A few contenders have to be thrilled after what they were able to accomplish this week.
The 2025 MLB trade deadline is behind us, and after 24 of the wildest hours Major League Baseball has ever seen, several teams emerged far better than they began the day. Despite sky-high prices, there were blockbusters galore with a number of All-Stars changing hands and teams across the league deciding to throw caution to the wind and go all-in.
Here are the teams that made the biggest upgrades at the deadline.
Seattle Mariners acquire third baseman Eugenio Suárez
The Mariners entered the month of July desperately needing to upgrade their corner infield positions. They did just that in two trades with the Diamondbacks, landing Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez a few days apart. Suárez is the real upgrade here.
As the deadline crossed, Seattle’s third basemen had combined to produce 0.2 WAR, a .664 OPS, five home runs, and 35 RBIs. Suárez arrives slashing .248/.320/.575 for an OPS of .895, with 36 home runs, 87 RBIs, and a wRC+ of 143. That’s a big improvement from Ben Williamson’s wRC+ of 76. Suárez is a massive upgrade for a team that wanted to go all-in and take advantage of catcher Cal Raleigh’s historic season.
Naylor and Suárez will combine to bring a ton of offense to a team that is 12th in the majors in runs scored and 10th in OPS (.730). Seattle did what it needed to do at the deadline to give itself a boost in the race for the American League West crown.
San Diego Padres land left fielder Ramón Laureano
A lot can be said about the Padres’ trade deadline—and I've said some of it—but they did manage to fill their biggest need, and get more on top of it. After the truly puzzling blockbuster for Mason Miller, San Diego made one of the best moves of the day, landing Ramón Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn from the Orioles in exchange for six prospects.
Padres left fielders currently rank 29th in baseball, having generated -0.7 WAR this season. They rank 28th in OPS (.613) with a collective slash line of .229/.283/.330 and seven home runs. The position has been a turnstile since the season kicked off. Jason Heyward started things off, then a laundry list of guys followed—all failing spectacularly one after another.
Laureano immediately upgrades the position. He’s slashing .290/.355/.529 with an OPS of .884, 15 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a wRC+ of 144. Given his career track record, it’s fair to expect some regression before the end of the season, but even so, he’s a massive improvement over the current group at the position.
A few days ago, I called for the Padres to chase Laureano and fill their most obvious need. He will fit perfectly in a lineup surrounded by Manny Machado, Fernando Tatís Jr., Jackson Merrill, Luis Arráez, a re-emerging Xander Bogaerts and O’Hearn. And to make things even better, his contract carries a cheap club option for 2026. This was a great move for San Diego.
VERDUCCI: MLB Trade Deadline Reflects Desperate Need for Postseason Bullpen Arms
The Mets made a few moves I liked, including the addition of Cedric Mullins to fill a huge hole in center field. But more significant than that was New York’s bullpen teardown. Edwin Díaz has returned to an elite level in 2025 after some struggles in 2024, but getting him the ball has been an issue in Queens. That should end now.
The team’s bullpen currently ranks 11th in ERA (3.80), but it has now leveled up considerably. Over a few days, the Mets traded for Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley and Gregory Soto, adding to a group that included Ryne Stanek, Reed Garrett and Brooks Raley.
Rogers is a submariner who is unconventional but gets people out. In 53 appearances for the Giants this season, he is 4–3 with a 1.80 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 38 strikeouts against four walks in 50 innings. Soto, who already has a few games with the team, is a hard-throwing lefty who hitters find nearly impossible to barrel up. His xERA (3.32) and xBA (.221) show underlying metrics that are better than his 3.79 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.
In Helsley, the Mets added the 2024 NL Reliever of the Year, a power righty whose fastball averages 99.3 mph and whose slider garners a 45.6% whiff rate. Opposing batters are hitting .092 off of it. On the season, Helsley is 3–1 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 41 strikeouts against 14 walks in 36 innings. He is 21 of 26 in save chances, but he will now move into a setup role in front of Díaz. He should thrive there before hitting free agency this winter.
Expect to hear Timmy Trumpet playing far more often at Citi Field over the next few weeks.
Philadelphia Phillies get top closer available in Jhoan Durán
Mason Miller aside, the Phillies landed the best closer available at this year’s deadline and filled their biggest need in the process. This season, the team’s relievers rank 24th in ERA (4.48) and have already blown 17 of 44 save opportunities. Enter Jhoan Durán.
The Phillies were willing to give up two good prospects to acquire Durán from the Minnesota Twins, but the upgrade was necessary. The 27-year-old righty is 6–4 with a 2.01 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings, with 16 saves in 18 chances. Durán’s elite fastball averages 100.2 mph, and he produces outstanding chase and whiff rates. His splitter averages 97.5 mph and opposing batters are hitting just .221 against it.
Durán is one of the best closers in baseball and his addition means the rest of the bullpen can drop down into lower-leverage situations. Now Matt Strahm, Tanner Banks and Orion Kerkering can focus on being setup men for their new ninth-inning guy.
New York Yankees re-do bullpen
The Yankees got better at several spots leading up to Thursday’s deadline, but nowhere more so than the bullpen. Yes, the additions of Ryan McMahon, Austin Slater, Amed Rosario and José Caballero will help, but they weren’t the big news. As a group, New York’s relief corps has struggled for long stretches this season and needed a complete refresh.
General manager Brian Cashman made good on his promise to go all-in by landing three new arms for the back end of his bullpen. Yankees relievers rank 20th in ERA (4.19), but should get a serious boost after landing closer David Bednar from the Pirates, Camilo Doval from the Giants and Jake Bird from the Rockies.
Bednar has been excellent in a bounce-back season, posting a 2.37 ERA and 51 strikeouts against 10 walks in 38 innings. He is a perfect 17-for-17 in save chances. He has returned to being an elite closer after struggling in 2024. Doval isn’t having the season he had in 2023, when he saved 39 games, but he boasts a 3.09 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. While his fastball is much more hittable this season, his slider is still outstanding. As for Bird, he needed to get out of Denver and should improve as a result. In 45 appearances, he is 4–1 with a 4.73 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 62 strikeouts against 23 walks in 53 1/3 innings. Despite those ugly numbers, he has an xERA of 3.59 and his sweeper can be really good.
The Yankees can score runs; now their bullpen should be able to prevent them.
