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The 2025 MLB trade deadline has come and gone. As is always the case, deadline day was filled with deals being made left and right, both big and small. Certain teams added players to gear up for a playoff push, while others sold off veteran talent in order to boost the team's farm system and future outlook. Which teams had the best trade deadline and which had the worst, though? Here are the trade deadline grades for all 30 MLB teams, accounting for all trades in the week leading up to deadline day.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks went into the MLB trade deadline with a number of soon-to-be free agents at their disposal to trade, and they dealt most of them. Arizona sent out Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, and Randal Grichuk. The Diamondbacks received a haul of prospects for those aforementioned rentals, but the return was arguably underwhelming, especially for Suarez.
The third baseman has been one of the best players in MLB this season, as he has blasted 36 home runs so far. Arizona's new assortment of youngsters includes Tyler Locklear, Hunter Craton, Juan Burgos, Andrew Hoffman, Brandyn Garcia, and Ashton Izzi. Two of Arizona's deadline deals were made with the Seattle Mariners, a team with one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, yet the Diamondbacks were not able to land any of their top prospects.
Grade: C-
Athletics
The Athletics have a young and exciting offense, but their pitching staff is still a ways away, which means it could still be years until the A's are ready to compete. They didn't do their pitching unit any favors with the trading of Mason Miller and J.P. Sears, but they made their offensive core even more exciting by landing Leo De Vries, the third-ranked prospect in baseball. For a team that is still rebuilding, adding one of the best prospects in baseball makes sense.
Grade: A-
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves have had a disappointing season, almost exclusively because of their pitching staff. The team added arms that can help close out this season and/or for a retooling for next year. Carlos Carrasco is a rental, and Tyler Kinley is under contract next season.
Grade: C
Baltimore Orioles
Like the Braves, the Baltimore Orioles have not lived up to expectations this season. Rather than being World Series contenders, they were one of the biggest sellers at the MLB trade deadline. Gregory Soto, Andrew Kittredge, Ryan O'Hearn, Ramon Laureano, Ramon Urias, Cedric Mullins, and Seranthony Dominguez were all shipped off. The moves did allow Baltimore to replenish their farm system, which was far and away the best in baseball not long ago.
Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Jackson Holliday were the best prospects in baseball in three consecutive seasons, but the farm system was much thinner after their graduations from prospect status. Wilfri De La Cruz, Twine Palmer, Juaron Watts-Brown, Willington Aracena, and Cameron Foster recharge the talent in the minor league ranks for a team that still has a lengthy championship window.
Grade: C+
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are 59-51, but they haven't done much to help themselves out in a stacked American League East. After trading Rafael Devers away earlier this year, the only deadline additions Boston made were for Steven Matz and Dustin May. Although Boston has been hot since sending the talented Devers away, their lack of aggression at the deadline could come back to bite them.
Grade: B-
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs added pitchers Michael Soroko and Andrew Kittredge at the trade deadline. Soroko hasn't been the same player since missing back-to-back seasons because of an achilles injury, and the Cubs probably gave up too much to acquire him. The Cubs also traded for Willi Castro.
Grade: D+
Chicago White Sox
After years of being aggressive trade deadline sellers, the Chicago White Sox were only moderate sellers this season. They sent Austin Slater and Adrian Houser packing in their only moves ahead of the deadline. If anything, the White Sox should have been more aggressive in trading away veterans. A lot of their best youngsters have recently been promoted to the majors, so the team could have used a boost in the lower levels of the minor leagues.
Grade: C+
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds walked away with Zack Littell in a rare three-team trade ahead of the deadline. They also dealt for Ke'Bryan Hayes and his lengthy contract. Trading for a player who is under contract through 2030, but one who has struggles at the plate, was a questionable decision.
Grade: C-
Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians decided not to sell, notably holding onto Steven Kwan. That was the right decision, as Kwan us under team control for years to come and has been an All-Star in back-to-back seasons. They gave up on Shane Bieber, but the former Cy Young winner has only played three games for them over the last two seasons.
Grade: B
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are on pace to be one of the worst teams in MLB history. Clearly, they were going to sell at the deadline. All in all, they moved on from Ryan McMahon, Jake Bird, and Kinnley. In the ideal world, a team as bad as the Rockies would have traded even more away, but they just didn't have much of value that teams were interested in outside of some young, controllable relievers. Seth Halvorsen and Victor Vodnik could have returned something of value in a trade, but finding effective pitchers to play a mile above sea level is hard enough.
Grade: B-
Detroit Tigers
After briefly slumping, the Detroit Tigers have seemingly gotten back on track. They made trade deadline deals for a number of arms, including Chris Paddack, Randy Dobnak, Code Heuer, Kyle Finnegan, Rafael Montero, and Paul Sewald will certainly make sure that the ship is righted. The Tigers added seven pitchers in total, which is pretty unprecedented. It might be overkill, but depth at pitcher is never a bad thing.
Grade: B+
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros made arguably the biggest trade of the deadline when they added Carlos Correa, a player who had previously helped turn them into a dynasty. Months after Alex Bregman left the team during free agency, Correa and newly acquired Ramon Urias will take over third. Urias provides a lot more with his glove than he does with his bat. Jesus Sanchez was also added at the trade deadline. The Astros missed the ALCS or World Series for just the second time since 2017 last season, but they could be right back in the Fall Classic after these moves.
Grade: A+
Kansas City Royals
At a game below .500, it wasn't much of a surprise that the Kansas City Royals neither bought nor sold at the trade deadline. The team traded for Randall Grichuk and Bailey Falter, but they don't necessarily change Kansas City's outlook one way or the other. The Royals would love to get hot and push for the playoffs, but because that is unlikely, they stood pat and didn't give up many assets.
Grade: C-
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels don't have much of a farm system to speak of, but not because they've built a winning roster at the major league level. They further depleted their limited trove of prospects for players who likely won't create more major league wins: Luis Garcia and Andrew Chafin.
Grade: D-
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers weren't as busy adding star talent as they normally are, nor did they add as much pitching help as expected. The Dodgers have done plenty of talent acquisition in recent years at quite a pretty penny, so they can't be blamed too much. Still, this was an underwhelming deadline for the Dodgers.
Grade: C
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins were one of the biggest trade deadline sellers in 2024. They did next to nothing this go around. The Marlins have performed better than expected this season, so perhaps they were smart just to let their current roster develop internally.
Grade: C
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers needed to find a backup for William Contreras, so they traded for Danny Jansen. However, Jansen's bat has been cold all year.
Grade: C+
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins blew the ship up during the trade deadline. Everybody assumed they'd trade Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran, but they shocked the world by moving on from Carlos Correa. The team had been stuck in purgatory, so they can't be blamed for choosing an organizational direction and going all in on it.
Grade: C+
New York Mets
The New York Mets had a great trade deadline, patching holes all over their roster. Most notably, the team improved a suspect bullpen with the additions of Gregory Soto and Tyler Rogers, the latter of whom adds a new dynamic to the team as a submarine thrower. The Mets also traded for Cedric Mullins, a rangy center fielder who can mask some of Juan Soto's defensive shortcomings.
Grade: A
New York Yankees
Just like their Subway Series rivals, the New York Yankees were active at the MLB trade deadline. The team added Ryan McMahon and Jake Bird from the Rockies, Austin Slater from the White Sox, and David Bender from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Slater is the only rental of that bunch, so the Yankees prioritized bringing in players that can help in a title run this year and next.
Grade: A-
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies got the best reliever on the trading block in Jhoan Duran and a great defensive centerfielder in Harrison Bader. The former was a necessity for a team with a closing title window, and the latter will help out a challenged defensive unit.
Grade: A
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates traded away a few players, but they held onto many of the pitchers some thought they'd deal. Mitch Keller and Andrew Heaney, for example, stuck with the team. The Pirates are obviously bad this season, but they didn't do much to invoke hope for next year.
Grade: C-
San Diego Padres
Some thought the San Diego Padres would trade Dylan Cease for financial reasons. Instead, the team proved that they are all-in for a World Series push this year. The Padres traded for Ryan O'Hearn, Ramon Laureano, Nestor Cortes, Freddy Fermin, J.P. Sears, and Mason Miller. They gave up a lot to add these pieces, but the Padres will need all of the help they can get in a stacked National League West.
Grade: B+
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants' big trade this season came well before the MLB trade deadline when they added Rafael Devers. The three-time All-Star will be fine, but he and the Giants have struggled since that blockbuster was made. Because of that, it wasn't a surprise that San Francisco was quiet during the last few days to make deals.
Grade: B
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners have been one of the biggest winners of the trade deadline. They added both of the corner infielders from the Diamondbacks in separate deals for Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez. Those moves added a lot more power to a team that already has Cal Raleigh smashing long balls on a near-every-other-night basis. Seattle didn't stop with the bats, though. They also added pitcher Caleb Ferguson.
Grade: A+
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals came to the realization that the postseason was probably out of the question this season, so they traded away Ryan Helsley and Steven Matz. They returned some intriguing prospects, but their trade deadline wasn't anything spectacular, either.
Grade: C+
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays, known for their savvy moves, traded away catcher Danny Jensen. However, they were able to replace him with backstops under team control for longer in Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia. The Rays might not always make splashy moves, but they always make smart ones. The team actually did make one shocking move, though, and that was the deal for Griffin Jax. The Rays weren't expected to be big deadline buyers, but they added one of the best relievers that was on the trading block.
Grade: A-
Texas Rangers
The only Texas Rangers trade in the hours ahead of the deadline involved Code Heuer and saw the team get cash considerations in return. That would have been underwhelming deadline performance for a team that still has a core that won a World Series two years ago. Luckily, the team pulled off a last second deal for Merrill Kelly.
Grade: C+
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays needed to make a splashy move or two to stay ahead of the pack in the loaded AL East. They certainly did so with trades for Shane Bieber and Seranthony Dominguez. Bieber hasn't returned yet from his Tommy John recovery, but he drastically increases the ceiling of Toronto's rotation that already features Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, and Max Scherzer.
Bieber has a Cy Young and a Triple Crown to his name. Additionally, Dominguez was one of the best relievers available on the trading block.
Grade: A+
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals aren't close to good, but it was unclear if they'd be able to get much at the MLB trade deadline because they didn't have many great rentals. The team was able to get 10 solid prospects, though, all while keeping MacKenzie Gore for the long haul.
Grade: B
