The 2024 MLB trade deadline has come and gone. As always, deadline day was jam-packed with trades, both big and small. Sixty-seven total trades were made overall in the month of July, 31 of which came on the July 30th deadline. Selling teams looked to add future assets while buying teams sought the missing pieces to help for a postseason/World Series push.
Of course, trades don't often work out the way teams/fans expect, but we have a pretty good feeling about how most of these trades will work out. Here are the trade grades for all 30 MLB teams for the deals they made leading up to the deadline (trades made in July).
Arizona Diamondbacks: B
The Diamondbacks made a late run that ended with a World Series appearance last season. That run was unexpected, but a deep postseason run might be even more unlikely this year, especially with Christian Walker's recent injury. Still, the Diamondbacks made some moves that can potentially give them a boost for the final stretch.
The team traded for Josh Bell to be first base insurance for Walker. Bell has now been traded at three straight deadlines. The team also added pitchers Dylan Floro and A.J. Puk, the latter of which was a much-needed lefty arm.
Atlanta Braves: B+
The Braves won the World Series in 2021 after their best player, Ronald Acuna Jr., got hurt. Acuna is again out for the season this go around, and the Braves are using the same recipe they had in 2021 to try and save their season. The team traded for Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson, two players who helped Atlanta win it all in 2021.
Soler and Jackson were vital in Atlanta's championship run three years ago, but their additions might not be enough this go around. Still, they are proven commodities on the Braves roster, so you can't blame Atlanta for making the trade that they made.
Baltimore Orioles: A
The Orioles were one of the busiest teams in the MLB at the deadline. They made SIX different trades, all of which will help in their run for the World Series. The busy deadline for Baltimore was expected. The Orioles are stacked on offense with both veteran talent and young superstars, but their pitching rotation had taken a hit throughout the season.
Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, John Means, and Felix Bautista all had Tommy John surgery that shut them down for the season, so the Orioles desperately needed to make moves to bring in reinforcements. Luckily, Baltimore had plenty of firepower, because their farm system was somehow still stacked with talent.
Baltimore added starting pitchers Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers, both of whom will make an impact for years to come because of their team control. Neither is an ace, but Baltimore didn't need that with Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriquez on the roster. Elfin did lead the AL in wins last season, though, and Rogers is a former All-Star. The team further bolstered their pitching with Gregory Soto (another All-Star) and Seranthony Dominquez (a flame-throwing reliever).
Baltimore wasn't done there, though, as they added more offense, too. The team swung another deal for Eloy Jimenez, one of the best power hitters in baseball when healthy. While keeping Jimenez on the field has proven to be a challenge, the slugger has always produced All-Star-level numbers when he has been in the Chicago White Sox's lineup.
Boston Red Sox: C-
The Red Sox were also very active at the deadline. Boston made six deals in July in their own right, five of which came within the week before the MLB trade deadline. The Red Sox are trailing the Orioles and New York Yankees in the AL East standings, and they believe the moves that they made are going to help them push for a wild card spot.
However, while the Red Sox did secure some upgrades, it is unlikely that it will be enough to make a drastic impact. The team traded for James Paxton, who is a familiar face, but he has seen a drop off in his play this season, and he is only a week removed from being designated for assignment.
Boston also traded for Danny Jansen. The catcher will have to fight for minutes in Boston, considering Connor Wong is hitting the ball well this year, and Reese McGuire is a great defensive backstop. The team also traded for Luis Garcia, an aging reliever but a rental who the team hopes can continue on an impressive season.
Chicago Cubs: C+
The Cubs traded two prospects and a third baseman (Christopher Morel) for an upgrade at that position in Isaac Paredes. However, the upgrade is bigger in name value than actual production, as Morel and Paredes have slashed similar numbers throughout their careers.
Although they gave up some prospects to get their new third baseman, they restocked their farm system in a trade with the Yankees that saw them depart with Mark Leiter Jr.
Chicago White Sox: F
The White Sox were expected to blow things up at the trade deadline, as they owned two of the biggest trade chips in MLB in Luis Robert and Garrett Crochet. Instead, Chicago went with more of a conservative approach at the deadline, and they kept heir two stars. Robert and Crochet do provide the team with long term potential, but the haul for either would have been massive. We think it would have been smart to send their rebuild into hyperdrive by trading the two stars for a huge return.
Even if keeping Robert and Crochet was the smart move, Chicago didn't get nearly enough in return for the players they did move on from. Their trade of Eloy Jimenez was basically a salary dump, and Paul DeJong, Erick Fedde, Tommy Pham, and Michael Kopech all netted drastically underwhelming returns.
Cincinnati Reds: C+
The Reds traded Frankie Montas for Joey Weimer, a toolsy but raw outfielder. Cincinnati also made a move for Ty France, and although the first baseman was an All-Star in 2022, he has had a disastrous campaign that saw him designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners.
The team didn't have to get rid of too much to bring in their new players, but the odds of Weimer or France becoming high-level players in Cincinnati seems low. The team made a few other seemingly insignificant trades, too, none of which will hurt them nor likely improve the team much.
Cleveland Guardians: A-
The Guardians desperately needed outfield help alongside Steven Kwan. The team got it in their trade for Lane Thomas. The former Nationals player won't move worlds, but he is a solid addition and fits a need. Cleveland also traded for Alex Cobb from the San Francisco Giants. Cobb hasn't pitched yet this season, but he was an All-Star last year, and his season debut should be just around the corner.
Cleveland has control of the underwhelming AL Central, so they just needed to make the moves to ensure that they stay on top. These two moves will help them do so, especially the Cobb move. The pitcher was one of the best in the league the last time he took the mound, and it didn't even take a top-30 prospect to get him.
Colorado Rockies: D-
Along with the Angels, Athletics, White Sox, and Marlins, the Rockies were expected to be one of the five biggest sellers at the MLB trade deadline. That didn't end up being the case because the Rockies were as quiet at the deadline as they always tend to be. In a seller's market, it would have made sense to offload some of their talent. Instead, Colorado stayed put (with the exception of two small trades). They didn't even move on from an upcoming free agent with good trade value like Elias Diaz.
Detroit Tigers: D+
None of Garrett Crochet, Blake Snell, or fellow Tiger Tarik Skubal were traded, which means you would have expected a big return for Jack Flaherty despite his status as a rental. That wasn't the case, though, as Detroit only received two solid but not great prospects in Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney.
The team also sent out Trey Wingenter, Carson Kelly, Andrew Chafin, and Mark Canha in separate deals, but the returns for those players were nothing to write home about.
Houston Astros: B
The Astros are always aggressive at the trade deadline. After a dreadful start to the season, Houston has turned things around, so they once again decided to buy at the deadline. The team made a prototypical deadline deal for a rental pitcher in Yusei Kikuchi before adding Caleb Ferguson to their bullpen.
The trades weren't as massive as the moves we've become accustomed to Houston making, but they were both helpful moves that betters the Astros chance of making the postseason and doing damage once they are there.
Kansas City Royals: A-
The Royals are in the hunt in the AL Central, but they only sit in third place in the division. So, they went out and made both short and long-term plays at the trade deadline. In the short term, they landed Michael Lorenzen. The righty will shore up the back end of their rotation for the rest of the season, and he can help in the bullpen if need be, too.
Long term, they added Lucas Erceg. The pitcher can help now, but he will also be under team control through 2029. Additionally, the team was able to trade for Hunter Harvey. The reliever will improve a bullpen that has been the team's biggest concern this season.
Los Angeles Angels: A
The Angeles picked up two good pitching prospects (George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri) for Carlos Estevez, a reliever set to hit the open market at seasons end who was unlikely to return to the team. The team then netted four prospects for Luis Garcia, a 37-year-old who will also become a free agent after this season. That is good deadline management for a rebuilding team like the Angels, and it lands them with a grade of an A.
Los Angeles Dodgers: A+
While some big-name position players were moved, most of the best pitchers that were reportedly on the market stayed put. None of Garrett Crochet, Blake Snell, or Tarik Skubal were traded. That made Jack Flaherty the highly coveted starter available, so landing him was huge for the Dodgers.
That move is even better when you consider that the Dodgers got him for cheaper than expected. The Dodgers have lots of pitching depth long-term, but they have been ravaged by injuries in their rotation this year. That makes a rental like Flaherty the perfect fit.
The Flaherty trade was a buzzer-beating move at the deadline, as was a deal for Kevin Kiermaier. This is expected to be Kiermaier's last season, so he will surely give Los Angeles all he can give as he tries to win his first World Series.
The team also traded for Amed Rosario, something they've done at the MLB trade deadline before. The Rosario trade didn't work out last year, but the former Tampa Bay Ray is playing better this year. With experience on Los Angeles' roster, the assumption is Rosario will work out this go around.
Rosario isn't the only player with infield/outfield versatility who will be joining the Dodgers. Los Angeles also added Tommy Edman in a trade which also brought in Michael Kopech and Oliver Gonzales. Kopech was the big-name addition in this trade. The righty has always been a little streaky, but his stuff is nasty, and his potential is still sky-high.
Miami Marlins: B+
The Marlins were the second biggest sellers at the MLB trade deadline. They got huge returns in separate deals involving Tanner Scott, Jazz Chisholm, and Trevor Rogers. Rebuilding is never an easy pill to swallow, and fans are surely devastated by the departure of a fan favorite like Chisholm, but the team was smart to restock their farm system.
The Scott deal landed the team four prospects, which is a sizable return for a rental. Chisholm has shown that he is a superstar since he started suiting up for the Yankees, but the Marlins can't be mad about gaining three impressive prospects, one of which (Agustin Ramirez) is expected to become the team's long term catcher. The Marlins were even able to dip into the Orioles impressive farm system to sneak away with Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers.
Baltimore has a stacked roster and tons of prospect depth, meaning the two players were blocked from the Orioles' long-term plans. That means Miami got them for a fair rate, and perhaps even a discount. Miami made a few other deals, including moves that sent out Josh Bell, Bryan De La Cruz, and Huascar Brazoban, but the moves involving Scott, Chisholm, and Rogers were the most significant.
Milwaukee Brewers: B
The Brewers made the first trade of July when they traded for Aaron Civale at the start of the month. The team would continue to stay active in the trade market until the MLB trade deadline officially hit. The Civale trade ended up being the team's best move, though. Milwaukee also traded for Frankie Montas, Nick Mears, and Tyler Jay.
Even so, all four trades were made with bringing more stability to the pitching staff in mind. The team's starting rotation, in particular, has been a mess this season.
Minnesota Twins: C-
The Twins didn't do anything drastic at the MLB trade deadline. They added Trevor Richards and Rylan Bannon. The former has pitched 52.1 innings in relief this year, but he only has a 4.64 ERA. The latter only has seven MLB games to his name as an infielder. Minnesota is in second place in the AL Central, so you would have liked to see the team be more aggressive at the trade deadline.
New York Mets: B-
Overall, the Mets made nine trades in the month of July. Paul Blackburn likely isn't the All-Star level player he was in 2022, but he is still a nice addition to the backend of New York's rotation. Blackburn was the best pitcher the team acquired. The team's best position player addition was Jesse Winker. Winker is a poor defender, but he brings the team more hitting.
Other trades included the additions of Ryne Stanek, Huascar Brazoban, Tyler Zuber, and TJ Shook. Each of those four are relievers who can make an impact in New York's bullpen either now or in the future.
New York Yankees: A+
The Yankees might have a couple of days of hindsight to boost their MLB trade deadline grade, but their acquisition of Jazz Chisholm Jr. is already looking like an absolute steal. The Yankees tend to go star-hunting during the deadline, and they did just that, as the former Marlins star was arguably the biggest name to be moved.
It took three prospects to land Chisholm, but the versatile player has proven he was worth the price. In his first three games as a Yankee, Chisholm already has belted four home runs. That is a Yankees record for someone's first three games with the team. Chisholm has the ability to play in the outfield or infield, so he can spell a number of different players in New York. He also has the star power that gives the Yankees a legitimate big three on offense.
Chisholm was the big addition, but the Yankees also added Mark Leiter Jr., Kelly Austin, Enyel De Los Santos, and Thomas Balboni Jr. in three other trades.
Oakland Athletics: A-
Like the Rockies and White Sox, the Athletics were expected to blow things up at the MLB trade deadline. While Oakland were sellers, they held onto most of their prized possessions, including Mason Miller and Brent Rooker. Even so, Oakland returned a nice haul for the man who has been filling in for Miller while he has been hurt, Lucas Ercag.
The Erceg trade returned a number four ranked prospect (Mason Barnett) and a number 18 ranked prospect (Will Klein). A player like Miller is under team control for years to come, so Oakland can either hold onto him for the years to come, or they can get a better trade for him in the future after he returns to health.
Philadelphia Phillies: A-
The Phillies made three relatively big trades before the deadline. In separate deals, they landed Carlos Estevez, Austin Hays, and Tanner Banks. Estevez will take over ninth inning duties in Philadelphia, and Banks will be a high-leverage relief option as well. Hays has had a bad season playing for the Orioles, but the Phillies will hope he finds a resurgence on a new team. The outfielder was an All-Star last season. Philadelphia is all in on their championship window, and this deadline illustrated that.
Pittsburgh Pirates: B
The Pirates made a few deadline deals, but those trades left a little something to be desired. Still, they weren't bad deals. The team added Bryan De La Cruz for Jun-Seok Shim and Garret Forrester, as well as Isiah Kiner-Falefa for Charles McAdoo.
De La Cruz struggles with off-speed pitches, and he doesn't have a great approach. He does have some raw talent, though, and he has been under team control for years, so the Pirates might be able to develop him. Kiner-Falefa is the ultimate super-utilityman. He can play all over the field, and he is having a good season swinging the bat.
San Diego Padres: A
The Padres have been the most aggressive team in the trade market in recent years, and that was once again the case during the 2024 MLB trade deadline. After losing Blake Snell, Josh Hader, and Juan Soto in the offseason, the team found all of their replacements this year via trade. Now, San Diego once again has a team that you would build in a video game.
Tanner Scott and Jason Adam were two of the premier relievers available in the trade market, and San Diego landed both of them. The deadline alone was impressive for the Padres, but their trade season is even more admirable when you consider that they traded for Luis Arraez and Dylan Cease earlier in the year.
The price to add their new talent certainly wasn't cheap, as San Diego had to trade away a number of their best prospects. That is what the Padres do, though, and the moves will be worth it if they are able to win a World Series.
San Francisco Giants: C-
The Giants have underwhelmed this year, so they became sellers at the deadline. They unloaded talent, including Jorge Soler, but none of their moves were jaw-dropping. Therefore, they get a below-average grade of C-. Soler didn't work out in San Francisco, so a big reason they made a deal that didn't return a great trade package was so they could get off of the next two years of his contract.
Seattle Mariners: C+
The Mariners once had a 10-game lead in their division. They lost it in a record 24 days. Seattle became desperate, and that was evident during the trade deadline. The team made a number of moves that were questioned by MLB experts, including deals that landed them Rhylan Thomas and Justin Turner.
The team did make some good moves in what was an up-and-down deadline, though. They got something back (Andruw Salcedo) for a recently designated for assignment player (Ty France). They also landed a megastar in Randy Arozarena. The former Rays outfielder got off to a horrendous start, but he has since picked it up, and we have seen how great he can be at his best. The Arozarena trade saves Seattle from an otherwise poor trade deadline grade.
St. Louis Cardinals: A
The NL Central is the most closely contested division in baseball, so the Cardinals made the moves necessary to help them in a playoff push. They first acquired Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham from the White Sox, and they next traded Dylan Carlson for Shawn Armstrong in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Fedde has had a great season since returning to MLB, and Pham is a playoff darling who the Cardinals will be happy to have if they make it that far. Carlson has struggled all season, so flipping him for a veteran reliever was a great move.
Tampa Bay Rays: D
The Rays made nine trades in the month of July, as they went from a team that won a record 13 games to start the season last year en route to winning 50 games quicker than any one else in history (72 games), to a team that blew up their entire roster at the 2024 MLB trade deadline.
The fall from grace started with the off-the-field drama surrounding Wander Franco, and everything has gone downhill since then. Randy Arozarena, Isaac Parades, Tyker Zuber, Amed Rosario, Jason Adam, and Zach Eflin were just a handful of the players the Rays traded. They even made the first trade in the month of July when they moved on from Aaron Civale. Rebuilds can be smart if done correctly, but Tampa Bay simply didn't get nearly the amount of talent back that they should have for how much quality talent they shipped out.
Texas Rangers: C+
After winning the World Series last year, the Rangers have fallen under .500 this season. They mixed between selling and buying at the deadline, but they didn't make any huge moves. Fans would have liked a better return for Michael Lorenzen, though.
Toronto Blue Jays: A-
Many thought the Blue Jays would trade one or both of their young stars, Vladimir Guerrero or Bo Bichette. Toronto didn't go into full reset mode and instead made some smart moves on the margins. Getting something back for rentals like Justin Turner and Yusei Kikuchi was good team management, and some of the young players the Blue Jays received at the deadline will be able to help Toronto as they look to get back on track next season.
Washington Nationals: B-
The Nationals got an impressive return in the Lane Thomas deal, highlighted by Alex Clemmey. The pitching prospect is young and years away from the majors, but he has a massive frame and tons of power, giving him sky-high potential. The return for the other outfielder they traded (Jesse Winker), wasn't as impressive, but it wasn't a bad trade, either. They got Tyler Stuart back in that deal.
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