The Complete Guide to Winners & Losers at the MLB Trade Deadline

So, here’s the deal. There were three groups of MLB teams at the 2025 trade deadline. We have your winners, your losers, and those that just kind of let the deadline come and go. Those are your snoozers, which, like the saying goes, if you snooze, you lose.

Here’s our look at the winners and losers of this season’s trade deadline.

Winners

Colorado Rockies

You might be thinking “wait, the Rockies didn’t do anything at the deadline.” No, they were active…as sellers. They traded Ryan McMahon to the Yankees, which is turning out to be a great deal for New York. The Rockies also moved Jake Bird and Tyler Kinley. 

In return, the Rockies acquired a number of outstanding prospects. The best of them all could be the guy with the perfect name – Roc Riggio. It won’t show this year, but Colorado did build its future roster at this year’s deadline.

Houston Astros

Don’t forget the end of the 2021 MLB season. At the age of 27, Carlos Correa was a free agent. He was coming off a 7.0-WAR season, a Gold Glove, and a fifth-place MVP finish. He was one of the clubhouse leaders on one of the best teams in MLB. He had the entire world in front of him and was a superstar. It’s hard to believe that was only about 1,300 days ago.

Now, he’s back. After a strange ride with the Twins, Correa returns “home” to Houston, a team that leads the AL West and will have a shot at going deep in the MLB playoffs. The Astros get him back and Minnesota will take on most of his $30 million contract for this season. It’s a win-win!

Kansas City Royals

The Royals’ decision to extend starter Seth Lugo instead of leaving him hanging at the trade deadline had the biggest impact. They performed well with their smaller maneuvers as well. In exchange for catcher Freddy Fermin and two minor leaguers, they acquired left-handed OF Randal Grichuk and OF Mike Yastrzemski, a right-handed hitter. 

The Royals also added Adam Frazier as well as three solid major league arms: Stephen Kolek, Ryan Bergert, and Bailey Falter. For a team that is still in the running for the playoffs, it was solid trade deadline work. They improved somewhat, and for 2026 and beyond, they will now have Lugo, Falter, Bergert, and Kolek.

New York Mets

Without significantly harming his farm system, David Stearns acquired two of the top rental relievers, Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers, in the market. He did so while other teams were looking for pitchers with several years of team control. Stearns also got outfielder Cedric Mullins from the Orioles on the day of the deadline. Getting Helsley alone was an outstanding addition, but with Mullins the Mets lineup is now even better.

New York was also able to hold on to a number of prospects, including Mark Vientos. His name had been mentioned numerous times prior to the deadline as a Met that was likely on the move. 

New York Yankees

As general manager Brian Cashman gained some help in a number of areas where the Yankees needed help. At third base, Ryan McMahon provides solid defense, cost certainty, and some offensive potential which was evident through his first week-plus with the team. 

Cashman also got Austin Slater who should help against left-handed pitching. The biggest hauls of the deadline for New York were relievers Jake Bird and David Bednar. The big question now is whether or not these new Yankees acquisitions can help them win on the road.

Philadelphia Phillies

There was no question the Phillies needed a closer. If they want to make a serious run at a World Series title, an elite closer is first on the list of wants. The Phillies got exactly what they wanted at this season’s trade deadline. 

Since making his debut in 2022, Jhoan Duran has established himself as one of baseball’s top relievers. The Phillies will maintain control of Duran through 2027, but this deal was about this year, right now. The Phillies have a stable of capable hitters, a rotation of outstanding starting pitchers, and now the best closer in baseball. 

San Diego Padres

Speaking of closers, the Padres had a really good one in Robert Suarez. They still have Suarez and they added another flame thrower in Mason Miller. The Padres had the best bullpen in MLB prior to the deadline. It only got better.

So did the starting rotation. The biggest move was probably the one that San Diego didn’t make. The Padres decided not to deal right-hander Dylan Cease and they acquired left-handed starter J.P. Sears to shore up an already solid rotation. At some point, Michael King comes back too.

Seattle Mariners

In 2006, the Mariners traded for a corner infielder (Eduardo Perez) then immediately traded for another from the same team (Ben Broussard). That trade didn’t work out so well for Seattle. The Mariners have done it again. This time around, they acquired Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez from the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Time will tell, but right now getting a guy who is fifth in MLB in homers (36) and third in RBIs (87) to add to the guy who leads the majors in homers and RBIs – Cal Raleigh (42, 88) – seems like a huge win. 

The A’s

The A’s weren’t planning on being a huge seller in this year’s trade market, but an opportunity presented itself and the organization took it. The Athletics shipped off Miller and Sears to San Diego and in return they received one of the top prospects in MLB – Leo De Vries. 

De Vries is an 18-year-old shortstop who is considered by many to be the next big thing. Many think he’s the best prospect to be traded since Yoan Moncada. Regardless, the A’s scored a big win at this year’s deadline even if it won’t pay out for a few years.

Losers

Arizona & Minnesota

Two MLB teams will be in a serious funk for several weeks post deadline. That’s because they traded some of their best players. Arizona was a huge seller trading Naylor, Suarez, and pitcher Merrill Kelly. The Diamondbacks were supposed to be competing for a division title, a playoff berth, and another shot at a World Series. Remember, it was just two years ago that the DBacks played in the World Series.

Then there’s the Twins. Carlos Correa, one of the best shortstops in MLB, is gone. Jhoan Duran, the best closer in the game, is gone. Willi Castro, Griffin Jax, Harrison Bader, and the list goes on. All gone. Minnesota added Phillies pitcher Mick Abel, who was promptly shipped to Triple-A affiliate St. Paul. Not the greatest trade deadline showing for a team thought to have the best bullpen in baseball.

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds are over .500 and still within striking distance of a wild card. So, why in the world would they trade for a Gold Glove third baseman that can’t hit? Sure, Hayes is a solid glove, but he does nothing for the Cincinnati lineup. For the season, he’s batting just .237 with three home runs and 39 RBIs. 

Cincinnati also filled a spot in their pitching rotation with Zack Littell. The problem with that is two-fold. Littell leads MLB in home runs allowed and the Reds traded away reliever Taylor Rogers to get Hayes. The Reds didn’t add a reliever at the deadline and now the bullpen is sketchy at best.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are one of the worst teams in baseball but, at times, they’ve been competitive. Part of that is because of a pitching staff that’s pretty good. Paul Skenes is the best pitcher in the game and the Pirates bullpen is one of the better units in MLB. That’s why it made sense to decimate the starting rotation and trade away the Bucs top reliever.

Gone are David Bednar who will now be part of the New York Yankees bullpen. Also out is starter Bailey Falter who had a 7-5 record and a sub-4.00 ERA. Along with two top pitchers, the Pirates also said goodbye to Gold Glove 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes and INF Adam Frazier. It will save the Pirates some money, but it won’t win the Buccos many games.

The Jury Is Still Out

For a number of MLB teams, it will take some time to find out whether their trade deadline moves were positive or negative. Boston added pitchers Steven Matz and Dustin May. That should help, but the Red Sox were already starting to heat up before the deadline without those guys.

The Guardians were supposed to be a seller at the deadline, but the whole Emmanuel Clase gambling thing tossed that out the window. The Guardians did deal Shane Bieber to Toronto and got a solid prospect in Khal Stephen. It’ll be a while before Cleveland sees the results of that move.

Miami has won nearly 70 percent of its games since mid-June. Instead of dumping elite pitchers like Sandy Alcantara and Edwin Cabrera, the Marlins stood firm. Milwaukee has quietly become one of the best teams in baseball this season. The Brewers were pretty quiet at the deadline too.

Tampa Bay is beginning to unravel. About a month ago, the Rays were 10 games above .500 and inching toward first place in the AL East. Now, they are fourth and have lost a ton of games over the last few weeks. The Rays were pretty quiet at the deadline as were the Texas Rangers. However, the Rangers did make a huge acquisition that further cements their claim to having the best pitching rotation in baseball. Texas added RHP Merrill Kelly who is 9-6 with a 3.22 ERA.

Finally, there is the Toronto Blue Jays. They acquired Bieber from the Guardians. That could either be a huge deal or it could be a complete bust. Bieber won the AL Cy Young in 2020. He’ll likely have a few more rehab starts and then enter the Blue Jays rotation. He could be an added boost to one of the hottest teams in MLB right now.

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