Every Deal the Nationals' NL East Rivals Made Ahead of MLB Deadline
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With the 2026 trade deadline in the rearview mirror, it's good to take stock of the moves the Washington Nationals made and what their division rivals accomplished.
Of course, every franchise in the NL East isn't in the same place. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have championship aspirations. The New York Mets were trying to salvage something out of what has been a disastrous season. And the Miami Marlins are always a wild card when it comes to how they are going to operate.
With the trade deadline now officially over, here are all the moves that Washington's NL East rivals made to prepare for the final stages of the 2026 campaign.
Atlanta Braves Bolster Contending Roster
After two years of disappointing results, the Braves are comfortably leading the division in early August. They have a roster full of star players who they hope can put pressure on the Los Angeles Dodgers if they meet in October. But to ensure this group had the best chance of winning another championship, Atlanta's front office was active ahead of the deadline.
Traded for Lane Thomas, Bailey Falter
On Aug. 1, the Braves made their first move by acquiring outfielder Lane Thomas and left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league pitcher Carter Holton and Lucas Braun, the latter of whom is now ranked No. 11 in the Royals' farm system.
Traded for Tyler Mahle
The second move Atlanta made was to bring in right-handed pitcher Tyler Mahle from the San Francisco Giants. They completed this deal on Aug. 2, and they gave up 24-year-old big league pitcher Anthony Molina to get it done. Mahle has dealt with injuries the past few seasons, and he has an ERA of 5.13 across 18 starts this year.
Traded for Brent Suter
The Braves kept things rolling on Aug. 3 when they acquired left-handed reliever Brent Suter from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. Suter, age 36, is a bulk reliever who owns a 4.12 ERA across 41 appearances (three starts) this season. Alvarez was once a former top prospect. Now, the 23-year-old will get a new opportunity with the Angels.
Traded Joey Bart
A little bit before the deadline, Atlanta made the decision to trade catcher Joey Bart to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Triple-A right-handed pitcher Duncan Davitt, who they had designated for assignment on Aug. 3. The Braves previously acquired Bart from the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the season, but the former No. 2 overall pick underwhelmed during his limited action with Atlanta.
Traded Eli White
The Braves weren't done trading from their roster, as they shipped outfielder Eli White to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for right-handed reliever Tyler Uberstine, whose lone major league appearance came this year.
Philadelphia Phillies Reshape Roster, Bullpen
The Phillies had been the worst team in the majors coming out of the All-Star break, and that created an urgent need for their front office to upgrade the roster. That was coupled with Bryce Harper openly stating that some reinforcements were needed, which put even more pressure on the organization to get something done. Well, Philadelphia didn't sit idle ahead of the trade deadline, as they reshaped things across their roster and within their bullpen through multiple additions.
Traded for Luis Arraez, Caleb Kilian
One of the best players available was Luis Arraez, who has been one of the best defenders at second base this season and has had a bounce back showing at the plate. The Phillies acquired him and right-handed reliever Caleb Kilian on Aug. 3 in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Ramon Marquez -- ranked No. 4 in Philadelphia's pipeline -- and High-A right-handed pitcher Marty Gair.
Traded for Brooks Raley
Later on Aug. 3, the Phillies made an in-division trade with the Mets to bring in a bullpen arm, as Philadelphia acquired left-handed reliever Brooks Raley from New York in exchange for outfield prospect John Spikerman -- ranked No. 27 in the Phillies' pipeline -- and right-handed pitching prospect Luke Gabrysh. The addition of Raley gives Philadelphia a lefty who has posted ERA figures of 2.45 and 1.96 across the last two seasons, respectively.
Traded Seth Johnson
Right before the buzzer, the Phillies did a borderline minor leaguer-for-minor leaguer trade when they dealt right-handed pitcher Seth Johnson to the Athletics in exchange for outfielder Colby Thomas. Thomas was ranked No. 3 in the Athletics' pipeline last year, so this is a major buy-low for Philadelphia after the 2022 third-round pick has struggled during his limited MLB career.
New York Mets Decided to Have Aggressive Selloff
This year has been a disaster for the Mets, and they tried to salvage things by getting back pieces for the future by selling off their best trade assets. Just how far they were willing to go wasn't clear before the deadline passed, but they underwent an aggressive selloff.
Traded A.J. Minter
New York first got things started when they traded left-handed reliever A.J. Minter to the Minnesota Twins on July 31. The Mets got back infield prospects Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani, who are at the Double-A and Single-A levels, respectively. Minter is a rental, so he wasn't expected to bring much back despite his strong play throughout his career.
Traded Freddy Peralta
Things got kicked into high gear for New York when they traded away Freddy Peralta on Aug. 2 to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for three prospects; outfielder Aidan Smith, second baseman Emilien Pitre and right-handed pitcher Gary Gill Hill. That trio of prospects now all rank in the top 30 of the Mets' pipeline -- Smith No. 12, Pitre No. 15, Gill Hill No. 17 -- but it has to be remembered that Peralta was acquired this past winter from the Milwaukee Brewers in a deal that saw New York ship out two top-five prospects -- Jett Williams (No. 30 overall) and Brandon Sproat.
Traded Huascar Brazoban
The Mets kept dealing pieces on deadline day. Trading Huascar Brazoban to the Chicago White Sox was the first move they made. New York received right-handed pitcher Gabe Davis -- No. 18 in the White Sox's pipeline -- and Triple-A right-handed pitcher Zach Franklin.
Traded Brooks Raley
Sending Brooks Raley to a division rival in the Phillies shows how desperate the Mets were to sell. New York got back outfield prospect John Spikerman -- No. 27 in the Philadelphia's pipeline -- and right-handed pitching prospect Luke Gabrysh.
Traded Ben Rortvedt
This is a low-level trade, but it still took place before the deadline. The Mets sent catcher Ben Rortvedt to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Chayce McDermott. Rortvedt was previously with the Dodgers, so there is familiarity there. And McDermott was recently designated for assignment by Los Angeles, so New York added a former top prospect to their midst for cheap.
Traded Luke Weaver
The Mets started cooking with their selloff once again when they shipped Luke Weaver to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The star bullpen arm netted New York shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura, who ranked No. 9 in the Pirates' pipeline.
Traded Clay Holmes, Tyrone Taylor
One of the last remaining high-end trade chips for the Mets was right-handed starting pitcher Clay Holmes. While he's battled injuries this season, he still generated a ton of interest ahead of the deadline. New York decided to trade him and outfielder Tyrone Taylor to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for infield prospect Jefferson Rojas, who ranked No. 2 in the Cubs' farm system and No. 63 overall in the sport.
Miami Marlins Threaded the Needle
It's always hard to predict what the Marlins are going to do on any occasion, but that was especially true ahead of this year's trade deadline. After a red-hot month of June where they had a franchise-best record of 20-6, they fell apart in July with a 12-game losing streak that made a fire sale seem possible. But they bounced back to remain in the playoff hunt, and while the possibility of them buying was on the table, they ultimately decided to thread the needle by trading away some pieces and bringing in another.
Traded Liam Hicks
Rumors had heated up about a possible trade featuring catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks. And because Miami likes their depth at both positions, they decided to ship Hicks to the Tampa Bay Rays on deadline day in exchange for three of the Rays' top 30 prospects; infielder Brayden Taylor (No. 16), right-handed pitcher Jacob Kisting (No. 26) and shortstop Adrian Santana (No. 27).
Traded Braxton Garrett
This one was interesting. The Marlins dealt left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett to the Chicago Cubs. They got back two top-30 prospects in the Cub's pipeline; first baseman Jonathon Long (No. 10) and right-handed pitcher Jace Beck (No. 28). Garrett missed all of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. He's returned this year, but he has only made two MLB starts and has posted an ERA of 14.54. Miami must have been looking to move on, and they got some more long-term assets in return.
Traded for Victor Vodnik
The Marlins didn't just ship out players, though. They acquired right-handed reliever Victor Vodnik from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for infielder Connor Norby and right-handed pitching prospect Aiden May, who was Miami's No. 27-ranked minor leaguer.
Traded Rece Hands
Compared to other moves that took place throughout deadline day, trading away outfielder Rece Hinds didn't garner a lot of attention. After all, the Marlins only received cash considerations from the Baltimore Orioles in this deal, but it still was technically a move Miami made before the deadline.
Traded Lake Bachar
This was a strange one for the Marlins. They shipped out right-handed reliever Lake Bachar -- who has a 3.88 career ERA across 101 appearances (five starts) and is under club control through 2030 -- to the Pirates in exchange for right-handed pitcher Brandan Bidois and two prospects; outfielder Brian Sanchez and infielder Hyun Seung Lee. Neither of the prospects were in Pittsburgh's top 30, and neither of them are now in Miami's top 30.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai