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The 2026 MLB trade deadline has come and gone. There were many moves, some of them big, some of them small, many of them graded by me right here on this very website. But it’s all over, and save for a couple of minor league elevations here and there, these are the teams everyone will take into October. Tarik Skubal is on the Los Angeles Dodgers, Adley Rutschman is on the Boston Red Sox absolutely nobody… okay, Heliot Ramos, is on the New York Yankees. What a time to be alive!

As is tradition, we will now embark on naming some winners and losers of said trade deadline, but I’m going to wax poetic about the format real quick: “winners and losers” is a great way to encapsulate these massive decision-making periods that sports are obsessed with; trade deadlines, the first day of free agency, the transfer window in soccer — we love them. But it is also impossible to actually “win” or “lose” the deadline on the day of the deadline, which is when I’m writing this. MLB decisions are like those of Bene Gesserit in Dune: plans are measured in centuries, and prospect returns can include guys who may not debut until, like, 2030 or something crazy. 

The following “winners” and “losers” are thus merely my opinion about what MLB teams did (or did not) do on and around August 3, 2026, and how I believe they will play out. It’s not that I could be wrong, but that I will be wrong — I’m just not quite sure about what yet.

Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers

(imagine the following paragraph read in as monotone a voice as possible) I am contractually obligated to begin the column with this but will not be spending any more time on it than I have to. The Dodgers traded for Tarik Skubal, the best pitcher in the world, to add to their back-to-back World Series champion roster, raising their odds of a three-peat from “really high” to “really high.” Congratulations to everyone involved.

Loser: Milwaukee Brewers

Welcome to the other side of the coin. The Brew Crew came into the deadline with one goal and one goal only: put Tarik Skubal and Jacob Misiorowski together. They failed to accomplish that, and the Dustin May-sized consolation gift basket won’t do much when their main rival, the Dodgers, keep getting better and better as the days go on. 

May is a player I struggle to understand, as teams continuously talk themselves into his upside before experiencing his many downsides. He had a couple of majestic starts for the ripping-hot St. Louis Cardinals early in the year before he snapped back to reality (ope, there goes gravity). Meanwhile, the Cubs seriously improved their pitching situation by adding two starters and Milwaukee is left with the sinking feeling that all National League teams feel: is there any hope against Los Angeles?

Winner: Chicago Cubs

No team better identified their biggest need and aggressively addressed it than the Chicago Cubs did with starting pitching. Maybe they were in on Skubal or Freddy Peralta, but with those two off the board they quickly snatched up two elite rental options in Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes. That is a substantial improvement to the 2026 team with mostly replaceable prospect commitments. The Cubs clearly understand they have something special with the 2026 ball club, and went out and improved it with proactive but low-risk moves. If Gausman and Holmes aren’t the best thing since deep-dish pizza? No problem, they’re not going to be around very long anyway.

This type of hybrid approach at the deadline is valuable because it doesn’t tilt the scales too hard in either direction. The Cubs have a good thing going, but also realize they have a chance to build a contender for years to come with their young stars. There’s no need to go supremely all-in when notable rental improvements keep some powder dry for later. I think the Cubs have positioned themselves well.

Loser: New York Yankees

(pops Red Sox bias on the gramophone and reclines in old-timey chair) When the Yankees traded for first baseman Luis Garcia Jr., multiple successive tweets about the trade made sure to include that Garcia “LEADS THE NATIONAL LEAGUE IN SLUGGING PERCENTAGE” like people who forget about it if you didn’t persistently remind them. Garcia is, however, not some kind of All-Star-level hitter. He’s good, and can provide above-average offensive production, but he’s not the league-swinging savior.

Heliot Ramos is another good-not-great add, but the Yankees’ biggest failure was an inability to trade for a catcher to replace Austin Wells. Every single catcher in the universe was mock traded to the Yankees in the last few days, and they just couldn’t get a deal done. It’s possible the Yankees have medical information on Aaron Judge that suggests he will not be back this season, which would certainly explain their inaction. Otherwise, it’s hard to explain. 

Cherry on top: when Yankees GM Brian Cashman was asked about their catcher pursuit, he responded that, for Adley Rutschman, “We were unable to meet the price, so they did their business elsewhere.” That somewhere is our next winner on this list.

Winner: Boston Red Sox 

(flips Red Sox bias to side B and reclines even further in old-timey chair) There are a lot of ways to take Boston trading Anthony Eyanson and several other prospects for Adley Rutschman: it’s an in-division blockbuster meant to give Orioles fans convulsions; a massive overpay with ultra-valuable prospects for a player who never lived up to the hype; a furious win-now move from Craig Breslow which revived his reputation with Red Sox fans. 

Here’s my two cents: I am not a scout. I have never seen Anthony Eyanson pitch, nor do I have strong opinions about the projection of Kyson Witherspoon, though I do my best to defer to smart people (like the crew at soxprospects.com, shoutout) for this stuff. What I do know is that the Red Sox dramatically improved their catcher position and probably just added 5.0 WAR to their lineup overnight with a switch-hitting three-time All-Star catcher with a year and a half of control. And they added him to a team that has gone 25-5 in their last month of play in an American League that is dying for somebody to take it. 

With additional moves like trading Marcelo Mayer for LHP Erik Miller making tons of sense for Boston, this was a deadline about winning in the playoffs right the heck now. Many may forget that Boston’s two best players, Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet, have missed basically the entire season. If they (and Rutschman actually, he’s on the IL) can get healthy? Watch out.

Exhale, folks. The trade deadline has come and gone, and the rapid refreshing of Twitter, Bluesky, or wherever you get your news from can cease. The roster you look at now is more or less what you’ll see for the rest of the season, save for a well-timed DFAs for cost-cutting purposes, à la Nathaniel Lowe in 2025.

It was an eventful day for Craig Breslow, who successfully executed four trades before the clock struck 6 pm EST:

• INF Curtis Mead for Connelly Early
• C Adley Rustchman and C Jake Rogers for Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Carlos Narvaez, Enndy Azocar, and a player to be named later
• LHP Erik Miller and prospect Carlos Gutierrez for Marcelo Mayer
• OF Eli White for Tyler Uberstine

So, where do we stand now? Personally, I’m focused on the 2026 Red Sox. I haven’t watched a postseason game at Fenway Park since 2021. Selfishly, I’d like to do that again. Aside from Carlos Narvaez and maybe Connelly Early or Marcelo Mayer, none of those were going to help the 2026 Red Sox. Now, future Jake might (also selfishly) wish Eyanson or Witherspoon were on the team, but future Jake doesn’t exist right now, so screw that guy.

The 2026 Red Sox got better. That’s it. There is more major league-ready talent in the organization today than there was yesterday. Curtis Mead immediately getting injured put a damper on things, and Adley Rutschman isn’t ready to return from injury just yet, but the point remains. Erik Miller is a left-handed reliever who has pitched well against both sides of the plate, and should be able to handle higher leverage innings.

We’ll start with Rutschman; he’s the biggest name, after all. The Red Sox have hardly got anything from the catcher position. As a team, their 72 wRC+ from behind the plate ranks 26th in baseball. They have just four home runs from the position, and their strikeout rate is over 26%. Defensively, they’re in the middle of the pack with -3 catching runs per Baseball Savant. A more detailed look reveals they’ve been good at blocking balls in the dirt, but just okay at framing pitches and throwing out base stealers. They’re also 22nd in using ABS, though they’ve been much better of late after a rough start to the season.

Offensively, Rutschman is solid. He’s a switch hitter who takes great at-bats, striking out at a low rate while taking his walks. He started his career hot, posting wRC+ over 130 in each of his first two seasons. Since then, he hasn’t been quite the same hitter. Last season, injuries limited him to just 90 games, in which he hit .220 with 9 home runs. This season, the injuries have returned. He’s had three separate stints on the injured list with three different injuries. When healthy, he’s been solid. His xwOBA (a measure of contact quality) has been above average for most of the season. He went out with a concussion on June 19th, and his results upon return were less than stellar, but began trending in the right direction before he hurt his wrist.

Rutschman went on the IL with a concussion on July 19. xwOBA dipped, and strikeouts spiked when he returned, but both were trending in the right direction before his latest injury https://t.co/yXVJ0rgUqSpic.twitter.com/lXzhJaQkS4

— Jake Roy (@Jake3Roy) August 3, 2026

The wrist is the big question. If he can return from injury and continue to provide offensively, the Red Sox lineup will look much stronger. Wrist injuries are tricky though, and it might be difficult for him to produce right away. Hopefully, it’s not an issue upon return and he provides offense from a spot in the lineup that wasn’t providing any.

Defensively, Rutschman shines. He’s a strong thrower who leads baseball in caught stealing percentage. He’s also near the top of the league in blocking, framing, and challenging pitches behind the plate. Catcher defense wasn’t a glaring liability, but Rutschman is among the best in the game. Again, say what you want about the return. Future Jake will get back to you on that one.

The other major addition is left-handed reliever Erik Miller. Miller is a unique arm that provides a combination of both strikeouts and groundballs, while also having a massive walk rate. Against lefties, he’s lights out. Lefties have a .269 wOBA with just five extra base hits and a strikeout rate close to 33%. It’s thanks to a sinker that has 18 inches of horizontal break from a fairly high arm angle that earns strikes and jams lefties, and a hard slider with a 25% swinging strike rate. Against righties, the strikeouts remain, but walks are an issue. His sinker isn’t the same bat-breaking offering, while his slider isn’t in the zone often, leading to walks. He also uses a four-seamer and a changeup against righties that don’t have many redeeming qualities. The changeup in particular is one I’d expect the Red Sox to eliminate from his arsenal. I don’t see an obvious path forward against righties, though I could see the Red Sox try to get him in the zone more with his slider. Either way, the strikeout rate alone is enough to be excited about with Miller.

There are some areas of concern, however. The lack of an addition to the rotation is one. The group has been a strength of the team for most of the season, but the lack of experience presents a potential issue. Payton Tolle is already eight innings past his total from last season, while Jake Bennett is 15 over his career high for a season. Like it or not, young arms are managed carefully, and Tolle and Bennett will likely be no exception. On top of that, Patrick Sandoval is in his first season back from multiple injuries, and isn’t the type to pitch deep into games due to his low strike rates. That puts a lot of pressure on Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez to get into the sixth and seventh inning regularly to keep bullpen arms fresh. Since the start of July, the Red Sox have just 9 quality starts in 27 games. Without the all-star break, bullpen fatigue and protecting leads might have become problems. The addition of Erik Miller represents another high-leverage arm to help the pen, but Garrett Crochet is still a long way from returning, and Johan Oviedo, Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford don’t seem particularly close. An innings-eater would have been a helpful addition to keep the team afloat through September and into the postseason.

Adding Eli White is also bit perplexing from a roster functionality perspective. As it stands, the Red Sox have six outfielders on the roster if you count Masataka Yoshida. Both White and Jahmai Jones are right-handed outfielders with no minor league options remaining. Both hit lefties better than righties, with Jones providing more thump and White adding defensive versatility in the outfield and speed. They’re not the same player, but they do feel a bit redundant off the bench. With only Andruw Monasterio having significant experience at shortstop, it’s a peculiar way to utilize the roster.

All in all, the team is better today than it was yesterday. They upgraded at catcher, brought in a leverage reliever to help against lefties, and acquired a speedster with a good glove. Sure, there’s something to be desired, but with the way the Red Sox have been playing and some players potentially returning from injury, the roster appears to be in a pretty good spot. There’s 16 games over the next 16 days, so that roster will be put to the test from top to bottom in short order.

The 2026 Trade Deadline was the usual blend of chaos and surprises that we see most years. However, despite the fact that the Braves were busy on Monday like most teams, it was the move they did not make that will ultimately define their day and perhaps their season. A major hole remains in the starting rotation, and the solution must now be found internally. And despite the confidence Alex Anthopoulos may have that the solution will eventually be found, the path forward seems very risky to reach the ultimate goal of this season.

Braves News

After seeing the trades of Joey Bart and Eli White, both Ha-Seong Kim and Sean Murphy are back with the Braves. Jorge Mateo was also designated for assignment as the new trade acquisitions were made official.

Chris Sale was named NL Pitcher of the Month for July.

Mark Bowman had a similar reaction to many in Braves Country, feeling that more could have been done on Monday.

MLB News

Many surprises made the 2026 Trade Deadline as exciting as ever.

Top prospect George Lombard Jr. is being promoted to the Yankees.

Take a day off and come back to a brand new baseball team!

By now, you probably know that the Guardians made three trades yesterday:

Foster Griffin from the Nationals for Will Dion, Josh Hartle, Nick Mitchell and Kendeglys Virguez

Nathaniel Lowe from the Reds for Alejandro Rivera

Jo Adell from the Angels for Jacob Cozart.

These trades added to the trade made this weekend: Craig Yoho and Blake Perkins from the Brewers for Bo Naylor and Codi Heuer.

Kyle Manzardo and David Fry were optioned to Columbus, Juan Brito was DFA’d and then traded to the Reds for cash. Shawn Armstrong went on the 60-Day IL. So long, Shawn.

The last remaining mystery is what they do with the pitching staff… sounds like it will be Slade Cecconi to Columbus or to the bullpen. Maybe they run a 6-man rotation again in September? I don’t see them leaving the pen thin by doing that now or having Cecconi piggyback or open with someone like Joey Cantillo.

It will be interesting to follow what they do with Manzardo now and how he responds. Does he get more rest to help his back issues? Does he shorten his swing and rediscover his missing plate discipline? Or does he go the way of Bo Naylor eventually and get traded to make way for Ralphy Velazquez and Cooper Ingle?

Chris Antonetti had an interesting response when asked about if they avoided players under control beyond 2026 because of the impending lockout:

"The emphasis was on trying to build the most competitive team we can for 2026 because there is uncertainty in 2027, and I'm not sure exactly what that will look like. But that wasn't a big factor in in our determination"#Guardians Chris Antonetti on if getting players at the… pic.twitter.com/U25vxvmNTe

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) August 4, 2026

Zack Meisel had a great wrap-up article as usual. Matt Seese and Michael Mahoney offered some great analysis of the four trades last night on the Disgusting Baseball Podcast.

AROUND MLB:

Many trades. Read about them here. The Twins and White Sox made moves to go for it, also.

No AL Central rivals played yesterday. The Yankees lost, though, so it really was a great day.

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup, and happy trade deadline!

By the time you’re reading this, Major League Baseball’s annual trade deadline will have passed. Milwaukee is never a team expected to make a splash or swing a blockbuster trade for a star. Rather, Matt Arnold and the Brewers’ front office prefer to add and subtract pieces around the margins. This year, they stayed true to form, and as a result, several of the prospects I’ve spent the season writing about are now headed to new organizations.

With the deadline reshaping the farm system, I’m giving the roundup one more week in this format before returning to the usual affiliate-by-affiliate breakdown because here are plenty of organizational changes to unpack.

Here’s how the deadline affected the organizational depth chart:

Out: RHP Craig Yoho, OF Blake Perkins, OF Alexander Frias, OF Josiah Ragsdale, LHP Mark Manfredi, SS Juan Martinez

In: C Bo Naylor, RHP Dustin May, RHP Antonio Senzatela, LHP JoJo Romero

Although none of the prospects Milwaukee traded away qualified as “untouchable,” several had become familiar names in my weekly roundups.

Eighteen-year-old Alexander Frias is probably going to be the prospect I’ll miss writing about the most. After hitting .441 in Rookie ball, he earned a promotion to Single-A and kept producing. His numbers took a downturn after the promotion, but to be fair, it’s hard to go anywhere but down from .441, and he still racked up eight extra-base hits in his first 92 at-bats.

He’s an athletic international signing with a 60-grade arm and enormous upside, making him exactly the type of player evaluators dream on. An MLB.com feature released last week described him as “Milwaukee’s next great international prospect” after Jackson Chourio, Jesús Made, and Luis Peña. If the Brewers end up regretting letting one of these players go, it’ll probably be Frias.

Then again, they also might not regret letting him go, because Frias is still extremely young, raw, and in the lower levels of the minor leagues. He’d only been in Single-A for a little over a month when Milwaukee traded him. If the Brewers saw something in his swing, approach, or overall profile that made them think he’d eventually stall out, the smart move would have been to trade him while the rest of baseball was still high on him.

The other thing is that the Brewers have an embarrassment of riches in the outfield. Frias would probably have to come close to reaching his ceiling to carve out a long-term starting role. Milwaukee already has two spots locked up for the foreseeable future thanks to the extensions given to Chourio and Luis Lara. Even after Frias’ rise this season, MLB Pipeline still ranks Lara, Josh Adamczewski, Jett Williams, and Braylon Payne ahead of him among the organization’s outfield prospects.

And that’s before you get to the rest of the system.

Peña, the Brewers’ No. 2 prospect, might end up playing the outfield because there isn’t enough room in the infield. Brailyn Antunez and Kenny Fenelon are working their way up through the lower levels, while Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick are both still young, productive major leaguers who deserve regular playing time. There are only so many innings to go around.

The same thought process applies to Ragsdale, a seventh-round pick in 2025 who broke out with strong offensive numbers between High-A and Double-A. He’s also more than a year older than Lara, and the Brewers simply aren’t higher on him than they are on Peña, Adamczewski, Payne, or Lara. Ragsdale has a much higher floor than Frias but probably a lower ceiling. He should turn into a valuable player, just not one Milwaukee is likely to need.

None of the other prospects the Brewers traded away were as highly regarded as Frias or Ragsdale, but they’re talented enough to merit a mention.

Craig Yoho looked like a stud during Spring Training last year and has bounced on and off the Brewers’ top prospect lists ever since. He has one of the nastiest changeups in the minors, and there’s a chance it eventually become one of the best in the majors. But he never developed a plus secondary pitch behind it, struggled with his command at times, and it eventually felt like Milwaukee’s coaching staff lost confidence in him. He wasn’t going to play a major role this season anyway, and now he’ll get a chance to continue developing with Cleveland’s highly regarded pitching infrastructure.

Twenty-six-year-old left-hander Mark Manfredi has posted an ERA under 4.00 every year of his professional career and owns a 3.09 ERA in 18 Triple-A appearances this season. Left-handed pitching depth is always valuable, and the Brewers have spent the last few years trying to build more of it throughout the organization. But Manfredi is also the kind of player who’s slightly less valuable to a team with Milwaukee’s pitching development track record. The Brewers have shown they can consistently identify and develop arms like him.

Juan Martinez, like Frias, is still a lottery ticket. He broke out in the Arizona Complex League with a 1.074 OPS after signing as an international free agent, showing the athleticism, defensive ability, and offensive upside that convinced the Brewers to invest in him. But if the outfield is crowded, the infield is even more so. Beyond Cooper Pratt, who already signed a long-term extension, Milwaukee also has Made, Peña, Jett Williams, and Andrew Fischer — all Top 100 prospects who project to spend significant time on the infield. Martinez, who immediately becomes Colorado’s No. 26 prospect, was ultimately expendable, and he’ll probably have a better opportunity to reach the major leagues with the Rockies than he would have had in Milwaukee.

Finally, there’s Blake Perkins, who I won’t spend much time on because he hasn’t been a prospect for years. That said, he’s been a valuable contributor over the last couple of seasons, providing elite defense, speed, and quality at-bats despite never being viewed as an everyday player. Thanks for everything, Blake.

Perkins hadn’t been expendable for years. Even when he didn’t seem to fit into Milwaukee’s immediate plans, he’d bide his time in Triple-A before earning another trip to the majors and winning a random game every summer. Now, he finally is.

That’s really the theme of this deadline.

Milwaukee didn’t sacrifice the top of its farm system, and — other than arguably Tarik Skubal — there wasn’t anyone available worth doing so for. Instead, Matt Arnold dealt from organizational depth to bolster both the rotation and bullpen ahead of October. Brewers teams of years past would’ve needed an outfielder like Blake Perkins, a prospect like Alexander Frias, or a reliever like Craig Yoho more than this team does. That’s a good thing.

Standout performances:

Jeferson Quero: 7-for-19, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Brandon Lockridge: 4-for-11, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Darrien Miller: 4-for-11, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Luis Matos: 5-for-16, 2 2B, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
Eduardo Garcia: 5-for-20, 1 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 9 K
Coleman Crow: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
Brett Wichrowski: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Gerson Garabito: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
Colton Gordon: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Carlos Rodriguez: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Josh Adamczewski: 10-for-22, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K
Jesús Made: 12-for-28, 3 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
Andrew Fischer: 9-for-25, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K
Blake Burke: 9-for-28, 2 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K
Matthew Wood: 4-for-13, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K
Jaron DeBerry: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Braylon Owens: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Jesús Broca: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Yorman Galindez: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Tayden Hall: 5-for-12, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 10 BB, 1 K
Eric Bitonti: 9-for-22, 5 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K
Luis Castillo: 9-for-24, 2 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
Braylon Payne: 8-for-25, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Daniel Dickinson: 6-for-20, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 1 K
J.D. Thompson: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Kyle Harrison: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Josh Knoth: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Ethan Dorchies: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
Wande Torres: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K

Brailyn Antunez: 8-for-18, 1 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Brady Ebel: 7-for-18, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K
Frederi Montero: 4-for-14, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Alexander Frias: 5-for-18, 2 3B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Pedro Ibarguen: 3-for-11, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Tyler Renz: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Diustin Mayorquin: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Andrew Healy: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Hayden Robinson: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Miqueas Mercedes: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Phillies News:

• ICYMI, Phillies acquired INF Luis Arraez and RP Caleb Kilian
• Phillies also made a trade with the Mets for RP Brooks Raley
• Trade Grades on both moves: CBS Sports & TheAthletic

MLB News:

• Boston pulls off surprise blockbuster, acquire catcher Adley Rustchman for many many prospects
• Taylor Ward goes to Seattle
• Ray trade for Marlins catcher Liam Hicks
• Padres get starter Robbie Ray
• Dodgers continue to stockpile pitching with the injured Kris Bubic of the Royals
• Jacob deGrom blocks trade to the Atlanta Braves (I would too!)
• Jo Adell to the Guardians
• Brewers get both SP Dustin May and RP JoJo Romero

While the Yankees were largely quiet at this year’s deadline, making just two trades that they hope provide a jolt to a lineup that has been downright disastrous without Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees’ division rivals turned the trade meter to high and spun a whopping 21 combined deals. Whether you think the Yankees’ promotion of George Lombard Jr. counts among all this is up to you. Anyway, with so much turmoil, you’ll be forgiven for not being quite sure what the rest of the division looks like, and so, let’s take a dive into what the rest of the AL East was up to.

Let’s start with the team currently occupying the top spot in the division, the Tampa Bay Rays. Heading into the deadline, Tampa Bay was in the market for a starting pitcher and another bat to add into the lineup, and with one of the league’s premier farm systems, they were in position to make a play for pretty much anybody they wanted. In the end, though, the Rays had a measured deadline, making three additions: starting pitcher Freddy Peralta from the Mets, platoon catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks from the Marlins, and reliever Tyler Wells from the Orioles.

All three moves represent high-risk, high-reward moves. One year after a top-five finish in the NL Cy Young, Peralta has been absolutely dreadful for the Mets, with a 4.99 ERA in 22 appearances. Just in his second season, the 27-year-old Hicks is a force against righties, slashing .307/.387/.489 this season against righties, while posting just a .200/.278/.238 line against lefties; his Statcast data, though, is not too high on his performance at the plate (he can avoid strikeouts, but doesn’t hit the ball hard). Only Wells, a reliever with strong peripherals, represents a relatively safe move. When you’re in first place with a solid floor, though, you can take risks like these to raise your ceiling.

Sitting right behind the Yankees in the standings is the Boston Red Sox, a team that started the season ice cold but has been hotter than hot over the last month. While, ultimately, they are neither as bad as they were to start the season or as good as they are now, their two stretches combined to put them right where everyone expected them — in the thick of the playoff race. As such, Boston had a very active deadline, headlined by arguably the highest profile addition made by an AL East team: Adley Rutschman, the now-former Orioles catcher who was targeted by the Yankees.

A week after sending Connelly Early to the Nationals for Curtis Mead, Boston sent its top-ranked right-handed pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson, outfield prospect Enddy Azocar, pitcher Kyson Witherspoon, and catcher Carlos Narvaez to the Orioles for the former No. 1 overall pick. The move represents a big risk with major upside for the Red Sox, because Rutschman has a career 115 OPS+ (identical to his cumulative performance this season), but he has just a .671 OPS since May 1st — and he’s currently on the IL with a wrist injury. Depending on which version of Rutschman they get, Boston will either see a major boost to a lineup that has been performing well, but has been very inconsistent this season, or will drop an anchor into the lineup.

Supplementing these moves, the Red Sox cut bait with 2021’s No. 4 overall pick Marcelo Meyer, sending him to the Giants for lefty reliever Erik Miller and minor league outfielder Carlos Gutierrez. They also acquired Eli White, a right-handed outfielder, from the Atlanta Braves; his overall numbers aren’t great (89 OPS+), but he has a swing that could play up in Fenway.

In fourth place, we have the Baltimore Orioles. Can you believe that the Yankees and O’s were battling for the division crown just two years ago? Aside from the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Baltimore’s stretch of tanking and retooling for six seasons has produced almost nothing. Earlier this week, they sent Dean Kremer to the Twins straight up for outfield prospect Jhomnardo Reyes. Yesterday, they sent outfielder Taylor Ward to the Mariners for a trio of right-handed pitchers in Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling. They sent Wells to the Rays, receiving in return Michael Forret — one of the players sent to Tampa Bay in exchange for Shane Baz over the winter.

And, of course, the biggest haul came from Rutschman. It’s a loaded prospect package to be sure, but you’d forgive Baltimore fans for not being terribly interested in talks about the future when Mike Elias made a name off doing that with Rutschman and company just a few years ago.

In a pair of minor moves, the O’s brought in minor league outfielder Christian Franklin from the Nationals, sending pitcher Joe Glassey the other way, and reliever Codi Heuer from the Brewers and outfielder Rece Hinds for cash considerations. Oh, and they also extended Yennier Cano, so there’s that.

Sitting in last place in the division, the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays engaged in a mixture of buying and selling that was clearly geared towards improving the team for 2027. They sent Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs, Daulton Varsho to the Astros, Jeff Hoffman to the Twins, and Adam Macko to the Rangers. In came José Soriano (from the Angels), Josh Smith (from the Rangers), Spencer Arrighetti (from the Astros), and Team Canada alum Jameson Taillon (recently DFA’d by the Cubs). Through these trades, the farm added middle infield prospect Ty Southisene, outfield prospect Brett Bateman, left-handed pitcher Dasan Hill, right-handed pitcher John Klein, and infielder Dameury Pena, but subtracted top shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, minor league outfielder Eddie Micheletti and minor league righty Angel Rivero.

The end result? Toronto has basically pulled the plug on 2026, but is looking to get right back into the hunt next season.

On June 3, 2019, my family and I headed to Camden Yards. It wasn’t to see the Orioles play; they had the day off. As season ticket holders, we had been invited to a draft day party at the now-defunct Dempsey’s. The odds were in favor of first-year General Manager Mike Elias drafting Adley Rutschman, a catcher out of Oregon State University. But there was still a chance they could go with Bobby Witt, Jr.

It was a party atmosphere at Dempsey’s that day. The weather was beautiful, the beer was cold, The Bird was on hand to make funny faces at my almost two-year-old daughter. The Orioles weren’t supposed to lose 115 games in 2018, but they did. The number-one overall pick was the consolation prize for having to experience that travesty of a season. Elias was going to take that pick and use it to turn this franchise around. He was upfront about it. There would be losing. A lot of losing. But starting with that first pick, the future was bright.

As the draft began, the sound was turned on on the TVs throughout the bar. Elias made the first pick from inside the Warehouse, and when it was announced on TV the crowd at Dempsey’s went wild. With the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, the Orioles selected Adley Rutschman. Not long after the pick was made, Elias appeared at Dempsey’s to cheers and applause. He made a few remarks about Rutschman and the franchise’s future. After the rather quick demise of the Orioles in 2017 and 2018, things felt right again. We knew there were tough times ahead, but Mike Elias was going to lead us back to glory.

Yesterday, Mike Elias traded Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox, the Orioles’ division rival and a team they had been chasing in the Wild Card race until this weekend, apparently. The news broke while I was at work. I sat at my desk, stunned. I tried to work, but couldn’t concentrate. About a half hour after the trade was finalized, I left the office. I got into my car and just sat for a bit, answered a few text messages from people also feeling some way about the trade. Then I started to cry. Just a little bit.

It wasn’t about Adley. Or rather, it wasn’t just about Adley. There are multiple ways in which this trade demonstrates failure by the Orioles and, specifically, Mike Elias.

When the 2018 Orioles had their fire sale, run by previous GM Dan Duquette, it was sad but almost cathartic. That team was beyond awful, and it was impossible to imagine success from either the Major League team or its barren Minor League counterparts. But this 2026 team wasn’t that. Yes, they obviously have their troubles. They are not playing like a good baseball team.

But the bones are there. You can squint and see a good team. And in a particularly mediocre year for the American League, they were hanging in there. They probably wouldn’t have made the postseason, but it was close enough to try. Because this is a team that has the potential. So to go from the fringes of the playoff race to trading the face of your team is jarring, to say the least. It feels like, after what we were promised versus what has been delivered, they shouldn’t punt on yet another season even if it’s a long shot. Not to mention any setbacks for 2027.

Then there is the bigger picture. Starting with Adley Rutschman, Mike Elias was supposed to be building a dynasty. A team with the potential to reach the World Series every single year. It’s the reason we sat through 108 losses in 2019 and 110 losses in 2021. But in the end, what did Mike Elias build?

In 2022, the year Rutschman made his Major League debut, the Orioles finally finished above .500 at 83-79. As a fanbase, we accepted the trades of Trey Mancini and Jorge López because Elias had earned that trust. Everything came together in the incredible season that was 2023, and things started off well in 2024. But the team faltered after the All-Star break and stumbled into the playoffs, where they were once again swept away in the first round.

They finished 75-87 in 2025, a disappointment from start to finish. Elias made some big moves over the off-season, and I thought they’d be back to winning in 2026. So far, they haven’t been. The 2026 Orioles have been one of the most frustrating baseball teams I’ve ever watched. And they are a failure again. Mike Elias has to own that. He has to own that the team he built, starting with Adley Rutschman, is a failure. His plan is a failure. He has been running this team since November 2018, and the franchise has nothing to show for it. Instead of Adley Rutschman leading this team to the postseason, he has been sent away for more prospects who can help in the nebulous “future.”

And please note, none of this is a commentary on the trade return itself, which by many accounts is quite good. It’s about this team being set back another year (at least) without having achieved its goal once again. For that, Mike Elias should be fired. I don’t think he will be, unfortunately. Maybe I’ll be wrong.

Finally, it’s sad to see Adley go because he is a delightful player to have on our favorite team. And yes, he wasn’t going to spend his career here. But for him to go out like this is very painful. The player that helped bring us back from the abyss, on whom this franchise hung its hopes, is not going to the postseason with the Orioles in 2026. He is going to the postseason with the Red Sox, a team that has brought us so much pain over the years. Because of that it’s hard to even wish him well, this player who I loved so much.

Right now, all I want to do is forget about the Orioles for a while. Unfortunately, I have tickets to tonight’s game and telling my nine-year-old that I’m too cranky to go isn’t really an option. The starting pitcher for the Angels? Grayson Rodriguez.

Links

Red Sox-Orioles trade grades: Both teams win in bold Adley Rutschman deal – The Athletic
If you want some trade analysis without the emotional baggage, here is a breakdown that gives both teams an A.

Adley Rutschman helped Baltimore fall in love with the Orioles again. Trading him is devastating. – The Baltimore Banner
And if you want to feel some emotions about it all, here is Jon Meoli’s excellent story.

Liftoff 2.0? After sell off, Mike Elias says Orioles’ ‘future is strong,’ starting now. – The Baltimore Banner
And here are Mike Elias’s comments after he traded away Rutschman, Taylor Ward, Tyler Wells, and Dean Kremer. Is the future strong? Maybe. But I stopped believing anything Elias says awhile ago.

Red Sox Give Rutschman a New Birth in New England – FanGraphs
Over at FanGraphs, Michael Baumann (not that one) gives his analysis on the trade. The big takeaway line: [The Orioles are] well-positioned to reset for 2027…But 2027 wasn’t supposed to be Year 1 of Phase 2 of Baltimore’s contention window after two years out of the playoffs. It was supposed to be Year 5 of a perennial contender’s prime. And Rutschman’s career could not be a better microcosm for the fortunes of the team that drafted him.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies, including B.J. Surhoff (62). Surhoff spent eight seasons with the Orioles, divided into two stints: 1996-2000 and 2003-05. Surhoff was a fan favorite and his trade from the Orioles to the Braves during the 2000 season was another heart-wrencher.

Also born on this day in history are former Orioles Jon Knott (48) and Jahmai Jones (29). Jones played for the Orioles in 2021, before Rutschman joined the team. But they’ll be teammates now in Boston.

On this day in 1975, the Orioles defeated the Red Sox 12-8. Starter Paul Mitchell was knocked out after just 2.2 innings, but his offense picked him up. Ken Singleton went 3-for-5 with a double and a homer. Brooks Robinson hit his 5th home run and Bobby Grich hit his 10th. Don Baylor had a five-hit game.

In 1998, Mike Mussina took a no-hitter into the 8th inning against the Tigers before Frank Catalanatto broke it up with a double. Mussina settled for a two-hit shutout with eight strikeouts.

In 2005, the Orioles fired manager Lee Mazzilli and replaced him with interim manager Sam Perlozzo.

In 2006, the Orioles traded Javy López to the Red Sox for a PTBNL, who ended up being Adam Stern. So the Orioles have a history of trading handsome catchers to the Red Sox.

In 2016, the Orioles signed 21-year-old Félix Bautista. Bautista had been released the year before by the Marlins after two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. I miss that guy and hope he returns soon.

And one year ago today, the Orioles lost to the Phillies 13-3. Cade Povich allowed four runs in 5.2 innings, followed by Corbin Martin, who allowed six runs without recording an out. Someone named Elvin Rodriguez pitched the final inning and gave up two solo homers. It was his only game with the Orioles.

We’ll miss you, Adley

Baseball fans got a glimpse of Tarik Skubal wearing Dodger blue.

It happened when the two-time Cy Young Award winner was in his new team’s dugout on Sunday, Aug. 2. Now the baseball world can see Skubal wearing Dodger blue where he’s at his best: On the pitcher's mound.

Skubal, 29, is scheduled to make his first start for the Dodgers since Los Angeles acquired him in a trade with the Detroit Tigers. He's set do it Tuesday, Aug. 4 at Wrigley Field in the second game of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

He'll head to the mound with a 7-5 record and 2.79 ERA, and he's been better than that over the past five weeks. In his past six outings, Skubal has given up only eight earned runs in 37 innings for an ERA of 1.95. But his last outing with Detroit captured his life as a Tiger.

On July 29, Skubal gave up three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. The Tigers led the Baltimore Orioles 7-1, only for the Orioles to rally for a 10-9 victory in 12 innings.

He looked dispirited after the game.

He looked ecstatic when he greeted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in the team’s dugout Sunday night.

His scheduled start against the Cubs will be the chance for Dodgers fans to see Skubal on the mound in Dodger blue. And a chance for the baseball world outside of Los Angeles to grind their teeth in resentment.

Tarik Skubal Dodgers debut

• Date: Tuesday, Aug. 4
• What:Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs, Tarik Skubal's first start
• Where: Wrigley Field
• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• TV: TBS, SportsNet LA (Los Angeles), Marquee Sports Network (Chicago)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tarik Skubal set to make first start for Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 4

The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be without one of their top starting pitchers for the rest of the season. The team announced that Mitch Keller has a teres major muscle injury in his right shoulder and that he will be out. 

Keller won’t be eligible to be activated back on the active roster till October 2 and the regular season ends on September 27. 

Keller won’t be allowed to throw for six to eight weeks, preventing a possible return. The teres major is one of the major muscles controlling the shoulder joint, extending from the shoulder blade to the top of the arm.

The injury could have something to do with the offseason that Keller is having. He has 5.29 ERA in 22 starts and a 6-8 record. 

The 30-year-old’s last outing was one his worst starts of his career, only lasting two innings and allowing seven earned runs in the 10-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The start was frustrating for Keller because it also came after he put together two starts where he allowed two earned runs over 10 1/3 innings to seemingly start to get his season back on track.

Even though Keller has been inconsistent this season, it is still a big loss for a Pirates starting rotation that has been pretty healthy. Jared Jones started the season on the 60-day IL but has been playing well since coming back. 

The Pirates recalled Brandon Eisert from Triple-A Indianapolis to join the roster as a replacement for Keller. The Bucs went all in on relief pitchers during the trade deadline and didn’t go after a starting pitcher. 

We could see Carmen Mlodzinski be put back into the rotation after leaving to go to the bullpen in late May. The right-hander is 6-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 25 appearances/nine starts this season.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Offday, though not in terms of impact. George Lombard Jr. was promoted to the Yankees, with Anthony Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, and Angel Chivilli heading down to Triple-A. Jake Bird (dealt to Washington) and Kervin Castro (promoted) will also need replacements in the bullpen. Max Schuemann is one, as he was a big-league roster casualty with Luis García Jr. in tow.

Double-A Somerset Patriots: Offday; they’ll need to replace trade chips Ben Grable and Jack Cebert, who both went to the Nationals in the García trade.

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Offday; they’ll need to replace trade chips Henry Lalane and Kaeden Kent, who both went to the Giants in the Heliot Ramos trade.

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Offday

Florida Complex League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 12-0 vs. DSL Rockies

CF Isaias Castillo 1-4, K, SB
PH-LF Emmanuel Orozco 0-0, BB
SS Stiven Marinez 0-4, BB, SB
2B Juan Torres 3-3, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SB, fielding error — 18-year-old has crushed rookie ball with a 1.059 OPS this year
LF-CF Luis Cruz 2-4, 2 RBI, BB
C Juan Martinez 1-5, 2 RBI
1B Cesar Lopez 1-4, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K
DH Poly Ojeda 2-5, RBI, K
RF Stalen Ramirez 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI, K
3B Adrian Feliz 0-3, 2 K

Hector Moreno 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K
Fredy Penuelas 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K (win)
Cesar Vivanco 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K — an impressive 16 K’s for the Yanks staff

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 14-3 at DSL Colorado

CF Ruben Castillo 1-4, HR, RBI
2B Dariel Santana 1-4, 2 K
C Alessandro Rodriguez 2-3
PH-C Jesus Guerrero 0-1, K
3B Carlos Bello 0-3, BB, K, GIDP, fielding error
RF David Carrera 1-3, K
RF Eliezer Adames 0-1, K
DH Kenneth Melendez 0-4, 2 K
SS Germayhoni Beltre 1-4, 2B, SB, fielding error
LF Sebastian Pint 0-3, K
1B Alfred Ciriaco 2-3, HR, RBI

Sebastian Castillo 3 IP, 6 H, 6 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K (loss)
Randy Angomas 3.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 2 HBP — Randy had a good go of it his last time out, but this is now the seventh time in ten appearances he’s allowed five-plus runs
Breidy Adames 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR

How much higher can the Boston Red Sox fly?

It's starting to feel like revenge season in Boston, where a club that went 10-17 with the fired Alex Cora is now a seemingly unbeatable 50-34 with interim-but-probably-permanent manager Chad Tracy.

Lost in the hubbub of Tarik Skubal's arrival in L.A. was the Red Sox schooling the Dodgers over three games, running their unstoppable streak to 23 wins in 26 games, moving within five games of first place.

They now have a virtual lock on the No. 2 wild card and also Adley Rutschman in the fold, ready to upgrade their putrid production at catcher while Cedanne Rafaela continues his MVP run. All that's left is home cooking: The Red Sox are 25-29 at Fenway Park and welcome the Central-leading White Sox and free-falling Athletics to the Fens this week.

It wouldn't be surprising if they had a winning home record by week's end.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

• Forget Tarik Skubal. Benny Biceps is a Dodger again. .

2. Milwaukee Brewers (-)

• The game's best farm system remains intact. But at what cost?

3. Atlanta Braves (-)

• The Eli White Era is over.

4. Tampa Bay Rays (-)

• Liam Hicks might have been the best under-the-radar deadline add.

5. New York Yankees (-)

• Camilo Doval's addition by subtraction might be Yankee fans' deadline highlight.

6. Chicago Cubs (-)

• Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Michael Conforto, Tyrone Taylor...is this Queens Midwest?

7. Boston Red Sox (+3)

• Imagine telling a Red Sox fan two years ago that Kyle Teel and Marcelo Mayer were gone, Roman Anthony slipping out of favor and Kristian Campbell buried in the minors.

8. Chicago White Sox (-)

• Wise to have a modest deadline.

9. Arizona Diamondbacks (-)

• Surge into No. 2 wild card spot and only add Lars Nootbaar?

10. Philadelphia Phillies (-3)

• Bryce Harper looks more Harperlike in right field, anyway.

11. San Diego Padres (+5)

• Death, taxes, AJ Preller drafting a pitcher in the first round and trading him with dispatch.

12. Cleveland Guardians (+3)

• So conservative over the years that trading for Foster Griffin felt like a lightning strike.

13. Miami Marlins (+5)

• Just an absolutely skittish team the past two weeks, and deadline reflected it.

14. Houston Astros (+8)

• Overtake Rangers, find their lefty-swinging outfielder, perhaps are so back.

15. Minnesota Twins (-)

• A team we can all rally around, adding key bullpen hope even as playoff odds tenuous.

16. Pittsburgh Pirates (-5)

• Slipped under .500 but still snagged best reliever on market in Luke Weaver.

17. Texas Rangers (-5)

• Should be getting healthier soon.

18. Washington Nationals (-5)

• You won't find a more poorly-timed five-game losing streak than their pre-deadline skid.

19. St. Louis Cardinals (-5)

• Lars Nootbaar gone, Alec Burleson stays.

20. Seattle Mariners (-3)

• Atypical Jerry Dipoto W not busting up the team after grim stretch dampens playoff odds

21. Baltimore Orioles (-2)

• At least the Peter Angelos era was morbidly entertaining.

22. Detroit Tigers (-1)

• What a waste.

23. Cincinnati Reds (-)

• Tyler Stephenson, still a Red. What an upset.

24. Toronto Blue Jays (-)

• A deft buy-sell gambit as Jose Soriano makes them better now and in 2027.

25. San Francisco Giants (-)

• Will fresh start for California kid Marcelo Mayer pay off?

26. New York Mets (-)

• Not even their sell-off was very interesting.

27. Kansas City Royals (-)

• Gentle applause for not throwing in towel on '27, too.

28. Athletics (-)

• Welcome to Yolo County, Seth Johnson. Otherwise, a non-existent deadline.

29. Colorado Rockies (-)

• Yeah, trading Hunter Goodman felt like an East Coast fever dream.

30. Los Angeles Angels (-)

• Is Arte Moreno actually listening to John Mozeliak? Amazing.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB power rankings: Red Sox keep foot on the gas through trade deadline