There was one powerful trade during last week’s Major League Baseball Trade Deadline. Some two-time Cy Young pitcher was dealt to a no-name team competing for three consecutive World Series titles.
Although that move generated the most buzz, 41 other trades were made before the 6:00 pm cutoff last Monday. And many more teams, besides the Los Angeles Dodgers, got quietly better and improved their chance to compete this October.
Pirates Add to Their Crew
The Pittsburgh Pirates, at last, went in for the 2026 season and have sailed around .500 through July. Approaching the Trade Deadline, the club needed to put all attention towards pitching, and specifically the bullpen.
The Pirates added relievers Camilo Doval and Kirby Yates, but obtained the best bullpen arm on the market in Luke Weaver.
Weaver, 31, has the fourth-lowest ERA of qualified relievers in the National League. Since transitioning to the bullpen in 2024, he has been a preeminent utility arm, helping from middle innings to closing games.
The Pirates can use Weaver as a closer, and possibly set up a platoon situation with Gregory Soto. Soto has the innings and strikeouts, but Weaver bests him in ERA and walks.
All in all, Pittsburgh has the tenth-lowest bullpen ERA in the NL amid a postseason push. There are four established contenders in the NL, leaving the final two wild card spots up for grabs. Weaver will be an immense pickup for this club and potentially snap what’s holding them back.
Yankees Gain Young Power
The New York Yankees could’ve won the Trade Deadline with a quieter move on Sunday afternoon. The Bronx acquired 26-year-old slugger Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals in a tremendous move for this lineup.
Garcia Jr. has had a breakout season in the nation’s capital and held the NL’s highest SLG before switching leagues. However, his game isn’t one-dimensional, with 24 home runs and a .283 average.
His above-par batting average is great for a Yankees lineup that has the third-lowest average in all of baseball. While New York awaits Aaron Judge’s return from injury, any boost will be beneficial towards the number of home runs already hit by this team.
Not to mention, Garcia Jr.’s lefty-pull swing tendencies will thrive at Yankee Stadium’s short right field wall. Twenty-two of his 24 home runs this year have been hit to right field, and advanced metrics show he’d have more homers if he were hitting in New York all season.
This trade also gives the Yankees lineup more security for the near future. Garcia Jr. is under contract and will be in New York’s control for this season and all of 2027.
He has played first base in every game with them so far, shifting Ben Rice over to designated hitter. Garcia Jr. alters the lineup to give the best Yankees hitters the most at-bats. This will upgrade the offense, all while anticipating its centerpiece.
Guardians Get Foster Griffin
The small-market Cleveland Guardians almost never buy at the deadline. That said, being half a game out of the playoffs and within four of the division incentivized the Guardians to add in the only way they know how.
Cleveland sent a haul of four prospects to the Nationals in return for southpaw starter Foster Griffin. Washington signed the unknown Griffin to a one-year deal in the offseason that paid off immensely. They were able to capitalize on the All-Star and sell high in a win-win deal for both clubs involved.
Griffin brings unique experience into Cleveland’s rotation. He becomes the oldest starting pitcher among the group, yet with some of the least MLB experience. After making his debut in 2020, Griffin departed for three years in Japan to play in Nippon Professional Baseball. He came back to Major League Baseball last winter and now finds himself fighting for the playoffs in Cleveland.
Griffin’s been one of the most under-the-radar pitchers all year, with a 3.06 ERA. He carves up left-handed batters and has one of the best fastballs in the game. What separates him, however, is that he diverges from the velocity craze of today’s game. His fastball sits at 91 mph and has only allowed a .197 average off it all year.
This trade reinforces an already strong Guardians’ pitching staff. Although the Chicago White Sox seem cumbersome to pass in the AL Central, last year Cleveland erased a 11-game deficit in 20 days. And with this addition, you can never really count them out.
Rays Solidify as Contenders
The Tampa Bay Rays missed out on their golden goose trade target, Luis Arraez. But they got a satisfactory, far cheaper replacement instead.
Tampa Bay acquired 27-year-old catcher Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins on Monday. Hicks is in his second major league season and has increased every facet of his swing in 2026, slashing a .282/.364 /.432.
This move supplies a massive offensive upgrade at catcher, one of the few positions that needed to be addressed. Hicks advances Tampa Bay’s small ball, with excellent strikeout numbers and a positive batting average. He is within the top two percent of the lowest strikeout rates in Major League Baseball.
The Rays comfortably hold the best record in the American League and are a few offensive elements away from being a complete team. Pitching outperforms the lineup right now, so any addition to weed out a weaker position will help decisively.
Hicks has first base experience as well, opening platoon options with Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda. This roster is constructed with healthy right-left splits, leaving any opposing pitching matchup on their toes. Hicks has been slotted into the cleanup spot in the order, potentially the final piece in the Rays’ World Series aspirations.
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