MLB Trade Deadline Winners

Zach Eflin #24 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the second inning during game one of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland on July 29, 2024. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

The Major League Baseball Trade Deadline for 2024 was 6 p.m. ET on July 30. Teams that wanted to bolster their playoff position, improve their postseason prayers, and give themselves even a fighting chance of making a run had to get busy to take care of their needs before the cutoff.

The trading started a week before the deadline, but a deadline adds pressure to front offices to make a move. The trades were coming fast and furious until after the deadline had passed when medicals were cleared, and things became official around baseball.

There were teams that did well and others that struggled to make a move. Four teams’ moves stood out as the best this year, with a few honorable mentions for strong deals. Here are some MLB trade deadline winners for this year.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are the team to beat (for now) in the American League East, and they got better. On July 26, they traded a package of three prospects for right-handed starter Zach Eflin, who was terrific in his first start for Baltimore over the weekend. Earlier that day, they acquired a reliever, Seranthony Domínguez, and outfield defensive depth in Christian Pache from the Phillies for outfielder Austin Hays.

They were able to land a solid left-handed arm in Trevor Rodgers from the Marlins—who comes with two more years of control—for a good price; Miami received prospects Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers. They moved two more prospects to get left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from the Phillies. And then they surprised a little with the addition of DH Eloy Jiménez from the White Sox for a pitching prospect.

The Orioles traded away a handful of their top-20 prospects without touching the top of their list—which is significant. But they got guys who help them chase their ultimate goal now at the expense of pieces they could afford to move because of organizational depth. That’s what you do when you’re chasing glory in October.

Seattle Mariners

No general manager in the game liked to make a deal more than Seattle’s Jerry DiPoto, and he was busy on the phone early and often leading up to the trade deadline.

Four days before the trade deadline, the first big-name deal went down. The Seattle Mariners, who are dealing with a list of significant injuries, pulled the trigger on a deal to get outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays for a pair of prospects. Arozarena was a postseason hero in Tampa during their World Series run. The Mariners now hope he can bring some energy to their lineup as they continue to close the gap in the American League West.

The Mariners then sent a couple of prospects to Toronto for right-hander Yimi García to help their bullpen down the stretch.

Seattle did move first baseman Ty France to Cincinnati for a catching prospect on Monday. France was designated for assignment by the Mariners before the weekend, an indication they were moving on from the 30-year-old. They replaced him at first base with the addition of veteran Justin Turner from the Toronto Blue Jays—a second trade between the two teams.

Philadelphia Phillies

On Friday, two teams with legitimate postseason aspirations made an intriguing trade. The Philadelphia Phillies acquired Hays from the Orioles for Dominguez and Pache. In the deal, the Phillies get a power bat for their outfield—a need—and the Orioles add some depth to their bullpen while adding a plus defensive outfielder for depth.

On Saturday, the Phillies again bolstered their bullpen, acquiring right-hander Carlos Estévez for two prospects (neither of whom ranked higher than 23 on the MLB Pipeline). Just before the deadline on Tuesday, they were also able to add left-handed reliever Tanner Banks from the White Sox for a decent prospect. Banks is under control through 2028, which is significant.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Yeah, we’ll stay in Pennsylvania for our other winner in the National League. The Pirates were a question mark coming into the deadline because, well, they almost never add before the trade deadline. In fact, we’re used to them being sellers. But the arrival of Paul Skenes has apparently changed their thinking.

The Bucs needed offensive help, and they were able to get it in a couple of deals. Pittsburgh got outfielder Bryan De La Cruz from Miami for two of their top 20 prospects after getting infielder/outfielder Nick Yorke from the Red Sox earlier in the weekend.

Pittsburgh also added some depth to their bullpen, landing left-hander Josh Walker from the Mets and left-handed Jalen Beeks from the Rockies.

Other Winners

The Dodgers did what they do: they landed key players to help them try to win a World Series. The biggest move on the deadline day was LA getting right-handed starter Jack Flaherty from Detroit. But they also helped their bullpen with Michael Kopech from the White Sox and added some defensive depth pieces in Tommy Edman, Amed Rosario, and Kevin Kiermaier.

The Royals did nicely in adding sneaky-good right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg from the A’s and a depth power bat in Paul DeJong from the White Sox. The Erceg deal did cost Kansas City their No. 4 prospect, right-hander Mason Barnett, but they have pitching for days in their system right now.

The Cubs were fascinating. They were thought to be sellers and were able to land a couple of nice prospects for Mark Leiter, Jr., before the deadline. Earlier in the weekend, they made a splash, acquiring third baseman Isaac Paredes from Tampa for a package that included Christopher Morel. They also added Nate Pearson to their bullpen from Toronto.

The Cardinals got a useful rotation piece (Erick Fedde) and an outfield bat (Tommy Pham) from the White Sox in a deal that cost them effectively nothing. Edman, rehabbing from injury, had not played in the majors yet this season, and he went to the Dodgers in the three-team trade. They were also able to find someone (the Rays) to take outfielder Dylan Carlson off their hands.

The Guardians’ landing of Lane Thomas from Washington is a big bat that will help their offense beyond the end of the regular season. They paid a decent price (three prospects), but Thomas is precisely what their lineup needed.