It’s officially deadline day in baseball. The trade market has been slow to heat up this season, but there were finally some major moves pulled off Wednesday with the Phillies acquiring Twins closer Jhoan Duran, the Mets trading for Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley and more. It seems we’ve moved past the quiet into the storm.
We’ll grade every major move in the hours leading up to the deadline as teams take advantage of their last chance to make significant upgrades ahead of the stretch run.
Astros Reunite With World Series Champ in Deal With Twins
Astros acquire: INF Carlos Correa
Twins acquire: LHP Matt Mikulski, $30 million
Carlos Correa is headed back to Houston in a deal that reunites him with the team he won a World Series with in 2017. The Astros, currently sitting at 62–47 and leading the American League West, sent lefty pitching prospect Matt Mikulski along with $30 million cash to Minnesota in exchange for the veteran, who will shift to third base for the first time in his career to fill in for the injured Isaac Paredes.
The trade of Correa bookended what was a complete teardown for the Twins, who shipped out nearly a dozen players at the deadline. Dealing the 30-year-old was a salary dump more than anything, as they’re now out from under the remaining three-plus years of the six-year, $200 million contract he signed in 2023.
Astros grade: A-
Twins grade: C+
Padres, Land O’Hearn, Laureano From Orioles in Massive Deal
Padres acquire: OF Ramon Laureano, 1B/DH Ryan O’Hearn
Orioles acquire: LHP Boston Bateman, RHP Tanner Smith, INF Cobb Hightower, INF/OF Victor Figuero, RHP Tyson Neighbors, INF Bandon Butterworth
A.J. Preller doesn’t stop. The Padres general manager finally upgraded his lineup with a positively massive deal. Left field has been brutal for the Padres this season and they get a major upgrade in Ramon Laureano. The 31-year-old is slashing .290/.355/.529 with 15 home runs, 46 RBIs and a 144 wRC+. He has a cheap team option for 2026. O’Hearn is having a breakout campaign, slashing .283/.334/.427 with 15 home runs, 59 RBIs and a 134 wRC+. He will be a free agent after the season.
In return, the Orioles got a boatload of prospects, headline by Bateman, a 19-year-old 6’ 8” lefty who was a second-round pick in 2024. He has good velocity, a great curveball and earns top marks for his makeup. He’s the Padres No. 4 prospect. Hightower is the Padres’ No. 6 prospect., he was their third-rounder in 2024 and had team evaluators excited about his bat-to-ball ability and overall game. Neighbors looks like a future closer, Butterworth has been a breakout prospect this year, and Figueroa has a 1.008 OPS at two levels this season. There’s a lot to like about this return. The Padres filled big lineup needs and the Orioles got back an impressive haul.
Padres grade: B+
Orioles grade: A-
Padres Pay Hefty Price For Catching Upgrade
Padres acquire: C Freddy Fermin
Royals acquire: SP Stephen Kolek, SP Ryan Bergert
The Padres have needed to improve their catching situation all season, with Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado leading a group that has combined to produce -1.7 WAR in 2025. They were desperate for help, so they landed Fermin from the Royals. That said, he may not be much help. The 30-year-old veteran backup is slashing .355/.309/.339 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 67 games this season. He has produced 1.2 WAR in that time, which is an upgrade over San Diego’s current pairing.
Unfortunately for the Padres, to make the deal they had to surrender two young starting pitchers with a ton of team control. Kolek transitioned to a starting role from the bullpen and has been solid this season. The 28-year-old is 4–5 with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Bergert debuted this season and the 25-year-old has been surprisingly effective. In 11 appearances (seven starts) he’s 1–0 with a 2.78 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 35 ⅔ innings.
The fact that the Royals turned a light-hitting backup catcher into two backend starting pitchers is a big win.
Padres grade: C-
Royals grade: B+
Mets Fill Centerfield Void With Cedric Mullins Trade
Mets acquire: CF Cedric Mullins
Orioles acquire: RHP Anthony Nunez, RHP Raimon Gomez, RHP Chandler Marsh
The April injury to Jose Siri left a void in center field that the Mets struggled to fill, as New York’s center fielders have amassed -0.2 WAR, 17th in MLB. Enter Mullins, who has belted 15 home runs, swiped 14 bases and has rated as an above-average center fielder defensively in Statcast’s Outs Above Average. He figures to slot in towards the bottom of the Mets batting order, which has been unproductive thanks to injuries and inconsistencies. And the best part? Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns didn’t have to surrender any top-10 prospects to import the speedy outfielder.
Meanwhile, while it’s fair to wonder if Baltimore’s prospect return was a bit paltry, it’s also true that Mullins’s early-season struggles made it seem unlikely that he’d be dealt come July, But the Orioles’ front office was able to net three prospects—righthanders Anthony Nunez, Raimon Gomez and Chandler Marsh—all relievers who have showcased the ability to miss bats at various levels. While they’ll all need to polish their control of the strike zone, the Orioles have addressed the farm system’s biggest weakness: its pitching.
Mets grade: A-
Orioles grade: B-
Yankees Land Bednar in Trade With Pirates
Yankees acquire: RP David Bednar
Twins acquire: C/1B Rafael Flores, C Edgleen Perez, OF Brian Sanchez
The Yankees' bullpen has been utterly atrocious of late, so bringing in a steady arm like Bednar is a move the team simply couldn't afford to miss out on. They'll part ways with some valued prospects, but Bednar should give them the reliable option in late innings that they've been lacking in their current tandem of Luke Weaver and Devin Williams.
This move was a necessity for the Yankees. It didn't come cheaply, but the market for relief pitching is absurdly high at this point, so no deal for a quality late-innings pitcher would've been easy to pull off. New York gets one of the best relievers in the sport and holds onto all of its top five prospects in the process. Not bad at all.
It feels as if the Pirates could've gotten a slightly improved haul for Bednar, though adding two of New York's top 15 prospects is certainly solid for a reliever with only one additional season of control. It certainly addresses an area of need for the Pirates, who, despite drafting Henry Davis with the No. 1 pick in 2021, are without a single catching prospect inside their top 20, per MLB Pipeline.
Yankees grade: A-
Pirates grade: B+
Phillies Add Much-Needed Right-Handed Bat
Phillies acquire: OF Harrison Bader
Twins acquire: OF Hendry Mendez. RHP Geremy Villoria
The Philadelphia Phillies addressed their biggest trade deadline need at the beginning on Thursday when they landed Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran to shore up the back-end of the bullpen. After getting one deadline deal done with Minnesota, Philadelphia figured they’d go back to the well and trade for a much-needed outfield bat in Harrison Bader. In return, the Phillies sent two more prospects back to Minnesota in outfielder Hendry Mendez and RHP Geremy Villoria.
The 31-year-old Bader was one of the biggest outfield bats on the market this year, as he’s slashed .258/.339/.439 with a 111 OPS+ and 12 home runs in 96 games this season. While he has served primarily as the starting left fielder in Minnesota, he’s likely to support the Phillies’ outfield in a platoon role given his penchant of mashing left-handed pitching in his career. The fit between Bader and Philadelphia was an obvious one when it became apparent that the Twins were selling, and this seems like a tailor-made fit for both parties as the Phillies pursue a World Series.
As for Minnesota, given the interest in Bader on the open market, the Twins did well on their return here in landing Mendez, who was a top-20 prospect in the Philadelphia system, along with a developmental arm in Villoria.
Phillies grade: A
Twins grade: B+
Padres Sell the Farm for Mason Miller
Padres acquire: RP Mason Miller, SP JP Sears
Athletics acquire: SS Leodalis De Vries, P Braden Nett, P Henry Báez, P Eduarniel Nuñez
The Padres have never been afraid to make a deal at the deadline, and their move on Thursday was as bold as they come.
San Diego parted ways with shortstop Leodalis De Vries—the top prospect in their farm system and the No. 3 prospect in all of MLB—in order to add another phenomenal relief arm in Miller, and a serviceable starting arm in Sears.
Like any other trade, if the move works and the Padres make a run, all will be forgiven. Also, it’s possible that this move looks a bit different by the end of the day depending on what other moves the Padres decide to make at the deadline as one of the teams in the murky position of being both buyers and sellers.
All that said, the Athletics landed two of the Padres top three and four of the Padres top 20 prospects. For a team that is far from looking to contend right now, it’s a move for the future, and a good one. The Athletics are gearing up for their big move to Las Vegas, and putting themselves is a good position to make a splash when they open up their new home.
Padres grade: C-
Athletics grade: A+
Eugenio Suarez Boomerangs Back to the Mariners
Mariners acquire: 3B Eugenio Suarez
Diamondbacks acquire: 1B Tyler Locklear, P Hunter Cranton, P Juan Burgos
The rise of Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh as a league-leading slugger is one of the biggest surprises of the baseball year, and one that has Seattle right in the thick of the playoff hunt.
Already with a solid starting rotation, the Mariners decided to add another bat to the lineup, bringing back third baseman Eugenio Suarez in a trade with the Diamondbacks just a little over a year after shipping him off to Arizona. He was the best bat on the market, and the fact that he’s already familiar with the Diamondbacks organization comes as a bonus.
Giving up three players for a rental is never risk-free, but the Mariners by no means raided their own farm system to pull this deal off, and with Seattle clearly down to strike while the iron and Raleigh’s bat are both hot, this was an easy move to make—the Mariners wanted another bat, and got the best one on the market.
Mariners grade: A
Diamondbacks grade: B-
Phillies Address Biggest Need at Steep Price
Phillies acquire: RP Jhoan Duran
Twins acquire: SP Mick Abel, C Eduardo Tait
The Philadelphia Phillies added a major piece to the back end of their bullpen, agreeing to acquire standout closer Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins in a blockbuster trade on Wednesday.
The Phillies haven't had a true closer this season, splitting the role between various late-innings relievers including Jordan Romero, Jose Alvarado and Matt Strahm, all of whom have six or more saves. Duran provides them with a stable closer and a dependable option in the ninth inning, having enjoyed a sensational 2025 season.
It wasn't a cheap trade for Philadelphia to execute, though. The Twins were able to pry two of their top prospects away in exchange for Duran, acquiring catcher Eduardo Tait and right-handed starting pitcher Mick Abel.
Abel, 23, has already pitched in the majors this season and has shown flashes of brilliance in his first taste of the big leagues. He's the No. 6 prospect in Philadelphia's farm system, per MLB Pipeline, and should develop into a solid MLB starter. Though he had a 5.04 ERA in his first six starts, he was sensational in his debut, striking out nine batters while surrendering five hits and no runs against the Padres. His upside his high, and he won't be as under as much pressure to perform right away with the Twins not contending just yet.
As for Tait, he's the Phillies' No. 4 prospect and while he's still a few years from making his debut in MLB, he certainly seems promising at age 18. At Single A and A+ ball, Tait has a .753 OPS with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs across 82 games, while boasting a great arm behind the plate.
The price was steep, but Philadelphia managed to hold onto prized pitching prospect Andrew Painter. Duran is electric, with a flamethrower of an arm and a pristine 2.01 ERA with 16 saves on the year. He's struck out 53 batters in 49 1/3 innings and has surrendered just one home run all season. He won't hit free agency until 2028, either, so the Phillies now have themselves a closer for the present, and for the future.
Minnesota's farm system was lacking a top right-handed pitching prospect, and they received just that in Abel, as well as a developmental piece in Tait who could potentially be an everyday catcher in the majors down the line.
Phillies grade: A-
Twins grade: B+
Mets Overhaul Their Bullpen With Two Deadline Deals
Mets acquire: RP Tyler Rogers, RP Ryan Helsley
Giants acquire: RP Jose Butto, OF Drew Gilbert, P Blade Tidwell
Cardinals acquire: SS Jesus Baez, P Nate Dohm, P Frank Elissalt
While this was technically two different deals, we’re going to examine them as one large move the Mets made in order to overhaul their rotation of relievers ahead of closer Edwin Diaz.
The Mets are landing plenty of talent. Rogers, a submariner, is enjoying what might be his best season in the big leagues. He's 4-3 with a 1.80 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts against only four walks in 50 innings. He gets people out.
Meanwhile, Helsley is the reigning NL Reliever of the Year, and while he hasn't reached the same highs this season, he still sports a solid 3.00 ERA, alongside a 1.39 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts in 36 innings.
Both moves will undoubtedly add some much-needed firepower to the Mets bullpen, but New York had to give up a good amount of talented prospects in order to pull off the two deals, both of which are rentals with Rogers and Helsley set to become free agents after the year.
We won’t know the true value of this deal until either the Mets make a run at the World Series, or some of the prospects they parted ways with start making an impact in the big leagues. For now, it feels like a pretty solid deadline deal for all parties involved.
Mets grade: B
Giants grade: B+
Cardinals grade: B+