Counting down to Major League Baseball‘s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline on Thursday, the deals are starting to come together with contenders making a flurry of moves in the final 24 hours.
The Seattle Mariners got the top bat on the market overnight, landing old friend Eugenio Suárez
in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The NL East race got even more interesting with the New York Mets (Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers) and Philadelphia Phillies (Jhoan Duran) each making significant bullpen upgrades.
MLB TRADE DEADLINE: Latest news and updates as clock runs down
Wednesday’s hot stove action also included an interesting in-division deal between the Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates, with third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes heading to Cincinnati.
As teams scramble to get deals done in the final hours before the deadline, follow along for grades and analysis on the biggest deals of deadline day:
Expert MLB daily picks: Unique MLB betting insights only at USA TODAY
Merrill Kelly trade grades
Texas Rangers receive RHP Merrill Kelly; Arizona Diamondbacks receive LHP Kohl Drake, RHP David Hagaman, LHP Mitch Bratt
Rangers grade: A-
With Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and now Kelly, watch out if the Rangers get into the playoffs. Kelly, who played in Korea from 2015-2018, is having the best season of his career at age 36 and brings some postseason pedigree having gone 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in four starts across Arizona’s run to the World Series in 2023.
Diamondbacks grade: B+
Holding a ton of trade chips this month, Arizona has been frustrated by the slow market. Having already unloaded Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez, the Diamondbacks get three prospects in exchange for Kelly, a free agent at the end of the season. Drake was the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect and has a 3.10 ERA in 16 minor-league games this season.
Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano trade grades
San Diego Padres receive 1B/OF Ryan O’hearn, OF Ramon Laureano; Baltimore Orioles receive RHP Boston Bateman, INF Brandon Butterworth, INF Cobb Hightower, INF/OF Victor Figueroa, RHP Tyson Neighbors and RHP Tanner Smith.
Padres grade: A
San Diego dramatically improved its lineup with the deal for two of the top bats on the market, having already acquired catcher Freddy Fermin from the Royals earlier in the day. The Padres really should push the Dodgers in the NL West over the next two months and have to be considered one of the top World Series contenders
Orioles grade: A
Rather than finding separate buyers, the Orioles packaged two of the top bats on the market and received six prospects in return – all of whom were just drafted in 2024.
Jake Bird trade grades
New York Yankees receive RHP Jake Bird; Colorado Rockies receive 2B Roc Riggio, LHP Ben Shields.
Yankees grade: A-
Hours after agreeing to a deal with the Pirates for closer David Bednar, the Yankees further fortified their bullpen with with the 29-year-old Bird, under team control through 2028. With a 4.73 ERA this season and even career home-road splits away from Coors Field, Bird doesn’t have quite the upside as other relievers on the market this week, but the Yankees acquire a reliable – and cheap – arm to the middle relief corps.
Rockies grade: C
Colorado is in a race to avoid the worst record in MLB history, but decided to trade its best relief pitcher who currently costs just about nothing. They’ll save a few million in Bird’s arbitration years, but dealing the right-hander was definitely not somethign the Rockies needed to do.
Cedric Mullins trade grades
.
Mets grade: B+
Adding Mullins is nice for the Mets, giving them a plus defender in center field to phase out the glove-first Tyrone Taylor. He’s a rental but with his power-speed combination, Mullins could be a huge contributor down the stretch as New York tries to fight off Philadelphia for first place in the NL East.
Orioles grade: B+
Mullins’ time with the Orioles ends 10 years after the club drafted him in the 13th round. It’s certainly not the way Baltimore wanted to say goodbye to their longtime outfielder, but the Orioles got two of the Mets’ top 30 prospects in Nunez (No. 14) and Gomez (No. 30).
David Bednar trade grades
Yankees grade: A
The Bombers bolster their bullpen for the stretch run and beyond, landing the two-time All-Star reliever who will be under team control through 2026. The 30-year-old’s addition is huge considering Devin Williams and Luke Weaver are free agents at the end of the season.
Pirates grade: C+
Holding one of the last relievers remaining on the market in the hours leading up to the deadline, you might have expected the Pirates to get more in this deal for a controllable All-Star. Flores ranks as the Yankees’ No. 8 prospect according to MLB.com, but he’s already 24 years old and has struggled since his promotion to Class AAA (.677 OPS in 10 games). Perez is 19 years old and has had a tough season in Class A (.209 average in 301 AB) but scouts hope his bat will catch up with his glove behind the plate.
Harrison Bader trade grades
Philadelphia Phillies receive OF Harrison Bader; Minnesota Twins receive OF Hendry Mendez, RHP Geremy Villoria.
Phillies grade: A-
Philadelphia gives up basically nothing to get one of the game’s better defensive center fielders, who should provide some pop for an outfield that desperately needs some. Bader has an .809 OPS in 31 career postseason games.
Twins grade: B+
Might as well get a couple of projects in exhange for a rental outfielder. The 21-year-old Mendez ranked as the Phillies’ 12th-best prospect and has an .808 OPS in 85 Class AA games this season. Signed as an international free agent this past winter, Villoria is just 16 years and old and recently made his pro debut with 19 strikeouts through five starts.
Kyle Finnegan trade grades
Detroit Tigers receive Kyle Finnegan; Washington Nationals receive RHP Josh Randall, RHP R.J. Sale
Tigers grade: B+
Finnegan isn’t Mason Miller or Jhoan Duran or Ryan Helsley, but the 33-year-old is a great addition to Detroit’s bullpen as a veteran with ninth-inning experience, saving 86 games over the past three seasons for the middling Nationals. An All-Star in 2024, Finnegan has only given up three home runs in 34 games this season and could take some save chances from Will Vest, who has 2.53 ERA in 16 saves for the Tigers in 2025.
Nationals grade: B
The least-sexy closer on the market, Finnegan netted the Nationals a pair of pitchers with Randall ranking as Detroit’s No. 15 prospect, according to MLB.com
Mason Miller trade grades
Padres grade: B
It’s quite a coup getting both the game’s most dominant closer and a guy with four years of club control remaining after this season. Miller, 26, is generally untouchable in the ninth inning and in two seasons as A’s closer has nailed down 48 of 54 save opportunities, an 89% conversion rate on par with Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera.
The cost? It’s huge. De Vries is the most significant international signing the Padres have had this decade, no small honor, and he’s consistently been challenged – and succeeded – at levels where the average player is four to five years older than him. Put simply: Not many 17-year-olds flash power and speed in stateside A ball and go on to the Arizona Fall League, as De Vries did in 2024.
While Miller’s controllable years mean the Padres can flip him in future seasons for either immediate help or to galvanize their system, it still stings to trade a potential (likely?) franchise player for a reliever.
Athletics grade: A
The deal begs one dark question: Will any of their young stars make it to Las Vegas, should they ever complete their ballpark there?
It’s yet another step back at the big league level for the A’s in a five-year cycle of utter desiccation that hastened their move from Oakland. And it’s perhaps not a coincidence that Miller was dealt months before he entered the first of four years of salary arbitration.
Shane Bieber trade grades
Toronto Blue Jays receive RHP Shane Bieber; Cleveland Guardians receive RHP Khai Stephen.
Blue Jays grade: A-
Toronto is going for it! Bieber, the 2020 Cy Young winner, still hasn’t pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery early in 2023 and hit some speedbumps in his rehab but the Blue Jays get a high-upside starter who is under team control through next year. Bieber has a $16 million team option (with a $4 million buyout) for 2026, which could end up looking like a steal.
Guardians grade: B+
Bieber gets traded before making his Cleveland return, a huge bummer for fans 30-year-old right-hander who was drafted by the organization in 2016. A second-round pick last year, Stephen was considered one of the Blue Jays’ top five prospects and is 9-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 91 ⅔ innings across three levels this season, currently in Class AA. Unfortunate that the Guardians had to let him go, but a nice return in the one-for-one swap.
Paul Sewald trade grades
Detroit Tigers receive RHP Paul Sewald; Cleveland Guardians receive player to be named later.
Tigers grade: B+
Sewald is injured and expected to return in September, so this is a move the Tigers are making for October. The 35-year-old had a 4.70 ERA in 18 games this season, but his underlying numbers look better than that with a 4.07 FIP, 1.174 WHIP and 4.5 strikeouts per walk.
Guardians grade: B
PTBNL for an injured reliever? Why not.
Eugenio Suárez
trade grades
Mariners grade: B+
They got the top hitter available and it’s telling that the Mariners liked Suárez enough to bring him back after less than two years apart – despite his struggles in Seattle. That puts a ton of pressure on the slugger who is a free agent after the season. Mariners third basemen have totaled just five home runs and 35 RBIs this season, bottom-five in the majors in both categories, so it’s a move they had to make.
Diamondbacks grade: B+
Pretty good return, plucking three of Seattle’s top 20 prospects in Locklear (No. 9), Cranton (16) and Burgos (17). Locklear, 24, will likely find himself getting a run-out in Arizona’s lineup sooner rather than later. The first baseman made his big-league debut last season and has nothing left to prove in the minors (.316/.401/.552, 19 HR, 82 RBis in Class AAA).
Jhoan Duran trade grades
Philadelphia Phillies receive RHP Jhoan Duran; Minnesota Twins receive C Eduardo Tait, RHP Mick Abel
Phillies grade: A
Dave Dombrowski seized on his opportunity to get 2½ years of one of the best relievers in baseball in exchange for just a pair of prospects. It’s a huge addition for the Phillies, with Duran presumably assuming the ninth-inning role and taking a ton of pressure off the club’s other high-leverage guys. Philadelphia has the 27-year-old flamethrower under team control through 2027.
Twins grade: C-
It’s hard to believe that this is the best return the Twins could have gotten for the most desirable reliever on the market. That said, Tait is only 18 years old and rising fast on prospect boards, while Abel is a good candidate for a post-hype bounce back.
Ke’Bryan Hayes trade grades
Cincinnati Reds receive 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes; Pittsburgh Pirates receive LHP Taylor Rogers, SS Sammy Stafura
Reds grade: C+
Surprising move for Cincinnati, which is buying fairly low on Hayes, who remains one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. Maybe Hayes will benefit from a move to Great American Ball Park, one of MLB’s most hitter-friendly parks? It’s certainly a lower-risk move for the Reds taking on the remainder of Hayes’ salary – $30 million from 2026-2029 plus a $6 million buyout for 2030 – but third base isn’t usually a position that you’re willing to sacrifice offense at.
Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said Hayes “might be the best defender in baseball,” but wasn’t as bullish on his new third baseman’s bat. “We know where the hitting has been,” Francona said. “Sometimes a change of scenery − I don’t want to get too far ahead because I’ve barely talked to him but he seems excited and we’re excited to have him and see where it goes.”
Pirates grade: B
It’s naive to believe the Pirates will seriously reinvest the Hayes savings into winning games in the years to come, but the club cleared itself of a long-term deal with a guy who didn’t turn out to be what they expected. Credit where it’s due for Pittsburgh investing in Hayes with an eight-year, $70 million extension back in 2022 – and maybe they’re giving up too early on the 28-year-old at a low annual cost – but the deal nets $36 million in savings after the 2025 season. That said, the Pirates probably could have gotten a better return this winter.
When is the 2025 MLB trade deadline?
The MLB trade deadline is at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31.
What time is the MLB trade deadline?
The 2025 MLB trade deadline falls at 6 p.m. ET.
