At the MLB trade deadline, the Chicago White Sox did n’t complete the deal for their most sought-after pitcher. The San Diego Padres went all-in for a pitching improve. And the Los Angeles Dodgers landed this deadline’s leading starting pitcher in a last-minute burst.
Which leagues made the right names? What should we believe ( or not believe ) about the rest of the baseball season? Now that the dirt has settled from the 2024 business deadline, we asked our ESPN MLB experts to issue what’s actual– and what’s never– moving forward.
True or not, the Dodgers are now the team to hit in all of baseball after the date.
Alden Gonzalez: No– mostly because the make-up of the Dodgers ‘ roster is still very much disturbed. They are very versatile, have a lot of diversity, and also have a lot of unanswered questions. Tommy Edman and Amed Rosario, the Dodgers ‘ new power people, are largely unprepared for their most valuable time, mainly because Chris Taylor and Miguel Rojas are both injured. They do n’t know where Mookie Betts, their superstar right fielder-turned-second baseman-turned-shortstop, will play when he returns from a fractured left hand. They do n’t know when Max Muncy, a key middle-of-the-order bat, will come back from his oblique strain. And they do n’t hear when– or if— Yoshinobu Yamamoto may enter their movement.
Make no mistake: The Dodgers did well at the date. They pivoted to versatile impact players when they could n’t get the every-day outfielder they preferred, were nonetheless able to land an elite center-field defender in Kevin Kiermaier and, most importantly, got the front-line starting pitcher they wanted in Jack Flaherty. But their lineup– unlike that of the Phillies, for instance– is also littered with possibilities.
Jesse Rogers: No. They made good deals, but they also made openings that the Phillies and other top teams might not have had. Certainly, if Edman catches thunder, Michael Kopech‘s extraordinary potential is unlocked and Flaherty has the best two months of his life, finally these past few days may look really good. But I do n’t think it’s the Dodgers and everyone else. It’s the Dodgers with everyone else. There are a handful of wealthy groups, no just L. A.
After their relief saga at the date, the Padres are a real danger to winning the National League.
Gonzalez: Real. One of San Diego public administrator A. J. Preller’s maxims is that you need high-end people to consistently progress through the playoffs. It was what led him to Juan Soto and Josh Hader two seasons ago, and in a lesser way, what led him to Tanner Scott, who is undoubtedly the best relief on the planet but who hardly ever had a connection to the Padres.
Prior to the trade deadline, the Padres had a major need for starters, but they switched to an impact reliever when they could n’t meet the demands for the beginners. It might harm to not have that kind of start. ( Joe Musgrove has had two elbow-related stints on the IL, though the Padres seem optimistic, and Yu Darvish is dealing with a family issue, with no telling when he’ll return. ) However, the Braves are now able to play shorter game against the best.
Their lineup might be the most well-balanced among the NL wild-card candidates.
Kiley McDaniel: Real. The Padres sat at 63 % playoff chances entering Tuesday. After acquiring Jason Adam and Scott ( and, in some cases, Martin Perez and Bryan Hoeing ), they improved their record to at least one win. In the midst of the playoffs competition, they are at a high-leverage part of the gain slope, which may not seem like a bit.
The best medicines on a playoff team have an outsized effect in October, and given the spaced-out planning and tighter activities compared to the regular season, each one has a chance to pitch in every playoff game. Robert Suarez and Jeremiah Estrada‘s two-hit bullpen punch was properly enough for the Padres to just need five innings of postseason starters. It’s impossible for me to imagine a group that has a four-headed pitch demon like this in the past; it fits Preller’s personality to continue developing roster management and changing the roster once he chooses a team. If the offence does its career, that’s a winning playoffs formula– as long as the Braves get in the competition.
Rogers: True. There was a good reason to spin this winter because Crochet’s trade waters were thus murky at the end. With only two years left on his contract, the White Sox may also find him a lot of value in the offseason. Robert, on the other hand, is thus injury-prone that if the White Sox had include pounced, they may have. However, if he can finish the season playing on the field, they can get a lot of significance for him. His talent is undeniable.
McDaniel: Real. If not for Crochet’s deal ask ahead of the date, he should’ve been dealt and probably would’ve drawn the best profit. Given the league’s hesitation around him, Crochet’s innings limitations, a contract extension that would require a start-from-beginner with virtually no superior deals, and a ticking clock, made sense to stick with him. When the wickets limit is generally eliminated as a problem and there is still time to develop a consumption schedule before the season, Crochet appears to be moving over the winter.
With three years of team control remaining, Robert is in a difficult situation: he is having his worst season since his rookie year but has star potential ( 4.9 % WAR last year ). Even with only a time in hand, there is a good chance that he will bounce back next time, and the White Sox did receive more money for him at the deadline. But if he splits the difference between his 2023 and 2024 efficiency, moving him now may have made more sense. The scenery will be more available in the winter when everyone is reset their rosters, so I’m inclined to move on to creating the future core of a dynamic White Sox team. I’d had been opened to dealing Robert today, but I can see the idea process behind waiting a bit longer, it’s a real chance, however, to hold off for 12 weeks and hope things get better, instead of having a plan.
True or not, the Yankees were the AL East’s best staff at the time.
David Schoenfield: No. Look, the Raptors have never played also in July. And I certainly would have liked for them to swing bigger, Jack Flaherty and/or one of the big bullpen arms to have been traded ( Tanner Scott, Carlos Estevez, Jason Adam ) would have been a nice upgrade. I also understand that those medicines were fairly expensive. But that’s the place: The Orioles played it safe.
I would n’t have problems running out of Eflin as my No. despite the fact that they did add much-needed rotation depth to Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers. Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez are the only starters in the playoffs. Although I do n’t quite understand the Eloy Jimenez trade, the offense is still tied with the Yankees for AL best. Perhaps the Raptors see everything they believe they can fix. The Yankees made a few adjustments before moving on to a starting movement that had a 5.37 ERA in June and 4.86 in July before having Gerrit Cole withdraw from his Tuesday stop due to fatigue. Hmm.
Jorge Castillo: No. The Yankees addressed their two objectives, improving the outfield with much-needed swing-and-miss experts and adding another strong bat to enhance the portfolio. However, the moves themselves do n’t indicate that they are the AL East favorites right now. Whether they defeat the Orioles depends on whether the players who are well-versed in their roles eventually perform better. That group includes Anthony Volpe, Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres in the lineup, Cole, Nestor Cortes, Marcus Stroman in the rotation, and Clay Holmes out of the bullpen.
The Orioles could have taken it, but risk was avoided. Still, with the players they added to that loaded lineup and Burnes atop the rotation, they got better. Jackson Holliday, the sport’s consensus No. On Tuesday, the Orioles announced the signing of No. 1 prospect and recalled that No. 1 prospect was headed for the team.
Real or not: The Mets are a 2024 playoff team after their deadline additions
Castillo: Real. A massive move would not have required a massive move for the Mets to maintain their position on the verge of the wild card. In order to better complement an elite offense, they needed to raise the pitching staff’s floor, and they did just that. After the Mets recently lost Kodai Senga ( calf ) for the rest of the season and Christian Scott (elbow ) for about a month, Paul Blackburn should at least have some value innings. With a 4.41 ERA since June 1, Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, and Huascar Brazoban should improve their bullpen. Over the past six or more weeks, the Mets have enjoyed baseball’s best record. These actions ought to keep them going going.
Schoenfield: Real. They did n’t make any impact moves, but they improved around the edges with Jesse Winker ( who gets on base and helps the lineup against right-handed pitching ), some bullpen players in Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek and Huascar Brazoban, and a rotation option in Paul Blackburn. Nothing particularly exciting happens there, but thanks to a lineup that has allowed the most runs allowed in the majors since June 12, the Mets have the best record since June 12. The Kodai Senga injury, in his first start of the season, was a big blow, but I think this momentum continues. I’m picking the Padres, Diamondbacks and Mets as my NL wild-card teams– with the Braves missing out.
