(Updated, 7/30/25)

July is always an extremely exciting month in the world of Major League Baseball as with the month of July comes the MLB Trade Deadline. Teams must decide if they want to sell some pieces from their future to make a move for the current season or if they want to trade away some of their stars to invest in the future of the club.

Buying and selling is always a fascinating decision especially with the expanded playoffs and six teams from each league making the postseason. Teams that might be considered out of the race now have more of a chance thanks to the extra playoff spot so they have a longer leash of deciding to sell. However, the clock is ticking and with the deadline approaching on July 31st at 1pm PST.

This will be a blog-style post with all trades made as we approach the deadline. The most recent trades will be at the top while the older trades will be towards the bottom. Also, this will be for trades this month so the Rafael Devers trade to San Francisco will not be included. Make sure to check back frequently for all off the shake-ups this month around the sport.

July 30th

• New York Mets acquire closer Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for SS Jesus Baez, RHP Nate Dohm, and RHP Frank Elissalt (Jon Heyman, MLB Network)

Just like that the second best closer available is off the board. It feels poetic that the Mets get Ryan Helsley as a response to the Phillies getting Duran as the two teams battle it out for the NL East. St. Louis has struggled since the break and forced their way into being sellers with Helsley being their big chip. The closer is 21 for 26 in his save opportunities and while having a down year, moving into a set-up role for Edwin Diaz gives the Mets a disgusting back end of the bullpen. A fastball that averages 99-mph pairs well with a disgusting slider, which he actually throws more than the heater. New York gives up their #8 and #14 prospects in Baez and Dohm and a nice added piece in Elissalt to the Cardinals who are not far off from being a contender. This could also open the door for the Cardinals to trade Masyn Winn or move he or Baez to a new position.

• Philadelphia Phillies acquire closer Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for C Eduardo Tait and SP Mick Abel (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

BOOM! The biggest domino of the 2025 deadline has fallen as the Phillies have acquired the best closer available for the second consecutive season. Reports were that it was down to Philadelphia and Seattle for Duran but the Phillies #4 and #6 prospects got the deal done. Duran is one of the best closers in the game with a 100+ mph heater and an upper 90s splitter while mixing in a knuckle curve and sweeper. Duran is 16 for 18 in save opportunities this season and is nearly impossible to hit the ball hard against. It took a lot to move Duran as Minnesota didn’t want to completely tear down their bullpen and will likely keep Griffin Jax now. In return, Minnesota gets two top 100 prospects in the sport as they bring in their catcher of the future in Eduardo Tait who has already improved tremendously defensively to go along with his great offense. Mick Abel made his MLB debut earlier this season and is ready to step into the Twins rotation for what could be a tremendous top three with Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez as soon as next season.

• Seattle Mariners acquire LHP Caleb Ferguson from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for RHP Jeter Martinez (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

Seattle adds a lefty to a bullpen and really pitching staff that is dominated by right-handers. Caleb Ferguson is a rental that doesn’t cost the Mariners much and his 3.74 ERA over 43 1/3 innings will be a nice addition as Seattle adds supplementary pieces to their bullpen. With only one home run allowed this season, expect to see Ferguson in a mid-innings role for the M’s. Pittsburgh gets back Jeter Martinez who is the #13 prospect in the Mariners organization. With so many starting pitchers, Martinez was more than likely a trade chip but is struggling in Single-A this season with a 6.18 ERA. Pittsburgh could use him as a back end of the rotation guy or turn him into a long reliever. 

• New York Mets acquire RHP Tyler Rogers from San Francisco Giants in exchange for RHP José Buttó, RHP Blade Tidwell, and OF Drew Gilbert (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

Both of the Rogers brothers have now been traded today. After Taylor was sent to Pittsburgh earlier in the day, the submarine pitcher Tyler Rogers will go from the west coast to the east coast. Rogers is one of the more unique relievers in the game due to his submarine style and has one of the highest groundball rates as a result. He has been an elite reliever for years but this is one of his best years ever with a 1.80 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 53 appearances this season. New York paid a big price tag which sets the bar for the other relievers on the market. Tidwell was the #10 prospect in the Mets system while Gilbert was the #12. In terms of returns, this is the biggest move of the deadline so far and now other relievers will likely fly off the shelves in the next 24 hours.

• Cincinnati Reds acquire 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for LHP Taylor Rogers and INF Sammy Stafura (Mark Feinsand, MLB.com)

You don’t see trades inside the division too often but Cincinnati and Pittsburgh pulled one off on Thursday afternoon. Cincinnati was in the market for a third baseman but were unlikely to outbid the major players for Eugenio Suarez. While Ke’Bryan Hayes doesn’t provide as much with the bat with a .236 average and .569 OPS, he is an elite defender at a position that has not found stability in the Reds organization. Hayes signed a big 8-year, $70 million contract back before the start of 2022 but never looked like the savior of the franchise that Pittsburgh hoped he would be. Cincinnati will take on that entire contract and have Hayes locked up with their third baseman of the future, Noelvi Marte, struggling to find consistency at the big league level. Taylor Rogers is an established reliever and is having another very good year with a 2.45 ERA in 40 appearances this season. Sammy Stafura is the Reds #9 prospect and has spent most of his career at shortstop which is currently manned by Elly De La Cruz at the big league level. However, Stafura is a versatile piece and can move around and can get on base at a high rate and is a base stealing threat at any level.

• Los Angeles Angels acquire LHP Andrew Chafin and RHP Luis García from Washington Nationals in exchange for LHP Jake Eder and 1B Sam Brown (Jeff Passan, ESPN.com & Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

So far the biggest move of the day, Los Angeles has strengthened their bullpen but more notably are showing that they are buying rather than selling. Andrew Chafin is having a solid year with a 2.70 ERA despite his WHIP being higher than usual this season. Luis García got off to a tough start with the Dodgers this season, but has been much better since joining the Nationals where he’s posted a 0.90 ERA in 10 innings. He was a member of the Angels in 2019 and 2024. Jake Eder lost a lot of his shine as a prospect after having Tommy John surgery in 2021 and has a 4.87 ERA in 20 big league innings. Sam Brown is not a ranked prospect for the Halos and his .244/.350/.358 line at Double-A is nothing to write home about. The biggest part of this move is that it signals the Halos are buyers, not sellers in 2025.

• Atlanta Braves acquire RHP Tyler Kinley from Colorado Rockies in exchange for RHP Austin Smith (Mark Feinsand, MLB.com)

This is kind of a nothing move for the most part. Atlanta is not going to contend this season and Colorado is just trying to bring in prospects. Kinley is not one of the Rockies top relievers on the market and has a 5.66 ERA this season. Austin Smith is an older minor league player at 26 and has put up average numbers at both Single-A and Double-A. Don’t spend too much time thinking about this move.

• New York Yankees acquire OF Austin Slater from Chicago White Sox in exchange for RHP Gage Ziehl (Jeff Passan, ESPN)

Depth is a need for the Yankees with Aaron Judge on the IL and limited to DH for awhile after that. Austin Slater doesn’t add much offensively but is a strong defender with a very good arm and the Yankees need defense more than offense right now. With the most errors since the break, New York can now trot Slater out in the starting lineup or as a late game defensive substitute as well. Gage Ziehl goes to the South Side as the Yankees #18 prospect and was recently promoted to Double-A. A three-pitch mix for the young starter includes three pitches all above average with a fastball, changeup, and slider. Chicago is not even thinking about 2026 or maybe 2027 so this was a nice get for the Sox.

July 29th

• Toronto Blue Jays acquire RHP Seranthony Domínguez from Baltimore Orioles in exchange for RHP Juaron Watts-Brown (Ben Nicholson-Smith & Shi Davidi, Sportsnet)

Now there is an obvious, bizarre layer to this trade. Toronto obviously gets bullpen help with Domínguez having arguably the best year of his career with a 3.24 ERA in 41 2/3 innings this season. The wild part was that Domínguez was traded to Baltimore’s opponent in between games of a double header. He played game 1 as an Oriole and game 2 as a Blue Jay. While that is a rarity we did see a player play for both teams in the same game last season so it is not unheard of. Baltimore gets back a solid looking reliever who will sit in the low to mid 90s with his fastball but has succeeded at every level in Juaron Watts-Brown.

July 28th

• Milwaukee Brewers acquire C Danny Jansen from Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for INF Jadher Areinamo (Jeff Passan, ESPN)

This is maybe the most interesting move of this deadline so far. Milwaukee has their starting catcher in William Contreras and there is no room for another DH with Christian Yelich taking that role. Jansen is having another tough year behind the plate and outside of blocking, doesn’t offer too much behind the plate. This is a move to add depth for the Brewers who are competing for the #1 seed in the National League. Jadher Areinamo is the #24 prospect in the Brewers system and can play both shortstop and second. The concern about Areinamo is his overaggressive approach at the plate but so far he looks to be a plus hitter with solid defense that feels like the stereotypical Rays prospect.

• Tampa Bay Rays acquire C Nick Fortes from Miami Marlins in exchange for OF Matthew Etzel (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

Just like that Tampa Bay replaces their starting catcher by getting Nick Fortes from Miami. Augustin Ramirez has taken over the starting spot behind the plate for Miami and Fortes saw his playing time cut way down as a result. Fortes is nothing special at the plate as a career .225 hitter He is above average defensively but excels at blocking pitches with above average framing and pop time. He will take over as the starter for the Rays who are fighting to stay in the playoff chase. Matthew Etzel is a fringe top-30 prospect for Tampa Bay and has a solid contact oriented approach with great speed. Miami has a nice outfield foundation, but Etzel can be a supplementary piece as he works his way up from Double-A.

• Detroit Tigers acquire SP Chris Paddack and RHP Randy Dobnak from Minnesota Twins in exchange C/1B Enrique Jimenez (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

Detroit has fallen off a cliff over the past few weeks but they will now add some depth in their rotation and bullpen. Chris Paddack has had a tough career after a strong start to his rookie campaign and has a 4.95 ERA in 21 starts this season. He can eat innings (111 innings pitched this season) and adding him to a rotation that relies on young guys will be beneficial to the bullpen. Randy Dobnak didn’t pitch in 2022 or 2023 and has only pitched in six games at the big league level in the last two seasons so don’t expect him to see too many innings. Enrique Jimenez is a 19-year-old multi-position prospect from Venezuela that has not seen too much time in the minors. He is definitely a guy that could be interesting in a few years, but he could also turn into nothing.

July 25th

• New York Yankees acquire 3B Ryan McMahon from Colorado Rockies in exchange for LHP Griffin Herring and RHP Josh Grosz (Mark Feinsand, MLB.com)

This trade has so many layers. No question that Colorado would sell but this is one of the bigger pieces that they have sold in recent memory. The biggest part of this trade is that it removes the Yankees from the Eugenio Suárez sweepstakes. Now, if Arizona decides to keep Suárez, McMahon will end up being a big get for the Yankees. He is a fantastic defender and while the average is just .217, McMahon does have some good power with a .717 OPS. There are concerns about his home/road splits with his numbers being helped by Coors Field, but this trade shows the Yankees didn’t like the asking price for Suárez so they went out and got the next best guy.

• New York Mets acquire LHP Gregory Soto from Baltimore Orioles in exchange for RHP Wellington Aracena and RHP Cameron Foster (Andy Martino, SNY)

There aren’t really any areas that the New York Mets need to make a big splash to address. What they do need is supplemental pitching pieces and while the bullpen has been solid, they go to another level with their second Soto acquisition. The lefty has bounced back in 2025 after failing to live up to his standards the last couple of seasons. He really uses just two pitches with his sinker and slider and the two-time All-Star will slot in nicely as the 8th inning guy to bridge the gap to All-Star closer Edwin Díaz. Baltimore’s big return is Wellington Aracena, the Mets #19 prospect. The 20-year-old righty has struggled with command but has a fastball that will sit in the upper 90s and a nasty cutter to go along with a slider and a curveball. With his walk rate already starting to drop, Aracena’s youth and potential could be a nice piece in the Orioles pitching staff as they try to get back into contention in the next few seasons.

July 24th

• Seattle Mariners acquire 1B Josh Naylor from Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for LHP Brandyn Garcia and RHP Ashton Izzi (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

Here is the first big splash of the 2025 Trade Deadline. Josh Naylor is an impact bat that the Mariners definitely need in a position of weakness for them. A trio of players, Luke Raley, Donovan Solano, and Rowdy Tellez, have underperformed at first base this season for a team that has historically lacked offense, especially at first base. Naylor is slashing .292/.360/.447 this season with 19 doubles, 11 homers, and 59 runs batted in. Arizona acquires Seattle’s #13 and #16 prospects, both of whom are held up in a stacked organization when it comes to pitching. Izzi has a 4.13 career ERA in the minors while currently playing in High-A. Garcia made his MLB debut on Monday and while is short stint didn’t go well, his minor league dominance will help Arizona’s bullpen weakness as they own the fourth worst bullpen ERA in baseball. This feels like an immediate win for the Mariners and will help supplement a nice D-Backs roster sooner or later.

July 16th

• Kansas City Royals acquire 2B/OF Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for INF Cam Devanney.

Adam Frazier returns to his 2024 home as the first piece moved by the Pirates. While Kansas City needs some help to make the postseason, Frazier gives more depth on the infield with Michael Massey on the IL and Jonathan India getting bumped around as well. Like India, Frazier can be a utility piece that can play anywhere for a Royals team hoping for a second half surge.