Grading Every Major Deal at the MLB Trade Deadline

The 2026 MLB trade deadline is upon us as contenders attempt to reshape their rosters for the stretch run.

There have already been several massive trades, and more are likely to come. We’re keeping you updated with a running list of our grades for the biggest trades from the past week. We’ll keep this list up to date as we lead up to the deadline at 6 p.m. ET on Monday.

Cubs add to rotation with Clay Holmes, Mets land new top prospect

The Cubs needed starting pitching, and went to great lengths to get it at the deadline. They added Kevin Gausman on Sunday, then got Clay Holmes on Monday from the Mets. The cost for Holmes was steep: Chicago sent shortstop Jefferson Rojas, the team's No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline, to New York. —Nick Selbe

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Cubs grade: B+
Mets grade: A

Yankees fill a key need with Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos

One of the Yankees’ biggest needs heading into Monday’s trade deadline was a right-handed hitter, preferably one who could provide a boost offensively behind the plate or in the outfield. They got it was Ramos, who’s under control through the 2029 season. In return, San Francisco acquired pitching prospect Henry Lalane, a 6'7" lefty who was the Yankees’ No. 5 prospect, and infield prospect Kaeden Kent, the son of Hall of Famer and Giants legend Jeff Kent. —Will Laws

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Yankees grade: B+
Giants grade: B-

Pirates fortify bullpen in getting Luke Weaver from Mets

In their push to snag a spot in the National League wild-card race, the Pirates absolutely needed to address their suspect bullpen. They did just that in acquiring Luke Weaver from the Mets in exchange for shortstop Sammy Stafura.

Weaver was a big signing for New York this offseason, landing in Queens on a two-year, $22 million deal. For all that's gone wrong for the Mets in 2026, Weaver has been a bright spot, posting a 1.84 ERA and 26.6% strikeout rate across 44 innings. He should immediately be in the mix for saves in Pittsburgh.

Stafura received a nearly $2.5 million signing bonus as a second round pick in 2023. He has good speed and has developed more power this year, with 20 homers and 20 steals in 60 games spent mostly at High A, though 30.1% strikeout rate on the season raises serious questions about his ability to make enough contact to one day become an everyday player. And with shortstop covered by Konnor Griffin for the foreseeable future, this was a wise area to trade from for the Pirates. —N.S.

Pirates grade: A
Mets grade: B

Rays get aggressive to land Liam Hicks from Marlins

The Rays, not content to stand pat with the best record in the American League, added a real difference maker to their lineup in prying Liam Hicks from the Marlins in exchange for three prospects: third baseman Brayden Taylor, shortstop Adrian Santana and righthanded pitcher Jacob Kisting.

Hicks will fit in nicely with Tampa Bay, with a minuscule 9.5% strikeout rate serving as the foundation of his .282/.363/.432 slash line. He's a bat-first catcher who's split his time behind the plate, at first base and as a DH, and has four more years of team control beyond this one. Hicks is a big offensive upgrade from current Rays starter Nick Fortes, who is a career .234/.287/.352 hitter.

As for Miami's return, Taylor is the headliner. He ranks as the No. 76 prospect in baseball, per FanGraphs, and slots in now as Miami's No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline. Kisting and Santana now rank as the Marlins Nos. 22 and 23 prospects, respectively, by MLB Pipeline. All in all, a strong return for a player Miami originally acquired as a Rule 5 pick back in 2024. —N.S.

Rays grade: A-
Marlins grade: B+

Red Sox, Orioles pull off Adley Rutschman blockbuster

Boston added an All-Star catcher to its lineup but surrendered three top prospects and backup backstop Carlos Narvaez to do it. Baltimore got a serious haul for a player who would have been leaving after next season. —Ryan Phillips

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Red Sox grade: B-
Orioles grade: A+

Padres give up a lot for Robbie Ray

Robbie Ray has been on a roll lately, and the Padres desperately needed starting pitching. This deal made a lot of sense but, as is his MO, Padres GM A.J Preller gave up a lot for a rental. Two top 10 prospects in starter Miguel Mendez and 17-year-old high-ceiling shortstop Joniel Hernandez are headed to the Giants. —R.P.

Padres grade: C+
Giants grade: A-

Phillies lengthen lineup by adding Luis Arraez

The Phillies needed to add another bat and got a guy who can lengthen the lineup in Arraez. He has been remarkably consistent on a bad Giants team this year and is having his best offensive season since 2023. Philadelphia landed him for a package headlined by 20-year-old reliever Ramon Marquez. —R.P.

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Phillies grade: A
Giants grade: B+

Blue Jays continue retool by adding José Soriano

Toronto knows it’s not going anywhere this season, but has wisely looked to retool at the deadline rather than tear things down for a rebuild. Adding Soriano is part of that. He’ll help bolster the rotation into the future. He didn’t come cheap, and the Angels did well to extract top shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala as part of the deal. —R.P.

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Blue Jays grade: A-
Angels grade: A

Cardinals deal Dustin May, JoJo Romero to rival Brewers

St. Louis reportedly sent starting pitcher Dustin May and reliever JoJo Romero to the rival Brewers on Monday for outfield prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale.

May, 28, owns a 4.38 ERA this season, but ranks seventh in the National League (among pitchers with at least 100 IP) with a 3.14 FIP. Romero is enjoying a solid season with a 3.35 ERA and 43 strikeouts in as many innings. He’s set to hit free agency this winter.

Frias, 18, was ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the Brewers’ farm system, while Ragsdale, 22 was No. 13. That may not seem like much, but Milwaukee has arguably the best collection of minor leaguers in baseball, so St. Louis did well here to extract a couple of high-ceiling prospects for a pair of soon-to-be free agents. —W.L.

Brewers grade: B+
Cardinals grade: B+

Cubs acquire Kevin Gausman to shore up rotation

The Cubs desperately needed to add to their rotation, which has been decimated by injury. Gausman was a low-cost rental who has limped to a 5–10 record and a 4.38 ERA in 2026, though his underlying numbers aren’t bad. The price was two prospects who are outside the team’s top 10. —R.P.

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Cubs grade: B+
Blue Jays grade: B

Yankees acquire big lefty bat they needed in Luis Garcia Jr.

With Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger out, the Yankees desperately needed to add some pop. They did so by acquiring Garcia from the Nationals, who was leading the NL in slugging (.560). New York is betting on a 26-year-old who has set career marks almost across the board this season. He also has one more year of control, but the return was relatively light, as four mid-level right-handers went to the Nationals in exchange. Three of them are relievers. —R.P.

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Yankees grade: B+
Nationals grade: C+

Rays add Freddy Peralta to stacked rotation

After missing out on Tarik Skubal, the Rays pivoted and acquired Freddy Peralta from the Mets in exchange for three prospects. The deal adds a former ace to an already stacked rotation. Peralta has struggled in 2026 after the Mets acquired him from the Brewers before the season. He’s 5–9 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP through his first 22 starts. The Mets received three prospects who have some upside, but they gave up far more to acquire Peralta in January. None of the new additions will slot into the top 10 in New York’s system. —R.P.

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Rays grade: B
Mets grade: C+

Dodgers land Tarik Skubal in blockbuster deal

As we all expected, the Dodgers landed Tarik Skubal on Saturday, adding baseball’s best pitcher to one of the most loaded rosters in the sport’s history. While two of the three prospects the Dodgers surrendered are top 100 guys, they didn’t have to send any inside their top five. The fact that the Tigers couldn’t get more for Skubal is, frankly, shocking. —R.P.

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Dodgers grade: A
Tigers grade: C

White Sox land much-needed veteran starter in Luis Castillo

The White Sox have been one of the most shocking stories of the 2026 season, and they decided to double down and buy at the deadline. It’s great to see after years of struggles. They really needed a veteran starter for their rotation and landed a former All-Star in Castillo. He has had a rough year, with a 5.06 ERA and -0.7 bWAR, but a change of scenery might be just what he needs. There’s risk here as the 33-year-old Castillo could be owed nearly $50 million over the next two seasons. The Mariners did well here, dumping an onerous contract. They added reliever Seranthony Domínguez, former top prospect turned middling outfielder Nolan Jones, and 23-year-old prospect Boston Smith, who carries positional versatility and has a 1.039 OPS across three levels this year. —R.P.

Read our full analysis and grades here.

White Sox grade: B
Mariners grade: B+

Pirates add Camilo Doval to struggling bullpen

The Yankees may have done a little addition by subtraction here, while the Pirates needed a reliever with a pulse. Doval has a 4.54 ERA in 44 appearances this year and carries an ugly -0.8 bWAR. He has another year of control, so if Pittsburgh can straighten the former All-Star out, it might be a plus. In exchange, the Yankees got 23-year-old catching prospect Omar Alfonso and a lottery ticket in 18-year-old outfielder Luis Cruz. —R.P.

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Pirates grade: B
Yankees grade: B-

Twins strengthen bullpen with lefty A.J. Minter

The Twins’ bullpen ranks near the bottom of MLB in virtually every category, so they needed to find help. They landed Minter, who was a key piece of the Braves’ bullpen when they won the World Series in 2021. The lefty is having a solid season after returning from lat surgery. In 23 appearances before the trade, he went 1–1 with a 2.35 ERA. His underlying numbers have dropped off, but he’s still getting outs. In return, New York received infielder Billy Amick and outfielder Bruin Agbayani, both of whom were outside Minnesota’s top 20. —R.P.

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Twins grade: B-
Mets grade: C+

Red Sox pay hefty price for Curtis Mead

We graded this one before Mead fractured his wrist, and we still didn’t like it for the Red Sox. Boston sent a controllable lefty starter to the Nationals for an infielder having a career year. He was DFA’d in March and had a career bWAR of -0.3 entering the season. Regression is expected. The Nats did well to land Connelly Early, who owns a 3.44 ERA in 17 starts this season. He’s under team control through the 2031 campaign. —R.P.

Read our full analysis and grades here.

Red Sox grade: C+
Nationals grade: A-

More MLB from Sports Illustrated

Add us as a preferred source on Google