Scherzer’s contract, along with Mad Max himself, and the Mets received Luisangel Acuna. Yes, that is the little brother of Ronald Acuna, Jr.
Scherzer is also willing to opt-in for 2024, so he’ll get $22.5 million from the Rangers and the Mets are covering a whole lot more than that.
Entering play on Saturday, the Rangers were 25th in starter ERA (5.28) over the last 30 days with the 28th-ranked FIP (5.43) and the 19th-most innings pitched (119.1), so Scherzer would help their rotation a ton, even in his current state with a 4.01 ERA and a 4.73 FIP after throwing seven innings of one-run ball on Friday against Washington.
With the deal seemingly agreed to in principle, the Rangers are tied with the Rays at +850 as the AL favorites to win the World Series behind the Braves (+330) and Dodgers (+500) and are -135 to win the AL West.
Scherzer was +600 to go to the Rangers as of Friday.
July 28
Astros reunite with Kendall Graveman
The White Sox have officially dismantled their bullpen. Kendall Graveman follows Joe Kelly and Reynaldo Lopez out the door, as the Astros picked up some bullpen help by getting Graveman, who had a 3.13 ERA with a 3.60 FIP in 23 appearances in 2021. Graveman has a 3.48 ERA with a 4.32 xERA and a 4.85 FIP in 45 appearances this season.
The Astros are +105 to win the AL West and +800 to win the World Series.
Dodgers get Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly from White Sox
A Joe Kelly reunion with the Dodgers seemed pretty inevitable, but LA also picked up Lance Lynn in the deal that sent Trayce Thompson and a couple of prospects to Chicago. Lynn has an ugly 6.47 ERA, but his 4.82 xERA, 5.22 FIP, and 4.02 xFIP suggest that he could be in line for better days. He’s allowed 28 HR to set a new career-high this season.
Kelly also has a high ERA, but better peripherals with a 4.97 ERA, 3.23 xERA, and a 3.25 FIP. The Dodgers will hope to straighten out both guys.
Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure are both Double-A pitchers headed to Chicago.
The Dodgers have now made three deals and are +500 to win the World Series and the very clear second choice to win the NL at +240 behind the Braves at +165.
July 27
Mets trade David Robertson to rival Marlins
The Mets officially waved the white flag on the season late Thursday night by trading closer David Robertson to the Marlins, a team they were chasing for the NL Wild Card. Robertson is having a stellar season with 14 saves and a 2.05 ERA with a 2.99 xERA and a 3.60 FIP. The Mets received Marco Vargas and Ronald Hernandez, a couple of lower-level minor leaguers.
Vargas is only 18 and Hernandez is 19, but they are performing very well in the Complex League.
Brewers trade for Carlos Santana from NL Central rival Pirates
Milwaukee picked up a nice, veteran bat with Carlos Santana, who is a switch hitter with a league average stat line this season. Santana has a high walk rate this season (11.5%) and for his career (15%), so that fits with a Brewers lineup that is third in BB% at 9.5%, trailing only the Padres and Dodgers. The Brewers sent back a 19-year-old infielder named Jhonny Severino.
Santana is also an excellent defensive first baseman, which helps a Milwaukee team that is 20th in Outs Above Average at the position.
The Brewers are -190 to win the NL Central at DraftKings and I doubt they’re done adding.
July 26
Angels promise buying, follow through with Lucas Giolito trade
The Los Angeles Angels took Shohei Ohtani off the market earlier on Wednesday and then followed through on their promise to be a buyer and go for the playoffs by trading for Lucas Giolito from the Chicago White Sox. They also added reliever Reynaldo Lopez in exchange for two prospects.
Giolito has a 3.79 ERA with a 4.43 xERA and a 4.46 FIP in his 121 innings this season with a good strikeout rate, but an elevated home run rate. Lopez had four saves in 53 appearances with a 4.29 ERA, 3.97 xERA, and a 4.54 FIP, so he isn’t having the same season he had last season with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.93 FIP, but the Angels needed bullpen depth and he adds some.
The Angels moved from +15000 to +12000 at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the World Series by proclaiming their desire to keep Ohtani and then acquire Giolito.
Guardians trade Amed Rosario to Dodgers for Noah Syndergaard
Former Mets are on the move, as the Dodgers get another bat to help against lefties and the Guardians get somebody to eat up innings. Rosario is a career .302/.343/.474 hitter against southpaws, so between him and recently-acquired Kike Hernandez, the Dodgers believe they have fixed a weakness.
With Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, and Gavin Williams all likely to be monitored very closely in the second half, Cleveland added Syndergaard, who is nearing a return from an IL stint to address a blister. He has a 7.16 ERA with a 5.63 xERA and a 5.54 FIP in 55.1 innings this season and would have been a good trade acquisition in 2018.
Twins and Marlins trade relievers with Jorge Lopez and Dylan Floro swap
The Twins need some bullpen depth and they believe they have found it in Floro, who has a 4.54 ERA, but a 3.37 xERA and a 2.78 FIP in 39.2 innings of work. He’s an extreme ground ball guy and this is a little bit of a defensive downgrade from the Marlins, who are 20th in Outs Above Average on the infield at -3, and the Twins, who 26th at -11.
Lopez has had a huge home run problem this season, which should go down at Marlins Park, which suppresses power. He has a 5.09 ERA with a 5.04 xERA and a 5.94 FIP. This looks like a win for the Twins and I’m surprised it’s a one-for-one deal.
July 25
Dodgers trade for Enrique Hernandez from Red Sox
The Dodgers reunited with Kike Hernandez in a trade that sent minor league relievers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman back to Boston. LA gets a struggling Hernandez, who is batting .222/.279/.320 on the season and is having a bad defensive year, but he plays a lot of positions.
Hernandez is a career .259/.346/.465 hitter against lefties, so he’ll likely be used in a platoon role for the Dodgers.
July 24
Braves acquire Pierce Johnson from Rockies
The Braves added Taylor Hearn off waivers from the Rangers and also traded for Pierce Johnson from the Rockies in exchange for 25-year-old starting pitcher Tanner Gordon and 23-year-old Double-A reliever Victor Vodnik. Johnson is an interesting bullpen weapon who struggled in Coors Field, but was better on the road with a 4.11 ERA in 15.1 innings. He’s also struck out over 30% of opposing batters while dealing with a high walk rate.
July 21
Blue Jays acquire Genesis Cabrera from Cardinals
The Cardinals began their fire sale by sending LHRP Genesis Cabrera to the Blue Jays for 19-year-old catcher Sammy Hernandez. Cabrera owns a career 4.14 ERA, but has a 5.06 ERA this season.
July 20
Orioles trade for Shintaro Fujinami from Athletics
The Orioles acquired Shintaro Fujinami from the Athletics in exchange for Easton Lucas. Baltimore needed bullpen reinforcements with guys like Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano getting worked hard and Fujinami had an 8.57 ERA at the time he was acquired, but a 3.26 ERA since June 1.
Other MLB Trade Deadline rumors
The Mets could move Justin Verlander, even after trading Max Scherzer.. Verlander is +120 to stay a Met, with the Astros as the most likely suitor at +210 per DK.
Blake Snell is another rental, but the Padres aren’t eager about selling. Snell is -150 to remain in San Diego, but it sure seems like he’ll be traded. He’s +600 to go to Baltimore and +800 to join the Rangers. The Astros and Yankees could also be in the mix at +1000 and +1100, respectively.
Will the Angels trade Shohei Ohtani?
My belief was that Ohtani would not be moved and it seems like the Angels put any rumors to rest on July 26 when MLB insider Tom Verducci stated that the Angels have taken the two-way superstar off the market and will instead make a playoff push.
DraftKings Sportsbook took down the Ohtani trade market odds after the announcement.
