The 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline officially passed on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, and a number of surprising deals were made. Although several teams dropped the ball, these five clubs stand out as the biggest winners of the trade deadline:
Miami Marlins
While this list isn’t a definitive ranking of which teams had the best deadline, Miami was undoubtedly the biggest winner of the chaotic trade period. Miami was heavily criticized for trading two-time batting champion Luis Arraez in May. However, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix gave plenty of reasons to believe in his vision for the team after launching a full-blown, trade-deadline fire sale, capitalizing on a strong seller’s market.
The Marlins swung two deals last week, trading away LHP A.J. Puk and outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. in deals with the Diamondbacks and Yankees, respectively. As part of their return, the Marlins notably picked up catcher Agustin Ramirez along with infielders Deyvison De Los Santos and Jared Serna, all of whom rank as top-10 prospects for the team.
Miami made a flurry of trades on Tuesday, though none were more significant than the respective deals that sent starter Trevor Rogers to Baltimore and reliever Tanner Scott to San Diego.
Despite Rogers’ 4.53 ERA this season, Miami netted second baseman Connor Norby, a top-10 prospect in a deep Orioles farm system, and outfielder Kyle Stowers in exchange for the left-hander. Meanwhile, Scott, the top rental reliever on the market, helped Miami land three of San Diego’s top five prospects, including former first-round pick Robby Snelling.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers took a conservative approach to the last couple of trade deadlines, but decided to be far more aggressive this time around.
Los Angeles bolstered its depth and defense with a series of moves, beginning with a massive three-team trade with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox on Monday. In that deal, the Dodgers received utilityman Tommy Edman, a former Gold Glove Award winner, and RHP Michael Kopech, who could be a massive piece of the team’s bullpen if he sharpens his command issues.
Then, on Tuesday, the Dodgers executed two last-minute deals, with the most noteworthy acquisition being RHP Jack Flaherty, the top rental starter on the market. Flaherty enjoyed a bounce-back first half with the Detroit Tigers, posting a 2.95 ERA with 133 strikeouts in 18 starts. If RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto is effective upon returning from his strained rotator cuff, the Dodgers should have the deepest rotation in baseball come playoff time.
Toronto Blue Jays
Had Miami not received such a massive haul for Rogers, the Blue Jays, who wisely held onto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., would have been considered the team that made the best trade at the deadline.
On Monday, Toronto traded left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros in exchange for a crop of talented young players in RHP Jake Bloss, first baseman/outfielder Joey Loperfido and infielder Will Wagner. While Kikuchi adds some much-needed rotation help for Houston, the Astros grossly overpaid for the rental arm. Kikuchi has a 4.75 ERA this season, which is higher than his career mark of 4.72.
The additions of Bloss and Wagner greatly improved the Blue Jays’ relatively weak farm system. According to MLB Pipeline, Bloss and Wagner are already ranked as Toronto’s Nos. 3 and 22 prospects, respectively. Loperfido, who’s slashing .236/.299/.359 with two homers and 16 RBI this season, could develop into a serviceable starter for the Blue Jays.
Toronto also made quite a few minor moves leading up to the deadline, cutting ties with some expendable pieces including DH/infielder Justin Turner, catcher Danny Jansen and infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, to add depth to its minor league system.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners were one of the top teams that needed to make a splash at the deadline. Not only has Seattle already blown a 10-game lead in the AL West to Houston, but its offense has been putrid this season, ranking 27th in OPS (.671) and 28th in runs scored (421). As a result, the Mariners pulled off the biggest blockbuster of the MLB trade season, landing star outfielder Randy Arozarena in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays last week.
Arozarena wasn’t the only notable addition to the Mariners lineup, with the team trading for veteran Turner, who posted a 110 wRC+ in 91 games for Toronto this season. Even though the bullpen wasn’t necessarily a weak link, Seattle bolstered the unit, adding quality right-handers Yimi Garcia and JT Chargois while parting ways with Ryne Stanek in the process.
New York Mets
New president of baseball operations David Stearns’ first trade deadline with the Mets wasn’t splashy by any means. Even so, at a trade deadline that created a horrible market for buyers, New York made several savvy moves to strengthen its roster.
The Mets started their trade-deadline shopping early, acquiring outfielder Jesse Winker from the Washington Nationals last week in exchange for RHP Tyler Stuart, the team’s former No. 17 prospect. Although Winker isn’t a high-profile pickup, he’s an ideal candidate to replace DJ Stewart, who has since been DFA’d, as the team’s left-handed hitting fourth outfielder. Winker, 30, ranks second among qualified National League outfielders in on-base percentage (.375), per FanGraphs.
New York also added a slew of new arms to the roster without giving up a top-20 prospect or better. RHP Paul Blackburn, a former All-Star with a 4.41 ERA across nine starts this season, was brought in as part of a deal with the Oakland A’s to help offset the recent loss of Kodai Senga. Additionally, the Mets acquired RHPs Stanek, Tyler Zuber and Huascar Brazoban in separate deals to bolster a bullpen that ranks eighth in the NL in ERA (4.08).
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