The 2025 MLB Trade Deadline has officially passed.
Leading up to a few days before the deadline, it was quiet; not many moves were made.
But once the clock was ticking and the deadline was getting closer, a whirlwind of trades occurred, with many teams beginning to sell due to a rough first half, and many buyers who looked to add to their roster to compete for a playoff spot and a World Series.
The main targets for this deadline were not big names to begin with, a lot of depth pieces, bullpen arms, and a few bats.
But a few teams decided to make some big splashes to help bolster their roster for the rest of this season and the future.
Here are eight major headlines from the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline:
8. The Chicago Cubs Add Depth Throughout The Roster
Main Acquisitions: Utility Willi Castro, RP Taylor Rogers, SP Michael Soroka
The Cubs stayed quiet throughout the deadline by flying under the radar, making moves to fill some much-needed depth to their pitching staff and lineup while holding onto their top prospects, only sending away their 13th, 14th, and 30th-ranked prospects.
Headlined by acquiring super utility man Willi Castro from the Minnesota Twins, Castro will provide a switch-hitting bat to the lineup, as well as being able to play five different positions, giving manager Craig Counsell a lot of flexibility with inserting Castro into one of the top lineups in baseball. Castro currently has a .245 AVG, 10 HRs, with a .743 OPS.
The Cubs also acquired 34-year-old Taylor Rogers, who can provide some much-needed help as a setup arm in the bullpen. Adding Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals will give the Cubs a solid 3rd starter in the rotation behind Shota Imanaga, and 2025 All-Star Matthew Boyd. If Soroka, who’s only 27, can find his 2019 All-Star form before dealing with major injuries, he can be a great rotation starter for the Cubs.
Overall, the Cubs currently sit one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central race with a 63-45 record, and are at the top of the Wild Card in the NL. Rounding up their lineup with solid depth pieces can become a huge factor down the road, heading into the postseason.
7. The Toronto Blue Jays Get Some Much-Needed Pitching Help
Main Acquisitions: SP Shane Bieber, RP Seranthony Dominguez, RP Louis Varland
The Jays went into the deadline needing to bring in some arms to help maintain their lead in the AL East and make a postseason run, and GM Ross Atkins was able to do so in a way many Jays fans did not expect.
The club first acquired one of the top relievers on the market, Seranthony Dominguez, from the Baltimore Orioles. Dominguez can be brought into high-leverage situations and relies on five different pitches, topping out at 98 MPH, with his sinker and four-seam fastball. Dominguez also brings postseason experience, which the Jays’ bullpen lacks, as he played a huge role for the Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen in 2022 when they made the World Series.
The Jays then proceeded to acquire two names that were unexpected in Shane Bieber and Louis Varland. Bieber, a former CY Young winner who has been sidelined since the start of last season due to needing Tommy John surgery, is currently rehabbing in the minors. This move down the road can be a great move for the Jays, giving Bieber time to come back slowly near the end of the season and regain his former dominance as he can play a huge piece as a possible ace for this rotation that is in need of one. Adding Louis Varland to the bullpen is a great addition, as Varland is having the best season of his young MLB career with a 2.02 ERA in 49 innings pitched, and has high velocity on all five of his pitches.
A solid deadline for the Jays to obtain depth for their pitching staff, as the best team in the league in July looks to keep the momentum going towards the end of the regular season, into the playoffs.
6. A Reunion In Houston, Carlos Correa Makes His Return To The Astros
Main Acquisitions: SS Carlos Correa, OF Jesús Sánchez
The Houston Astros are inevitable; they are 62-47 and are once again first in the AL West with a four-and-a-half game lead over the Seattle Mariners. But this season, the Astros have been plagued by the injury bug, with currently 16 players on the IL, the team looked at the deadline for reinforcements.
The Astros acquired from the Minnesota Twins, Carlos Correa, one of the best players in their franchise history, who spent his first seven years with the club. Correa will reprise his role at shortstop until Jeremy Peña returns from the IL, where he then may shift to third base, to replace Isaac Paredes, who’s also on the IL. Correa may not be at the same level during his first Astros tenure, but he will play a vital role for the club down the line. He has an up and down season with only seven homers and a batting .267 AVG and a .704 OPS. A change a scenery along with a competitive organization can bring back a spark for Correa.
The Astros also brought in Jesús Sánchez in a trade with the Miami Marlins. Sánchez is having one of the best seasons of his career, posting a .256 AVG, .740 OPS, and has 10 homers, along with 36 RBIs and has improved on the defensive end. He can be a key piece for the club that is in need of help in the outfield.
These two moves may be all the Astros need, as they look to maintain their lead in the division and look for redemption from last year’s postseason.
5. The New York Yankees Bolster Their Bullpen
Main Acquisitions: RP David Bednar, RP Camilo Doval
The month of July was a whirlwind for the Yankees, posting a 12-12 record, losing their lead in the division to the Jays, and Aaron Judge suffering an injury. But there was a clear need going into the deadline, adding to the bullpen, which recorded the worst ERA in the league in July with a 6.27.
First trading for one of the top relievers on the market, David Bednar from the Pirates, in exchange for three prospects, which included their 8th and 14th-ranked prospects. Bednar, 30, is a former two-time All-Star, and after a rough 2024 season, has bounced back in 2025, posting a 2.37 ERA, a WHIP of 1.105, along with 17 saves, making him one of the most sought-after players ahead of the deadline.
Then, in a trade with the San Francisco Giants, the club got Camilo Doval, parting with two more top 25 prospects in the process. Another former All-Star, Doval, can provide another arm that the Yankees can utilize in high-leverage situations. Doval has 15 saves on the year, also has brought all his major statistics down from 2024. If he brings back his 2023 calibre of pitching, it would be a huge addition for the Yankees.
These additions are what the Yankees needed as the bullpen looks to bounce back after a rough month of July.
4. The Philadelphia Phillies Get Their Closer, Jhoan Durán
Main Acquisition: Jhoan Durán
After losing their closer, José Alvarado, the Phillies needed to find an everyday shutdown closer. A player that they can rely on in the 9th inning to shut down the other team’s offence. They got that guy, one of the best closers in baseball, flamethrower, Jhoan Durán.
In a blockbuster trade that the Phillies sent not one, but two of MLB’s top 100 prospects (No. 56 and No. 93) to the Minnesota Twins, Durán is now the full-time closer for the Phillies. A shutdown closer with a 2.01 ERA and 16 saves in 2025, that is a flamethrower, with his four-seamer average at 100.2 MPH, along with mixing a split finger, knuckle curve, and a sweeper.
Durán will be a pivotal piece on how far the Phillies can go, as they hold the second wild-card spot and are one game behind the New York Mets for the division lead in the NL East.
3. The Seattle Mariners Round Out Their Corner Infield
Main Acquisitions: 3B Eugenio Suárez, 1B Josh Naylor
The Seattle Mariners are going all in making as they are making a push for the playoffs, acquiring two power-hitting bats, both from the Arizona Diamondbacks, in two separate trades: Josh Naylor and the top bat on the market, Eugenio Suárez, making his return to Seattle.
Suárez is in the midst of being one of the best power hitters in all of baseball, sitting in 5th in the majors with 36 homers, along with being 2nd in RBIs with 87, only behind his teammate Cal Raleigh. Suárez has also improved his strikeout percentage, having his lowest since 2018. All these factors made him the prime target at the deadline, as he hits free agency at the end of the season.
Naylor is electric. A player who brings high energy and intensity onto the baseball field that is made for the postseason, and it shows in his offence. After a career year in 2024, Naylor has had a very small decline in 2025 in terms of power and runs produced. Hitting 12 homers with 60 RBIs, Naylor has proven he can still be an important piece in a lineup as he has taken a major improvement to his batting average to .288 and his OPS, .798, compared to 2024, showcasing that he can still bring power but also can get on base more often.
These two moves help round out the Mariners’ lineup, giving them more firepower to their top 5 in their lineup, as Naylor and Suárez will find themselves batting behind the MVP frontrunner Cal Raleigh and will look to make a major impact down the stretch for the Mariners’ offence.
2. The New York Mets Are Building The Best Bullpen In Baseball
Main Acquisitions: RP Gregory Soto, RP Tyler Rodgers, RP Ryan Helsley
The Mets made it clear what they needed to bring in at the deadline, similar to their cross-town rival. The Mets added three key arms to their bullpen.
First, getting Gregory Soto from the Orioles, a lefty arm, who relies on a mix of a sinker, slider, four-seam combo, and tops out at 97 MPH, gives the Mets a lefty they can bring out of the bullpen in a situation where a lefty is up to bat. The former two-time All-Star in 2025 has a 3.79 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 46 strikeouts.
Next trading for Tyler Rodgers from the Giants, a 34-year-old veteran who is known for his weird pitching style, is having the best season of his career, and is one of the top set-up relievers in baseball. Rodgers has an ERA of 1.80 and a WHIP of 0.86 in 50 innings in 2025.
Finally, trading one of the top closers on the market from the St. Louis Cardinals, Ryan Helsley. In 2024, Hesley one one of the best closers in baseball and led the league in saves with 49, and in 2025 has not slowed down with 21 currently to go along with a 3.00 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. Hesley relies on a combo of a four-seam fastball, which averages 99.3 MPH and a slider, with a mix of a curveball and cutter. Hesley gives the Mets another option to close out a ball game.
These three additions can be huge pieces for the Mets as they have a 62-47 record and look to lock up the NL East, and look to make some noise once again in the postseason after falling short to the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year’s NLCS.
1. The San Diego Padres Go All In, Once Again
Main Acquisitions: RP Mason Miller, DH Ryan O’Hearn
The Padres and GM A.J. Preller once again have proven that they are in win-now mode and willing to make any trade to do so. On July 31st, the Padres made five trades, which saw a total of 10 of their top 30 prospects get dealt, including sending the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball, SS Leo De Vries, to the Athletics in a complete blockbuster for the young 26-year-old electric closer, Mason Miller.
Miller, who is now under team control throughout the 2029 season, in only his second full season, has proven he can be a top closer in baseball. His rookie year saw him record a 2.49 ERA, 28 saves, with a 0.87 WHIP and an All-Star selection. This season, Miller’s numbers are up slightly, but this is a future investment for the Padres as Miller will be their closer for many seasons to come. Miller possesses a four-seamer that touches 101.1 MPH, one of the fastest in the league, while also mixing in a slider. Miller, who was deemed “untouchable” by the Athletics, couldn’t pass up the big-time offer from Preller.
The Padres also made the move to trade for 2025 All-Star starter Ryan O’Hearn, who was having a career season on the Orioles. With a batting average of .283, an OPS of .837, along with 13 homers, 43 RBIs, and a 2.4 WAR, O’Hearn was a big standout on a struggling Orioles team. He will be able to provide offence and be a weapon after the top of the lineup bats, and can come up with clutch hits in big games down the stretch. An overall great move by the Padres to add depth to their lineup.
The Padres are a team that wants to win and needs to keep up with their division rivals, the Dodgers. They have proven to make big splashes to keep up with the rest of the top teams in the NL, but it all won’t matter if they don’t come out on top. They currently sit three games back of the NL West lead, and hold onto the last wild-card spot. Trading away top talent for proven MLB players has come back to bite them before, but if they get a World Series, it all won’t matter.