The day started slowly, but as the trade deadline neared, the pace of trades picked up. With the American League being weaker than usual, with only three teams with 60 wins, all in the AL East, more teams felt a couple of additions could get them into the postseason.
The National League saw the usual top dogs make big moves, while two division leaders, the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, had a rather quiet day. There are a few trades I didn’t go into detail on as they didn’t acquire players that were substantial fantasy contributors. As the fantasy baseball season is nearing the final stretch, below are the MLB trades that were made and a brief breakdown of how the fantasy value is affected for players that may be on your team.
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Fantasy baseball values affected by the MLB trade deadline
Los Angeles Dodgers acquire SPs Tarik Skubal and Kris Bubic, Cs Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia, and RP Seth Halvorsen
The rich get richer, as they say. The Dodgers were already heavy favorites to be the first team to three-peat as World Series champions since the Yankees from 1998 to 2000. However, acquiring the reigning two-time AL Cy Young Award winner boosts those odds even higher. Skubal brings a 2.79 ERA and an impressive 8.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 96.2 innings to LA and completes one of the greatest rotations in MLB history.
Bubic is a depth addition, but he was on the Royals’ 60-day IL, so he won’t count against the Dodgers’ 40-man roster until he gets activated. With Will Smith and Dalton Rushing’s injury concerns, the team was forced into adding emergency pieces as depth in Rortvedt and Feduccia. Halvorsen will be a depth reliever in the middle innings when he returns from the IL with shoulder inflammation.
Boston Red Sox acquire C Adley Rutschman and Jake Rogers, RP Erik Miller, and OF Eli White
The first trade acquisition, Curtis Mead, ended poorly, with him suffering a fractured wrist after a hit-by-pitch two ABs into his Red Sox debut. Before the August 3 deadline, Boston made a big swing, adding Rutschman, who is under team control through 2027. He is currently on the IL with left wrist inflammation, but he’s expected to return soon. The New York Yankees were rumored to be in on the former Orioles’ catcher until the Red Sox swooped in. The Red Sox desperately needed a top-tier catcher, ranking 22nd at the position in batting average (.219) and 25th in OPS (.615).
Rutschman has bounced back from his injury-plagued 2024 season, where he posted his career-worst production over his five-year career and played in only 90 games. This season, he is slashing .251/.331/.433 with eight home runs, 30 runs, and 43 RBIs over 284 plate appearances. The catcher gets the advantage of being in a better lineup and having a shorter right-field corner. The question will be: can he stay on the field? He’s made three different stints on the IL this season.
The Red Sox needed a power left-handed reliever, and they solved that by adding Miller. For the Giants this season, he’s posted a 2.76 ERA with 45 strikeouts over 32.2 innings. One of MLB’s best bullpens just got a lot better. White and Rogers are depth pieces, but many analysts think the Red Sox were winners and losers. They gave up valuable future assets in Connelly Early and Marcelo Mayer, who have shown they can handle the MLB stage.
Seattle Mariners acquire OF Taylor Ward
The Mariners needed an offensive boost, ranking 28th in runs (454) and 26th in OPS (.689). However, is Ward enough to push the Mariners back to the top of the AL West? He ranks 29th in fantasy points among outfielders, but he’s far from the career-high 36 home runs he hit last season with the Angels.
He’s only hit seven this season, and the fact that he’s going to a predominantly pitcher-friendly ballpark doesn’t help Ward. Even though the power is lacking, the outfielder is posting his highest OBP (.383) due to his greater patience at the plate, resulting in a 17.2% walk rate. Ward isn’t a must-start player in points leagues, but he’ll be a regular in the Mariners’ lineup.
Ward’s arrival likely pushes Dominic Canzone back into a platoon role with Victor Robles or Rob Refsnyder. However, Canzone has been more successful this season against southpaws. He’s hitting .275/.453/.600 off them, but only has 53 plate appearances, compared to 267 versus right-handed pitchers.
Tampa Bay Rays acquire C/1B Liam Hicks, SP Freddy Peralta, and RP Tyler Wells
It’s been a successful sophomore season for Hicks. He’s slashing .282/.363/.432 with 14 home runs, 54 runs, and 64 RBIs. He also brings a slight power boost to the catcher position for the Rays, who only had six home runs, the third fewest among MLB teams. The Rays have Jonathan Aranda at first base, which means Hicks will only need to focus on catching. However, he doesn’t hit lefties well, so he will likely be a strong-side platoon with Nick Fortes. It’s an impressive top of the order for the Rays with Yandy Diaz, Aranda, and Junior Caminero, who will bat ahead of Hicks.
The Rays won the starting pitcher consolation prize in acquiring Peralta. His time in Queens didn’t go as planned: he posted a 4.99 ERA but struck out 113 over 113.2 innings. Although his 22.1% strikeout rate is his career worst, so is his 1.48 WHIP. He’ll be looking for a restart in a new city and new league. He joins what is now arguably the best rotation in the AL.
Cleveland Guardians acquire Jo Adell, SP Foster Griffin, and 1B Nathaniel Lowe
The Guardians greatly needed a right-handed bat, and Adell fits that bill. Adell’s fantasy value doesn’t change much, as the Angels had a more productive offense overall. For the Guardians, he’ll allow Chase DeLauter to slot in as a DH more, which could help keep the rookie healthier.
Adell doesn’t offer much in terms of contact or on-base percentage, but he brings power. He’s not on pace to match his 37 home runs from last season, but his 16 immediately puts him at the top of the Guardians lineup. Kyle Manzardo is the closest to Adell with 13, but including Adell, they only have four players with double-digit homers.
Griffin is a massive addition to a starting rotation led by Parker Messick, Tanner Bibee, and Gavin Williams. That’s a formidable foursome to compete with a weak AL Central. Griffin brings a 3.06 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 116 strikeouts over 129.1 innings.
Lowe was likely acquired to put pressure on a struggling Manzardo, who is hitting .215.
Philadelphia Phillies acquire 1B/2B Luis Arraez and RP Caleb Killian
Arraez wants to continue playing second base, so Bryson Scott moves to third, Alec Bohm moves to first, and Bryce Harper returns to right field where he began his career. Arraez brings a consistent bat to the top of the Phillies lineup, with a .324 BA and .360 OBP. Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber have hit one-two all season, but they both are hitting .250 or worse.
Arraez is a points-league phenom, and being at the top of the Phillies lineup further boosts his value. I would think he’d slot into one of the top two spots of the lineup, meaning he’d have Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper batting behind him. I’d bat him leadoff and bump Trea Turner to second to avoid having three lefties in a row, but I’m not getting paid the big bucks.
Killian loses all his fantasy value with the move. He led the Giants in saves (eight), but the Phillies have Jhoan Duran entrenched at the position, so Killian moves to a setup role.
New York Yankees acquire 2B/1B Luis Garcia Jr. and OF Heliot Ramos
The Yankees needed a right-handed bat, but acquired Garcia, though he has been one of the more productive lefties in the league. He ranks fifth among second basemen and 10th among first basemen in fantasy points, bringing power and contact skills to the Bronx, with a .283 BA and 23 home runs. He’ll enjoy the short porch in right field of Yankee Stadium, too.
The Yankees have Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second, meaning Garcia will likely play first and Ben Rice moves to DH. However, when Giancarlo Stanton returns, who goes to the bench? Surely, they will move Chisholm to third and bench or DFA Ryan McMahon.
Ramos further adds to the logjam issue once Cody Bellinger returns, but the Yankees desperately needed a right-handed bat to break up the seven true lefties. Ramos brings a .315 wOBA to a team with the second-worst wOBA (.284) since June. Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones will be the victims of reduced playing time.
San Diego Padres acquire SPs Casey Mize and Robbie Ray
The San Diego Padres did everything they could to keep up with the Dodgers and their stellar starting rotation. They’re 11 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, but an 8-2 run has them two games behind the Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks for the second and third Wild Card spots.
The Padres rotation has the fourth-highest ERA (4.66) among MLB teams, which will greatly improve with Ray and Mize. Ray stays in the NL West, where he has a 3.08 ERA and 107 strikeouts over 122.2 innings, and Mize posts a 2.70 ERA and 85 strikeouts over 86.2 innings. The rotation gets even stronger down the final stretch, with Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta trending toward late-August or early-September returns from injuries.
Chicago Cubs acquire SPs Clay Holmes, Braxton Garrett, and Kevin Gausman, RP Ryan Zeferjahn, and OF Tyrone Taylor
The Chicago Cubs have suffered numerous significant injuries in their starting rotation, prompting them to be aggressive in adding depth. Holmes hasn’t pitched since May 15 after fracturing his fibula from a comebacker off the bat of Yankees’ Jones. However, he is close to a return and brings a 2.39 ERA, 45 strikeouts, and a 56% groundball rate through 52.2 innings. With him came Taylor from the Mets, though he’s just a depth piece.
Gausman brings over a 4.38 ERA with 127 strikeouts in 127.1 innings. Most importantly, he brings postseason experience, with five postseason trips, including last season’s World Series run, in which he pitched twice against the Dodgers. Garrett had MLB experience with the Marlins, but he had UCL repair with an internal brace in December 2024 and is still trying to get back into form.
He made two MLB starts in May, but they were ugly, allowing seven earned runs and eight walks over 4.1 innings. However, Garrett has made 16 starts across Triple-A this season, posting a 2.90 ERA and an 83:29 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Zeferjahn is a fire-throwing reliever, whose sweeper and four-seamer both have a 40% whiff rate. He adds a big arm in the middle innings.
Atlanta Braves acquire SP Tyler Mahle, OF Lane Thomas, RP Brent Suter
It was an extremely minimalistic trade season for the Atlanta Braves. The only activity they made was adding depth, but not even great depth. Mahle is a #4 starting pitcher in a rotation, posting a 5.13 ERA over 94.2 innings. Thomas has had a slight resurgence as of late with an .800 OPS, but he’ll be locked in a platoon role with Mike Yastremski. Suter will add bullpen depth, but has a 4.12 ERA through 63.1 innings.
Houston Astros acquire Daulton Varsho
The Astros didn’t make much of a splash other than adding the Gold Glove center fielder, Varsho. Defense is about all Varsho has been worth this season. He’s only homered twice since May and hit .205/.241/.241 in July. This move may be enough to win a weak AL West still, but this isn’t enough to compete with the top teams in the AL, let alone the powerhouses in the NL.
White Sox acquire SP Luis Castillo, RP Huascar Brazoban, outfielder Brenton Doyle, and C Joey Bart
You have to hand it to the White Sox. They’re having a surprisingly successful season, led by their young stars, and yet they’re still going for it. However, they didn’t really make massively productive additions. They acquired Castillo to bring experience to their inexperienced starting rotation. Over 99.2 innings, he’s posted a 5.06 ERA with 86 strikeouts. It’s the first season since 2018 that his ERA exceeded 4.00.
Brazoban has been a bright spot in the Mets bullpen, posting a 2.56 ERA with 49 strikeouts, and has held batters to a .166 BA against him over 52.2 innings. The White Sox’s pen ranks seventh in ERA (3.78), and Brazoban gives the team a bigger boost. Bart found himself as the off man out in Atlanta with Sean Murphy nearing a return from the IL. It makes him a cheap addition for the White Sox since he’s only slashing .226/.303/.377, though that’s better than the production the White Sox were receiving from their backstop position.
Doyle is a mind-boggling addition, as he’s a depth piece, but he’s only valuable defensively. However, this season, he has a -1.8 defensive rating. Offensively, he has a 48 wRC+, making the former Rockie an odd addition.
The Blue Jays acquired SPs Jose Soriano and James Taillon
The Blue Jays made a big move, adding Soriano, who is under team control through 2028. For a second straight season, they acquired a younger pitcher with team control. Last season, they acquired Louis Varland from the Twins at the deadline. Soriano was untouchable to start the season, with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.11 ERA in April and May, respectively. However, he’s regressed slightly, though he wasn’t going to continue at the stellar pace he began the season on; he still has respectable numbers: 3.29 ERA and 127 strikeouts over 123 innings. Taillon is a depth arm for a team that’s suffered several injuries in the rotation and needs innings eaters to get through the second half of the season.
Milwaukee Brewers acquired SP Dustin May and RPs JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela
One of the best young starting rotations in MLB had a chance to add to their value, but struck out on Skubal and bringing back Peralta. So they settled by adding May to add depth to the rotation. He brings seven years of MLB experience, but he’s the odd man out in a rotation of young fireballers. May has a 4.38 ERA over 109 innings, with a 23.1% strikeout rate, which is his highest since 2021.
When Romero returns from his IL stint with appendicitis, he’ll be a welcome left-handed reliever, something the Brewers needed. He has an 81.1% left-on-base rate, showing he can be a valuable arm in the later innings.
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