MLB Trade Deadline Grades: Skubal Joins Dodgers, Yankees Get A Big Bat

Tarik Skubal’s league-shaking move to the Dodgers headlines the top MLB trades ahead of the deadline we’ve seen so far. But three other deals for starting pitchers – Freddy Peralta to the Rays, Luis Castillo to the White Sox, and Kevin Gausman to the Cubs – have stirred things up. And the Yankees went after young slugger Luis Garcia Jr. as well. There is surely more to come before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline. We will be grading every big deal as it happens. Here’s where things stand, starting with the blockbuster deal between the Tigers and Dodgers on Saturday night. JUMP TO: Skubal to Dodgers | Garcia to Yankees | Gausman to Cubs | Peralta to Rays | Castillo to White Sox Dodgers: A+Tigers: C+ Who else is involved: The Tigers received three prospects: outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith The rich got richer as the two-time defending champions acquired the prize of the deadline. The Dodgers kept all of their big-league players and each of their two top (and arguably three) star outfield prospects and still managed to land Skubal. The reigning back-to-back Cy Young Award winner joins the reigning back-to-back world champions, whose strong chances of winning a third straight World Series title get even stronger. How could they possibly receive another grade? Their ability to outbid goes beyond their seemingly endless pocketbooks; clearly, it extends to their prospect capital, despite their annual triumphs preventing them from accessing the top picks in the draft. And now, through the help of their thriving farm system, they have added Skubal to an already star-studded rotation that didn’t need the help nearly as much as some of baseball’s other top contenders.They did it because they could. And because their desire to three-peat knows no bounds. Skubal joins Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP and a proven October ace, in a rotation that includes All-Star Justin Wrobleski and, by the end of the season, he could also include two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, 2024 All-Star Tyler Glasnow and four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani. Snell, Glasnow and Ohtani are currently sidelined (at least as a pitcher, in Ohtani’s case), but all of them are either nearing a return or expected back before season’s end. Snell said he’s feeling the best he has felt in three years after his elbow procedure and is only expected to need one more rehab outing before returning to action. Ohtani’s knee is keeping him off the mound for now, but he’s still healthy enough to be in the Dodgers’ lineup and is expected to pitch in October. Glasnow is about to start his rehab assignment. None of that includes Emmet Sheehan or Roki Sasaki, who seems to be figuring things out with a 2.25 ERA over his last four starts. Wrobleski, Sheehan and Sasaki are helping to hold down the fort as the injured stars work their way back. Many assumed it would take at least one of Sheehan or Wrobleski to headline a Skubal package. Somehow, the Dodgers got it done without any of them, with two days left to spare before the deadline. Somehow, no other team offered better. To be clear, it’s not that this is a bad return. Hope, who has 23 homers and 18 steals at Double-A, is a tremendously gifted prospect, arguably one of the top 25 in the sport. Ryan is one of the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects, though he’s also about to turn 28, missed last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and has barely pitched this year due to lingering hamstring issues. Smith has racked up strikeouts this year between Low-A and High-A. All of them bring upside.But, even for a rental, I expected more. This is Tarik Skubal we’re talking about. Brewers? Rays? Braves? Where you at?The rich get richer. The rest of the baseball world weeps. – Rowan Kavner Yankees: ANationals: C+Who else is involved: The Nationals received four pitching prospects: right-handers Yovanny Cruz, Jack Cebert, Ben Grable and Jake BirdThe Yankees finally got their big bat, and even though a four-prospect package seems costly, look under the hood, and GM Brian Cashman didn’t pay much for what might end up being the best hitter moved at this deadline.Garcia Jr. leads the National League in slugging (.560) and instantly becomes the second-best hitter in the Yankees lineup, behind Ben Rice. He’s 26 years old, and New York will have him under control for one more year before he hits free agency in 2028. Particularly in this market where position players and sluggers are scarce, this is an excellent acquisition to address the Yankees’ offense problem with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton sidelined indefinitely by injuries. The only real wrinkle with Garcia’s impact in the Bronx is where exactly the Yankees will play him.Besides DHing, Garcia has played exclusively at first base this season. He has experience playing second base — with mixed results. He played 129 games at second base last year and graded as a poor defender there, posting -7 Outs Above Average for the Nationals in 2025. He was much better at second base in 2024, registering 5 OAA in 129 games.The Yankees already have two first basemen on the roster in Rice and Paul Goldschmidt, with the latter receiving reps mainly against left-handers. If the Yankees plan to throw Garcia into that platoon, then it would make most sense to plug Rice into everyday DH duties, with Goldschmidt coming off the bench against southpaws. If they play Garcia at second, that puts Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s playing time into question. Chisholm will hit free agency after this season, so New York can shift Garcia to second base for 2027, presuming they believe they can improve his defense there. Whenever Stanton returns healthy from his season-long calf strain, it will only complicate matters even more. Stanton is typically limited to DH-only  duties, with reps in the outfield only in emergencies or days off for other players. From the Nationals’ perspective, even though they desperately need bullpen help, it’s hard to believe they couldn’t swing some more promising arms for Garcia. The headliner from their return is Cruz, who has a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 innings and four games in his rookie season this year. Right-handers Cebert and Grable are prospects ranked No. 14 and 25 in the Yankees system, per MLB Pipeline. And Bird, who has a 5.93 ERA in 30 ⅓ innings pitched this season, was purely a throwaway in the deal. Sure, Washington is still one or two years away from their contention window, but this seems like an underpay from the Yankees for a bat that rakes in Garcia. Parting ways with depth relievers for much-needed pop in the lineup is a no-brainer for Cashman. It’s surprising the Nationals didn’t receive better offers for Garcia. They could have waited until the offseason to deal him, or even extended him through his prime years so that he could be a part of their contention window.  – Deesha Thosar Cubs: ABlue Jays: B+Who else is involved: The Blue Jays received two prospects: outfielder Brett Bateman and infielder Ty SouthiseneIt’s been an emotional, rollercoaster season for Gausman. After getting out to a solid start, including recording 21 strikeouts across his first 12 innings pitched this season, Gausman took a turn for the worse around the middle of June. He’s slogging through his worst career season since 2019, with his 4.38 ERA ranked 45th among 53 qualified starting pitchers. But, even with as many starters that are available on the market this summer, there are few with his postseason pedigree.Gausman had an exceptional playoff run with the Blue Jays last year, and the Cubs clearly noticed that he was a major reason Toronto won the American League pennant. He recorded a 2.93 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 30 ⅔ innings in six games last October, and that type of slow heartbeat under the brightest lights on the game’s biggest stage is exactly what this Cubs pitching staff needed.The Cubs (63-49) had one thing on their deadline checklist this year: pitching, pitching, and more pitching. Holding onto the first NL wild card spot with a four-game lead, the Cubs rotation owns a 4.25 ERA, good for 14th in MLB. But things have already started to look up even before this blockbuster trade for Gausman. Since June, Chicago’s rotation has owned the fifth-best ERA (3.71) in the majors. Since July, their starters are second in MLB with a 3.38 ERA. Gausman adds postseason experience to a rotation that features Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson, Colin Rea and Javier Assad. Edward Cabrera is due back from the injured list sometime this month, which means Rea and Assad will likely shift to the bullpen. That’s already a strong staff, and there are rumblings within the industry that they might not even be done adding to the rotation, hoping to swing another deal for a starter under team control beyond 2026 in a market that’s unusually flooded with pitchers.Chicago gave up its No. 13 and 21 ranked top prospects, per MLB Pipeline, for Gausman, who will become a free agent at 35 years old at the end of this season. The Cubs actually lucked out here, because if Gausman was performing up to his expected numbers this season (3.51 FIP), they’d have to give up a lot more than just Bateman and Southisene. Even though they don’t flash one of the top ranked farm systems in baseball, the Cubs do have solid position-player depth, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was smart to lean on that advantage to strike a deal with the Jays.Though I would’ve liked to see the Jays get a slightly bigger package from the Cubs for a veteran pitcher with Gausman’s track record — he does, after all, have a 26.8% strikeout rate that’s top 25 in MLB since 2020 — he’s still a rental putting up a largely disappointing season. In this buyer’s market, the high-contact hitters Toronto acquired make for a decent enough haul. – Thosar Rays: B-Mets: B+ Who else is involved: The Mets received three prospects: outfielder Aidan Smith, right-hander Gary Gill Hill and second baseman Emilien Pitre. The Rays whiffed on Skubal but quickly pivoted to Peralta to finally get their starter. There are a couple of ways to look at how this trade works out for Tampa Bay. On one hand, there is genuine concern about whether Peralta can turn his season around after a disappointing four months in New York. The 30-year-old right-hander, who will become a free agent after this season, went 5-9 and registered a 4.99 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 22 starts for the Mets. It was easily the worst stretch of his career. Even the underlying metrics aren’t great for Peralta. His fastball run value went from a 9 (excellent) last year to -2 (poor) this year. His strikeout rate has dipped, his walk rate has increased, and he’s giving up more home runs than he did last year in what was a Cy Young-caliber season for the Brewers. So, giving up three prospects who are ranked No. 15, 26, and 27 in the Rays’ system, per MLB Pipeline, for a struggling two-month rental starter seems like an overpay. That being said, if any team believes it can fix all that has gone wrong for Peralta this year, it’s the Rays. They’re widely respected throughout the industry for their ability to develop top-tier arms, using innovative pitch usage and strategies to get them there. Tampa Bay consistently fields high-performing, cost-effective pitching staffs. And with a top-10 bullpen in the league, even Peralta’s inability to pitch, on average, more than 5 ⅓ innings per start shouldn’t be an issue. He joins a strong rotation that includes right-handers Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez and lefty Shane McClanahan, who just went on the injured list. As far as the Mets, they were never going to be able to recoup what they gave up for Peralta over the offseason — sending two of their top five prospects in infielder/outfielder Jett Williams and right-hander Brandon Sproat to the Brewers. That’s part of why they’re not getting a higher grade here. It was always going to be tough to net a team’s top-10 prospect for Peralta at this deadline after the poor season he’s put together. So, the fact that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was able to dip into the Rays’ top farm system and acquire a three-player package can be considered a lukewarm success. Smith, a righty-swinging 22-year-old outfielder, is the highest-ranked prospect of the haul, but Pitre is the most intriguing. He’s known for his speed, mature approach at the plate and excellent bat-to-ball skills. He takes his walks and doesn’t swing and miss. Pitre is currently slashing .323/.451/.492 across 37 games in Double-A, and the Mets could use more second basemen who are ready to graduate to the upper levels of the minor leagues. – Deesha Thosar White Sox: C-Mariners: BWho else is involved: The Mariners received right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and catching prospect Boston SmithThe White Sox need more reliable starting pitching. This…was not the veteran pitcher I expected them to land. Castillo is a three-time All-Star who was an important piece helping end Seattle’s 20-year playoff drought when the Mariners traded for him in 2022. He was productive over his next three seasons with the Mariners, as well, registering a combined 3.50 ERA from 2023-25 while throwing more than 175 innings in each of those seasons. This year…has not gone the same. Castillo, 33, has been a below-replacement-level player in 2026 with a 5.06 ERA and the lowest strikeout rate of his career. He was making $24.15 million this year and is due the same amount next season. He also has a $25 million vesting option in 2028 if he reaches the 180-inning mark next season. The White Sox are reportedly taking on the full amount. That’s a lot of money for a pitcher whose numbers — both real and underlying — are trending in the wrong direction. Castillo can eat innings, so maybe they have something else up their sleeves to raise the group’s ceiling as it attempts to end a four-year playoff drought. They’ll at least get some relief by moving the contract of Domínguez, who was making $7.5 million this year and is due $10.5 million next year.The Mariners already have five other reliable starters in Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, Emerson Hancock and have top prospect Kade Anderson knocking on the door. They did not need Castillo, and they got his contract off the books. Domínguez helps fill a bullpen need, and Smith immediately becomes one of the more interesting position player prospects in Seattle’s system. The 2025 sixth-round pick is a left-handed-hitting catcher with an OPS over 1.100 at Double-A. This move doesn’t exactly help lift the Mariners in 2026, however, so it’ll be interesting to see how much help they add over the next few days. A right-handed bat certainly wouldn’t hurt. – Kavner Braves: B+Royals: BWho else is involved: Braves also acquire LHP Bailey Falter; Royals acquire RHP Lucas Braun and LHP Carter HoltonThe Braves are enjoying a bounce-back season from Michael Harris II in center field, but right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr has been on the injured list twice with a hamstring injury and Atlanta’s left fielders have produced a .646 OPS this year, the second-worst mark in MLB. In addition, the offense had a .692 OPS against lefties in July, a total that ranked 21st in baseball. Thomas, who has an .800 OPS against lefties and can play both corner spots, is a logical fit in a market short on right-handed bats. At the very least, he can platoon against lefties and has a patient approach, strong arm and speed. Falter, meanwhile, has spent most of the year at Triple-A and can help add depth in a swingman or long relief role. Braun, who was ranked the Braves’ No. 8 prospect by MLB (and a top-20 prospect in the system by most outlets), projects as a back-end starter. He doesn’t miss many bats, but he has been durable and effective at the upper minors. He had a 3.67 ERA in 149.2 innings last year between Double-A and Triple-A and has a 3.53 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 94 ⅓ innings between the two stops this year. Holton was the Braves’ second-round pick in 2024 and has a 5.08 ERA at low-A. It would’ve been nice to get a little more upside when there are so few right-handed hitters available, but it’s an acceptable return for a veteran rental. – Kavner Pirates: C+Yankees: B-Who else is involved: The Yankees acquire two prospects: C Omar Alfonzo and OF Luis CruzPittsburgh needs relief arms arguably as much or more than any other contender, so this one’s hard to grade until we know how much more bullpen help it acquires over the next few days. As it stands, the Pirates are buying low, hoping they can extract the upside out of Doval that the Yankees couldn’t after New York traded for the hard-throwing Dominican right-hander at last year’s deadline. Doval was a below-replacement-level arm in the second half for the Yankees last year and is again through the first half of this season, registering a 4.63 ERA during his time in the Bronx. Three years ago, Doval looked like one of the game’s most promising relievers. An All-Star at 25 years old with the Giants in 2023, he featured a cutter that averaged close to 100 mph and recorded an NL-best 39 saves. But he was unable to consistently replicate that form or maintain his control in the ensuing years and was recently relegated to lower-leverage duties with the Yankees. Doval hasn’t walked as many batters this year. Also, he still throws hard, he keeps the ball on the ground, and his expected ERA (3.61) is about a full run better than his actual mark of 4.54. His strikeout rate continues to plummet,  though, and he is allowing the highest hard-hit rate and average exit velocity of his career. There are clear tools here, though, so the “+” on the Pirates’ grade is in part because Doval is still under team control for another season. But the fact that the Yankees — who are also in need of bullpen help — were willing to just move on after Doval’s disappointing tenure is telling.That said, it wasn’t particularly surprising. Doval clearly wasn’t figuring it out with the Yankees, who at least turned him into a prospect at a position of need in Alfonzo, a left-handed-hitting catcher who was a top-20 Pirates prospect according to MLB’s rankings and has a .757 OPS at Double-A. Cruz is a dart throw, but the 18-year-old had an .856 OPS for the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League team. I’d expect the Yankees to look for another high-leverage arm, in addition to their offensive needs. — Kavner