Just a year ago, there was reason to find a comfortable seat, settle in and get the popcorn out. We saw guys like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Jordan Montgomery all being moved at the MLB trade deadline, and all three pitchers factored into their respective playoff and championship runs. There was real, palpable excitement.
In contrast, this summer’s deadline was a major departure with mostly humdrum trades — leading to a mid-off between depth pieces and a shortage of blockbuster names.
Still, there were a handful of noteworthy moves that will make a difference for contenders this year. The Mariners made a huge offensive upgrade early, while the Dodgers added an impact starter late amid some interesting activity before teams had to put their pencils down.
So, before the ink has dried and physicals have cleared, which were the trades that could really shake up the second half and beyond?
These are the 10 most impactful moves for the stretch run:
10. OF Jesse Winker: Washington Nationals to New York Mets
It might be surprising to see Winker make it onto our top 10, and he had some competition with fellow Mets pickup Paul Blackburn among others, but that goes to show how mid the trade deadline was this year, lacking the typical blockbuster names that usually top the list. Regardless, Winker is an impactful lefty outfield bat for a Mets team that has shown a lot of promise of late, owning the best record in baseball since June 1. Winker will hold down a corner outfield spot with Starling Marte recovering from injury, allowing the Mets to keep their foot on the gas and try not to miss a beat as they continue to compete for a wild-card spot. — Thosar
9. LHP Tanner Scott: Miami Marlins to San Diego Padres
Sure, acquiring Scott cost the Padres four top prospects, including their No. 2, 4 and 5 overall in the farm system, but what a statement from A.J. Preller this year. He made the type of bold moves that should satisfy his fan base, and the deals are beginning to translate on the field now, too. Scott, the best left-handed reliever on the market this year, joins Robert Suárez, Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada in San Diego, creating arguably the deepest bullpen in MLB. Trading for Scott, who is a pure rental for San Diego but owns one of the lowest ERAs in the majors this season, and Adam is exactly the type of maneuver that can push a contender over the top, and it will be exciting for Friars fans to see how their run to October pans out. — Kavner
8. RHP Carlos Estévez: Los Angeles Angels to Philadelphia Phillies
Arguably the best rental reliever on the market went to arguably the most complete team in the majors. Beyond being universally liked in the Angels clubhouse, Estevéz has also been lights out at the back end of the bullpen lately. He has not allowed a run since May 21 and has surrendered just five baserunners in 18 innings over that stretch. He has also surrendered just five walks this season, an important trait for a Philadelphia bullpen that ranks in the bottom five in ERA and bottom 10 in walk rate in July. It cost the Phillies two legit pitching prospects, but they’re ready to win a World Series right now. — Kavner
7. LHP Yusei Kikuchi: Toronto Blue Jays to Houston Astros
I feel a bit for Kikuchi here, considering he wasn’t the one who put together the extraordinary package Houston gave Toronto to acquire his services. In exchange for a rental starter who will slot into a middle-of-the-rotation role in Houston, the Blue Jays got back three young talents who should help their big-league team in the near future. That will inevitably add some pressure for Kikuchi, who has a 4.75 ERA this year, to perform for a Houston team with championship aspirations. However, the 33-year-old’s peripheral numbers are better than his ERA would indicate, he can miss bats, and he doesn’t need to be an ace. He just needs to help stabilize a depleted Houston rotation that could use the depth as it awaits the return of Justin Verlander and Luis Garcia. If he can offer more than that, the Astros will take it. — Kavner
6. RHP Erick Fedde: Chicago White Sox to St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have the fourth-worst starters’ ERA in the majors this month. To help remedy the issue, they landed one of the top available arms in a thin market without trading a top prospect or anyone from the big-league roster who has played an inning in St. Louis this year. Fedde will assist both this year and next on an incredibly team-friendly deal. With a revamped pitch mix, Fedde has redefined himself as a difference-making starter in his first year back from playing in South Korea. He should help the Cardinals in their quest to catch the Brewers in the division. The real question, should the Cardinals make the playoffs: Does Fedde have the stuff to stand out in October? He suppresses hard contact and has weapons to attack players from both the left and right side, but he doesn’t miss a ton of bats. — Kavner
5. RHP Zach Eflin: Tampa Bay Rays to Baltimore Orioles
This was a move Baltimore simply had to make after its early playoff exit last year due to a lack of pitching depth. Eflin was one of the best pitchers available on the trading block this summer, and the Orioles didn’t waste time offering the Rays a three-player package that also signaled how expensive arms would be for any contender shopping the thin market this year. Corbin Burnes and Eflin now create a solid 1-2 punch to complement the rest of Baltimore’s strong roster, even if the Orioles didn’t nab the frontline starter, such as Tarik Skubal or Garrett Crochet, they were hoping to acquire. Eflin puts the Orioles in a more comfortable spot heading toward October than where they were just a week ago. — Thosar
4. OF Jorge Soler: San Francisco Giants to Atlanta Braves
If it worked three trade deadlines ago, why not run it back? That was Alex Anthopolos’ thinking as he nabbed Soler from the Giants to increase Atlanta’s offensive output, which has been a weak area following Ronald Acuña Jr.’s injury and other stars underperforming. However, there are a few reasons this trade for Soler might not be as impactful as it was in 2021. Soler isn’t getting any younger, and the Braves will ask him to play the outfield when he hasn’t done so at all this season, this after taking the field in just 32 games last year. Perhaps, Soler will shock the world like he did during Atlanta’s championship run, which saw him nab World Series MVP honors, but for now, this move looks flashier on paper than it does in practice. — Thosar
3. 2B/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr.: Miami Marlins to New York Yankees
In the three days Chisholm has been in the Yankees lineup, we’re already seeing how much of an impact he’s making for the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees were desperately missing the spark they put on full display in the early days of the season, when Juan Soto’s brilliance transformed the offense. But New York’s bats regressed to their usual output around June, leaving only Aaron Judge and Soto as dependable forces. Chisholm’s early sample of at-bats — which include consecutive two-homer games against the Phillies — are showing that the Yankees might just be able to unlock another level in the 2022 All-Star. He was more than serviceable in his first career game at third base for the Yanks, and combined with the positive influence Judge and Soto will have on Chisholm, his impact might have even been underestimated. — Thosar
2. OF Randy Arozarena: Tampa Bay Rays to Seattle Mariners
One of the most consequential deals of the trade deadline happened … well, five days before the trade deadline. No contender needed offensive help quite like the Mariners, who ranked 28th in OPS at the time of the deal and were free-falling in the division. They found it in Arozarena, who will team with Julio Rodríguez to make one of the most dynamic outfield duos in the sport for years to come. Arozarena started the year slowly but has turned it around lately with a .935 OPS since the start of June. The 29-year-old is already making an impact with the Mariners, collecting six hits including a homer in his first four games. While he hasn’t had to play in Seattle’s run-suppressing environment yet, it’s worth noting he has a solid .844 career OPS at T-Mobile Park. He’s a vital add for a Seattle team fighting to win a division. — Kavner
1. RHP Jack Flaherty: Detroit Tigers to Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers don’t have to worry about getting to October. Their eyes are on a World Series title, which is why, among their multiple needs at the deadline for an injury-ravaged roster, nothing mattered more than adding a frontline starter. That was going to be easier said than done in a market short on them, but they got the best available one in the final hour by landing Flaherty. Among all starting pitchers who’ve thrown at least 100 innings this year, Flaherty ranks second in strikeout-to-walk ratio and fifth in strikeout percentage. No other starting pitcher on the move offered that kind of swing-and-miss upside. The fact that he’s running a walk rate under 5% is an added bonus. With so many question marks in their starting rotation, the Dodgers needed an impact starter they could feel comfortable deploying in a playoff game behind Tyler Glasnow. And they found it. — Kavner
Honorable mentions: RHP Paul Blackburn (New York Mets), RHP Jason Adam (San Diego Padres), OF Lane Thomas (Cleveland Guardians), RHP Mark Leiter Jr (New York Yankees), LHP AJ Puk (Arizona Diamondbacks), OF Austin Hays (Philadelphia Phillies), RHP Lucas Erceg (Kansas City Royals), LHP Andrew Chafin (Texas Rangers), INF/OF Tommy Edman (Los Angeles Dodgers), RHP Yimi Garcia (Seattle Mariners), RHP Michael Kopech (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]
Major League Baseball
Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
