The 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone. We saw a flurry of moves on Tuesday as the deadline wrapped, so we'll attempt to sort some of that out here with some winners and losers.
As always, evaluations here can obviously be wrong. In 2017, I lamented the Astros not adding a frontline starter and worried it would cost them a deep playoff run. Of course, they were able to pull off an August trade for Justin Verlander and then won the World Series. There's no more August waiver trading system for something like that to happen, but players unexpectedly rise to the occasion or falter regularly, so yeah, I'm probably going to be wrong on at least one of these.
Also, it bears mention: None of us know what conversations were happening here leading up to the deadline.
Yeah, this was a relative dud, wasn't it? Back when everyone thought the Mets were going to be sellers, Pete Alonso was a nice, big name and they had lots of others who were tradeable, such as J.D. Martinez and Luis Severino. Then once the Blue Jays fell out of contention, there were dreams about them dealing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette and maybe more. If the Giants fell a little further back, Blake Snell probably would've been on the move.
Not only that, but heavily rumored trade candidate studs like Garrett Crochet, Tarik Skubal and Luis Robert stayed put.
Instead, the biggest names traded were Jack Flaherty, Isaac Paredes, Randy Arozarena and Jazz Chisholm. Good players, sure, but not exactly a landscape-altering deadline.
The Dodgers needed some lineup depth and grabbed Tommy Edman and Amed Rosario. Fine. Whatever. I get where they were going but those don't really excite me. Michael Kopech has upside in joining the bullpen, too, but none of this was enough to name the Dodgers as a blanket winner for this deadline.
I did really like the Flaherty move for both parties, though, in isolation. He was a bust for the Orioles last season after a deadline deal, but he seems different this time around. He's ditched his cutter and has increased his slider usage. Walks used to be an issue but he's only issued 19 in 106 2/3 innings with 133 strikeouts. This is as good as he's ever looked and the Dodgers needed to solidify the rotation with a healthy arm.
This also feels like a plus for Flaherty, as he's on a one-year deal and goes to a team with an excellent track record in getting the most out of pitchers -- no, it doesn't always work (Noah Syndergaard, Lance Lynn), but it does often. Flaherty will get to showcase himself on a high-profile team and presumably in the playoffs before hitting free agency again.
Was this a case of a deer in the headlights?
First-year general manager Chris Getz might've been overmatched here. With a historically bad team (they are on pace to go 40-122 entering Tuesday night), Getz had a few highly attractive trade candidates, notably Luis Robert and Garrett Crochet, star-caliber players under team control for a few more years. He held both. This was a seller's market, too, with teams paying a seeming king's ransom for pitching. Did Getz lose leverage because Crochet publicly said he wants an extension if he's traded? Maybe, but having this happen isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of the general manager.
Neither Robert nor Crochet will be around the next time the White Sox are contenders.
Further, the consensus seems to be that the White Sox didn't get enough in their other deals. And, again, this was a massive seller's market, with far more teams looking to buy than sell. What exactly was Getz waiting for?
Hello, White Sox: If you've got a hopeless team and it's a seller's market, do what the Marlins did. They just absolutely gutted the big-league roster to stockpile future talent.
The big get looks like Robby Snelling from the Padres' system in the Tanner Scott trade. He's a top-flight pitching prospect in Double-A this season.
I only threw the question marks on here because prospects are far from a sure thing. Some are a bit more sure than others, but, generally speaking, what we've learned over the years is simply trading a bunch of big-league talent for minor-leaguers guarantees nothing. I don't think they made the future any worse at all with these trades, but we can't know for years if this was truly a game-changing deadline for the franchise or if it'll just be more of the same.
Hey, I could be wrong. Maybe Trevor Rogers will thrive and Zach Eflin will throw like he did for a lot of last season. Maybe Eloy Jiménez will regain his 2019 form and look like the star slugger so many thought he would be. Maybe Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto thrive in the bullpen.
It just really felt like this was the time for the Orioles to strike huge and attempt to suffocate the rest of the American League on their way to bringing Baltimore its first pennant since 1983. They have such a loaded farm system and barely even touched it.
As things stand right now, the playoff rotation looks like Corbin Burnes, Eflin, Grayson Rodríguez and Rogers with a bullpen that could be pretty shaky. That sure doesn't look like a pitching staff that can carry a ballclub in October. Then Burnes hits free agency after the season.
Maybe GM Mike Elias did everything he could to try and pry Crochet and/or Skubal away. Maybe the Giants were intent on keeping Blake Snell at all costs. If this is the case, it's a case of bad circumstances for Elias and he made the best of it with Eflin and Rogers.
Regardless, what we're left with from the outside looking in is an Orioles team that just didn't do enough to capitalize on their standing in the league and will have to hope everything breaks perfectly in October. And it still very well might.
The Royals are contending but don't have a good farm system and with a seller's market, it was a Herculean task to add anyone of note. The Pirates aren't very likely to make the playoffs, but they are close enough to give it a shot here, maybe a year early in their build. Both front offices operated within their own realities to get a little bit better on the margins and that's to be commended -- especially in the Pirates' position, when they could have easily just given up on this season and claimed they were continuing to build for next year.
The Royals added Paul DeJong, who has 18 homers, to a lineup that doesn't hit a lot of home runs. They also grabbed reliever Lucas Erceg from the A's, a power reliever who is under team control through 2029. They added another reliever in Hunter Harvey and got some rotation help in Michael Lorenzen. They did all this without giving much up.
The Pirates really needed offense. They picked up Bryan De La Cruz and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. De La Cruz has 18 homers this season and that would tie him for the team lead with the injured Bryan Reynolds. Hell, they only have three players in double digits, so it's nice to add this kind of power. Kiner-Falefa is hitting .292/.338/.420 (115 OPS+) this season and was worth a flier to replace Jared Triolo, who has been getting regular at-bats and is hitting .199/.276/.271. The widespread belief is they didn't touch the upper levels of their farm system here.
Again, these are marginal moves, but they were savvy by both front offices in looking to continue contention without dipping much into the farm.
I really liked the Jazz Chisholm addition and I believe Mark Leiter Jr. will be a good bullpen get, but shouldn't the Yankees have done more? It sure feels like it. This is their one year guaranteed with Juan Soto and Aaron Judge together and the team was in a total tailspin through last Friday.
What Brian Cashman must be counting on here is a lot of in-house fixes. Anthony Volpe to get back on track like he was early in the season. Gleyber Torres to start to hit like he did a few years ago. Alex Verdugo to get fixed. Chisholm to make a leap forward with his change of scenery. The inconsistencies in the rotation to be ironed out while Gerrit Cole gets back to pitching like the Cy Young winner he was last year.
It's all possible, of course. And, again, we don't know how many players were realistically in the Yankees' range to add here. It just feels like maybe they needed to do a bit more and fell short. A lot of this one will be determined how the aforementioned in-house players perform the rest of the way, especially in the playoffs, assuming they get there. If they don't, it's a massive failure.
General manager A.J. Preller continues to deal a lot of prospects in order to go for a championship and with the state of the big-league roster, he might as well. We can't be sure how much job security he has if they miss the playoffs anyway, so why worry about the farm system instead of just trying to hang a banner?
The Padres already have one of the best closers in baseball in Robert Suárez. They added Jason Adam (2.49 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 50 K in 47 IP) and Tanner Scott (1.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 53 K in 45 2/3 IP). Assuming each pitches to his established ability, this looks like the best 7-9-inning combo in the majors and that becomes outsized in value in the playoffs. Remember the Royals in 2014 riding Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland? Hoo boy.
Now, the Padres just need to make the playoffs. And that's still in question.
The Mariners enter Tuesday's action ranking 28th in runs, 30th in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage and 27th in slugging percentage. I like the addition of Arozarena just fine, but I'd like it a ton better if he were supporting cast, not the lead. They also added a 39-year-old Justin Turner who will provide professional at-bats but little power.
It's possible Julio Rodríguez returns from injury looking like his best self, Arozarena plays up to his ceiling and Turner provides steady batting average and OBP. Cal Raleigh has big-time power, too. Then they need a lot from the pitching staff, as they've been getting. It still just doesn't seem like enough offense to stay in the playoff picture with the Astros breathing down their necks, much less make a deep playoff run.
Maybe Jerry Dipoto did everything he could to pry Robert from the White Sox, and there weren't exactly a lot of impact hitters out there anyway. It just, like I said, doesn't seem like enough, which means the failure lies back with Dipoto on not doing enough in the last offseason or two.
Hey, this is pretty cool, so we'll close with some light and nice vibes.
Canha was born and raised in San Jose and spent the first seven years of his career with the A's, so heading back to the Bay Area with the Giants is a homecoming.
Here are some of the most notable moves of the last few days. And you can see every major deal of 2024 MLB trade season here in our tracker.
CBS Sports will have more on the 2024 trade deadline soon.
The Baltimore Orioles have struck a deal with the Phillies for veteran reliever Gregory Soto, Jim Salisbury reports. ESPN adds that right-handed pitching prospect Seth Johnson will go back to the Phillies as the return. Soto, 29, has a 4.08 ERA/3.61 FIP in 35 1/3 innings this season. He's under team control through the 2025 season.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have obtained righty reliever Dylan Floro from the Washington Nationals in exchange for minor-league infielder Andres Chaparro, Steve Gilbert reports. Floro, 33, has an impressive 2.06 ERA/2.62 FIP in 52 1/3 innings for the Nats this season.
The San Diego Padres have acquired left-hander Martín Pérez from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Francys Romero reports. Romero adds that left-handed pitching prospect Ronaldys Jimenez is going back to the Pirates. Pérez this season has a 5.20 ERA/4.94 FIP in 16 starts this season.
Luis García, a solid if not underrated righty reliever, was traded to the Red Sox prior to the deadline, reports the New York Post. The 37-year-old sinkerballer had a 3.71 ERA with a strong ground ball rate for the Angels. He's rental.
The Reds are sending outfielder Austin Slater to the Orioles, according to C. Trent Rosecrans. Slater started the season with the Giants and has played just eight games for the Reds. He's hitting .185/.308/.222 this season but was a productive offensive player from 2020-23, combining to slash .259/.352/.421 (115 OPS+). He'll be bench depth for the O's.
The Giants and Tigers agreed to a deal right before the 6 p.m. ET deadline that will send veteran outfiedler Mark Canha to San Francisco, per FanSided.
The St. Louis Cardinals have traded outfielder Dylan Carlson to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong, Mark Feinsand reports. Carlson has endured another disappointing and injury-compromised season, but he's still just 25 with two full years of team control left. As well, he showed promise in his standout rookie campaign of 2021. Given all that, he's still a fairly compelling change-of-scenery candidate. As for Armstrong, he's got a 5.40 ERA/3.76 FIP in 46 2/3 innings. For his career, the 33-year-old has an ERA+ of 102.
The deal:
De Los Santos is a 28-year-old right-hander with a career ERA+ of 97. He's under team control through the 2026 season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired veteran fly-catcher Kevin Kiermaier from the Toronto Blue Jays, Robert Murray reports. Murray adds that lefty Ryan Yarbrough will be heading back to Toronto in exchange. Kiermaier has struggled at the plate in this, his age-34 season, but he remains a defensive asset in center.
Here's arguably the biggest news from deadline day: Jack Flaherty is joining the Dodgers. The right-handed starting pitcher is going from the Tigers to the Dodgers amid a resurgent 2024 season. The Dodgers have big names in their rotation, but have plenty of injury and workload concerns. They'll hope Flaherty will help alleviate that. Here's more:
White Sox ace lefty Garrett Crochet has been one of the biggest names on the trade block for weeks. And with minutes until the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline we've learned that Crochet is heading... nowhere. Ken Rosenthal reports that Crochet will stay put with the White Sox through the deadline. The White Sox will likely look to move Crochet and Louis Robert Jr. this offseason, but they did not find a deal to their liking at the deadline.
Crochet, for what it's worth, was rumored to have wanted a contract extension if he was moved to a contender.
The Phillies have added lefty Tanner Banks in a minor trade with the White Sox, per FanSided. Banks is already 32, though he has held lefties to a .184/.229/.263 batting line with 28 strikeouts and five walks in 22 1/3 innings this year. A shutdown left-on-left reliever is a necessity when you will have to go through, say, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman to win the NL pennant.
In one of the more intriguing moves of the day, the Baltimore Orioles have acquired veteran slugger Eloy Jiménez from the Chicago White Sox, per ESPN. Jiménez, 27, is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, but has struggled in 2024 (.240/.297/.345 with five homers in 65 games). Jiménez won a Silver Slugger in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and has shown flashes where he hits for power when healthy. Expect him to mostly slot in as the DH or a pinch-hitter in Baltimore.
The Mets have agreed to a deal with the Marlins to bring in 34-year-old reliever Huascar Brazobán, reports multiple outlets. Brazobán is a 6-foot-3 right-hander with a 2.93 ERA and 1.01 WHIP this season. He struck out 34 against 11 walks in 30 2/3 innings.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Toronto Blue Jays, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reports. Kiner-Falefa has a career OPS+ of 84, but he boasts a 115 OPS+ for 2024 season thus far. He's a skilled defender at short, second, and third, and last season with the Yankees spent significant time in center. He's under contract for 2025 at a salary of $7.5 million. Kiner-Falefa is presently on the injured list with a left knee sprain. Double-A outfielder Charles McAdoo will be going back to the Jays in exchange.
De La Cruz has been a reliable analytics fav whose good ball-tracking data seldom translates to topline results. He's sporting a 93 OPS+ this year. He'll represent an upgrade anyway for a Pirates club that badly needed a few boosts.
Keep in mind, of course, that teams only have to submit the trades to MLB by 6 p.m. ET and sometimes we don't learn about them until several minutes later, sometimes up to 20 minutes or so later.
The Red Sox and Angels have engaged on talks about utility man Luis Rengifo, per Jon Heyman, though the report indicates there's a "gap in talks" between the two clubs.
Rengifo, a switch-hitter, is having a solid season with the Angels. He's hitting .300/.348/.421 with 23 stolen bases. He's played second, third, shortstop and right field this season. The Red Sox have been known to be looking for a player with the ability to handle multiple positions, including second base.
The Mets linked up with the Rays for another deal, as New York is getting reliever Tyler Zuber, per MLB.com. Zuber has appeared in just two games this season for the Rays.
The Padres are trying to make it back to the postseason in 2024, and they just made one of the biggest moves of the day. San Diego -- a team that has been extremely active at the deadline in recent seasons -- just struck a deal for Marlins closer Tanner Scott. Scott (6-5, 1.18 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings) will pair with Robert Suarez to form a formidible duo in the back of San Diego's 'pen.
The Minnesota Twins had been the last holdout when it comes to doing something -- anything -- leading up to the trade deadline. Now, though, they're on the board, albeit in a minor kind of way:
Richards, 31, has an ERA of 4.64 and an FIP of 4.40 in 52 1/3 innings this season. He's eligible for free agency this coming offseason.
In the deal that sends top setup man Lucas Erceg to the Royals, the Athletics will receive three prospects, according to MLB.com:
Baseball America ranked Barnett the No. 11 prospect in Kansas City's system in their midseason update. Klein is No. 17. Dickey is unranked. Baseball America says "Barnett projects as a no. 4 or 5 starter" with improved command. Klein made his MLB debut earlier this season and allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings. The reliever has a 3.58 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 27 walks in 37 2/3 Triple-A innings this year.
The Seattle Mariners have addressed a bullpen need by acquiring right-hander JT Chargois from the Miami Marlins, Ken Rosenthal reports. The 33-year-old Chargois has enjoyed an excellent partial season, with a 1.62 ERA in 15 appearances. Since the start of the 2022 season, he owns an ERA+ of 151. At least this season, however, the peripherals suggest he's been quite lucky thus far. He'll be eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.
On the other side:
The Rays appear to be peddling All-Star first baseman and 2023 AL batting champion Yandy Díaz. The latest report, from the New York Post's Jon Heyman, says Díaz is the "big target" remaining for the Astros while the Mariners, Pirates and Yankees are also fits.
Díaz, 32, hit .330/.410/.522 last season and finished sixth in AL MVP voting. This time around, he's lagged to .270/.326/.397 with nine homers and 47 RBI. He has been better since a terrible start, though, slashing .304/.337/.468 since the start of June.
Astros first basemen this season have hit just .206/.275/.323.
The reigning-champion Texas Rangers had a disappointing first half of the season. However, the AL West is quite winnable, and Bruce Bochy's team is poised to get healthier in the coming days. As such, they're looking for roster improvements. Speaking of such a thing, ESPN reports that the Rangers have agreed to terms with the Detroit Tigers on a trade for veteran lety reliever Andrew Chafin. This season, Chafin, 34, has a 3.16 ERA and a 2.53 FIP in 37 innings of work. Along the way, he's limited left-handed batters to a .474 OPS. He's owed the remainder of a 4.75 million salary for this year before once again becoming eligible for free agency.
White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong is leaving the team, but not the division (or even the ballpark for that matter). DeJong is heading to the Royals in a deadline day trade, per Ken Rosenthal. DeJong is hitting .228 this season, and while he hasn't hit much, he does have 18 home runs -- a team-high for the historically bad White Sox. He'll join a Kansas City club that enters the day in playoff position as the Royals hold the third wild-card spot.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has been scratched from his start tonight against the Phillies. The team says he has "general body fatigue." Cole missed the first two-and-a-half months of the season with an elbow issue. He has a 5.40 ERA in 35 innings so far and allowed six runs (and three home runs) in 5 2/3 innings against the Mets last Wednesday.
The Yankees have been linked to right-handed starter Jack Flaherty today, and this news certainly reinforces the Yankees' need for more pitching depth.
The contending Kansas City Royals are close to fortifying their bullpen. According to ESPN, the Royals have agreed to acquire right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg from the Oakland A's. Erceg, 29, is in his second big-league season. In 2024, he's put up an ERA of 3.68 and an FIP of 3.46 in 36 2/3 innings. He's not eligible for free agency until after the 2029 season.
Despite being within range of a wild-card spot in the AL, the Tampa Bay Rays have been selling off veterans and are probably looking to do more of the same. Here's a check-in from Joel Sherman:
The New York Yankees and Houston Astros have been linked to Díaz, and they'll of course have little trouble moving those two arms should they have the desire to do so.
