The MLB trade deadline is a different-feeling beast this year. Combine the Aug. 3rd date being much later than usual and the standings being more clogged than the Pitcher List Discord, and it is an unusual approach all around. Both of those factors certainly led to moves happening much closer to the deadline than baseball fans are used to, but dynasty managers finally have some trades to look at. Here is an early snapshot of the trades that carry some dynasty impact (sorry, José Urquidy truthers).
The first part of this article was written by Jacob Milham; the second part was written by Matt Heckman as noted below.
July 25
• Red Sox get: INF Curtis Mead
• Nationals get: LHP Connelly Early
This trade was starting to grow on me by the time it just went off the rails. The dynasty and prospect pedigree could not be more different between these two players, but the trade still makes sense on paper. The Nationals were able to turn a spring training DFA in Mead into a likely middle-rotation starter. That is just good business. Mead had fallen far from grace since his days with the Tampa Bay Rays, but his process improvements with the Nationals have unlocked the bat’s potential this season. It is still a far outlier from his career norm, but the swing decisions and swing-and-miss improvements have coincided with better results. He has at least come back into the dynasty picture as a utilityman with some strong on-base ability. But Mead is already out for most of the season at least after taking a fastball to the wrist. He is a dynasty non-asset for managers needing production now. Any trade for Mead would be buying him at his highest value in years and betting that the process improvements stick. If it is any consolation, he is not outperforming his expected numbers by much.
Early, who is still on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation, was having a stellar first season in the Red Sox rotation. His 23.8% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate were far cries from his stellar four games in 2025, but it is hard to argue with a 3.44 ERA across 91.2 innings in 2026. Early was giving up a ton of home runs on the road and at home, though, inflating his FIP to 4.60 across his 17 starts. His arsenal is consistent and six pitches deep, and that makes Early an attractive pitcher to acquire with years of control ahead. But for dynasty managers, is he there yet to buy high on? I do not think so. Early does not have a full season of work under his belt yet, lacks an elite pitch this season, and will likely start in front of a flawed Nationals bullpen. All of that makes me hesitant on Early’s dynasty value, even if the real-world impact could be greater.
July 29
• Rangers get: C Logan O’Hoppe, RHP Chase Silseth
• Angels get: INF Angel Arredondo
We talked about this trade on the latest Destination Dynasty, and I am still confused by it. Interim general manager John Mozeliak was upfront that the move was a change of scenery for O’Hoppe, the player most considered to be the Angels’ catcher of the future at one point. He is the biggest name involved in the deal, even if he has the likely nomination as the least impactful of these three in five years’ time. The L.A. backstop slashed .209/.271/.295 with four home runs in 75 games and showed little to no positive impact behind the plate. The 26-year-old needs some major adjustments in the Rangers organization if he wants to return as a notable catcher again.
Silseth’s arsenal is far from average according to PLA, but he is getting results this season in a middle-inning role for the Angels. Opposing batters have a 32.7% whiff rate against him in his 39.2 innings of work this season, his first full season as a bullpen arm since moving from the starting rotation. Lefties can get to the Arizona product, though, especially since his best pitch is a 3-to-9 sweeper that he lands fairly well in the zone. He could be in line for some holds in Texas, but that is about it. The four-seamer needs improvements if the dynasty ceiling wants to rise.
Arredondo is an interesting case of no prospect hype coming into the trade, landing at only 27th on MLB Pipeline’s list for the organization. But the versatile infielder is having a solid season at Low-A, slashing .247/.372/.397 with eight home runs and nearly walking as often as he strikes out. Mozeliak says the organization considers him a top 10 prospect for the Angels, so the pressure is already on. But the Mexico native is still a long way from that prospect pedigree or a big league outlook.
July 30
• Twins get: LHP A.J. Minter
• Mets get: INF Bruin Agbayani, INF Billy Amick
The Minnesota Twins were one of those teams that could have gone either way at the trade deadline, but improving their bullpen shows that a soft buy is at least in hand. Minter is not the most high-profile reliever available, but he brings plenty of experience to the Twins roster and helps address a major sore point for Minnesota. He is just a rental and has a career-low in holds this season. Minter is hardly a dynasty asset right now, even if he will be an important part of any Minnesota run to October.
Agbayani was the Twins’ sixth-round pick last year and has a strong hit-over-power approach while playing middle infield, but has not played since mid-May with a shoulder injury. He slashed .268/.412/.341 in his 51 plate appearances prior, looking like a solid leadoff-hitter type down on the farm. Amick was outside my top Twins prospects in our latest ranking but is having a massive power surge with 23 home runs at Double-A this season. The former Tennessee Volunteer was a second-round pick in 2024, but has some flagrant strikeout issues (28.5% in 2026), and batting .217 in Double-A is not going to win over evaluators.
July 31
• Twins get: RHP Dean Kremer
• Orioles get: OF Jhomnardo Reyes
This is my favorite move of the deadline so far. Not for Kremer, but for Reyes.
Kremer was Mr. Consistent for Baltimore for most of the past five seasons but has failed to follow up in 2026 thanks to a crowded rotation and a quad strain earlier this season. He is on pace for a largely lost season, with only 36.0 innings tossed and a 6.50 ERA for Baltimore. This move feels like the Twins betting on Kremer getting healthy and finding a rhythm as the fifth starter in their rotation. Connor Prielipp and Zebby Matthews have uncertain outlooks to close out the season, and Kremer is a player who would likely take starts and innings from those two.
Reyes was one of the players I was most excited about in the latest prospect update, where he came in at sixth in the Twins’ system. Here is what I said about the FCL prospect:
“Another power-over-hit Dominican outfielder, Reyes is a few years behind Rodriguez but the Florida Complex League numbers are strong. Slashing .291/.406/.547 with seven homers and 13 stolen bases in 46 games is solid enough, but the 107.3 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity shows the room for growth. His power makes him a tantalizing complex prospect to invest in, and there are flashes of above-average contact skills mixed in with baffling whiffs. High risk, high reward.”
Aug. 1
• Pirates get: RHP Camilo Doval
• Yankees get: C Omar Alfonzo, OF Luis Cruz
The Yankees never quite got the returns they hoped for from Doval, who was an electric All-Star back in 2023. The raw tools still remained, but a 4.54 ERA over 39.2 innings pitched this season made Doval more of the problem than the solution. Doval really struggled within the confines of Yankee Stadium, which makes me believe moving to PNC Park, which is much more pitcher-friendly, will help him. He has a good chance to rise quickly in the Pirates’ pecking order if the organization can identify what needs to change, especially since they lack a solid right-handed relief option in the later innings.
Alfonzo is a bat-first prospect with a .757 OPS in Double-A this season and moves to New York’s 27th-best prospect following the trade. He has derby power, not in-game power, and no value on the basepaths or consistency to make him a factor in dynasty formats. Cruz had a solid year in the DSL at 18 years old, but his super passive approach and lack of power also make him a dynasty non-factor right now, unless the deepest of leagues believe in the .313/.460/.396 line translating once he comes stateside.
• Brewers get: C Bo Naylor, RHP Codi Heuer
• Guardians get: RHP Craig Yoho, OF Blake Perkins
For those Cooper Ingle truthers, this trade is for you.
The Guardians cleared up their catching logjam a bit by trading away Naylor, who has not been able to find consistency at the plate this season. The Brewers were not acquiring Naylor so much for his production but to “protect your downside,” as Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold put it. Milwaukee acquired catching depth at last year’s trade deadline too, and if Naylor is seeing everyday at-bats for the Brew Crew, something has gone terribly wrong. There is no question that Naylor is talented, but he has not put the pieces together for managers to monitor him for quite some time. Heuer fits that mold too and will likely be a next-man-up option for the Brewers in the bullpen if injuries deem it necessary.
Perkins has well-above-average value in the field but little more than that and bench depth for the Guardians. His speed will put him into a pinch-runner role, likely, but he has never been an average batter and carries a career-worst 45 wRC+ this season. Yoho is going to have name recognition for his changeup that enraptured pitching heads, but has struggled to grab a foothold in the Brewers bullpen thanks to lacking control. He can fool Triple-A batters with no problem, but working in deeper counts and improving sequencing will be the next step of his development. If any organization can help, the Guardians are a decent bet.
Continued by Matt Heckman
August 1- Continued
- Braves get: OF Lane Thomas, LHP Bailey Failter
- Royals get: Lucas Braun, LHP Carter Holton
First off, this is a move I was really hoping the Phillies would make. Lane Thomas is a perfect outfielder acquisition for a contending team. He has a plus glove in the outfield and is slashing .263/.370/.420 with a 125 wRC+ against lefties. As far as Thomas’ dynasty value goes, not much changes. Thomas should play nearly every day in favor of Mike Yastrzemski against lefties and then in place of either Jim Jarvis or Mauricio Dubón against righties. He is not a difference-making fantasy asset and possesses little dynasty value at 30.
In terms of prospect acquisition, Lucas Braun is a polish-over-stuff pitcher. Braun has never posted a double-digit walk rate in his professional career. He has a deep six-pitch arsenal, although none of his offerings particularly stand out. The trade to Kansas City should help open up a path to the major leagues, although it is unlikely he becomes more than a back-end starter.
Holton has a bit more upside. A second-round pick back in 2024, he has just 43 professional innings under his belt after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The 5’11” lefty has struggled with consistency as he works to shake off the rust. In terms of upside, his breaking pitches (slider and curve) both flash plus potential, making him a deep-league prospect to keep tabs on.
Overall, not much changes in terms of dynasty value from this deal.
- Dodgers get: LHP Tarik Skubal
- Tigers get: OF Zyhir Hope, RHP River Ryan, RHP Brady Smith
The big move that everybody was waiting for. Tarik Skubal is officially a Dodger (which everybody could have seen coming). Skubal is Skubal. The Dodgers get arguably the best pitcher in baseball, and that should not stop in Los Angeles. In terms of dynasty and fantasy value, the move to Los Angeles is likely to result in more wins, although it would not be surprising to see them move to a six-man rotation once Blake Snell returns. Skubal owns a slightly higher ERA away from Comerica Park in his career, but that has not been the case over the past two seasons.
The prospect return is what dynasty managers are really going to focus on here. The prospect to see the largest increase to his dynasty value is undoubtedly River Ryan. Ryan gets to leave the PCL and has a much clearer path to a major league rotation spot in Detroit than in Los Angeles. Ryan is about to be 28 years old and has not pitched in the major leagues since throwing 20.1 innings back in 2024. Durability and consistency are certainly concerns, but there is no denying the upside in his pitch mix. He has at least three plus offerings and a floor of a high-leverage reliever. He should quickly earn a promotion to the major leagues with his new ball club.
Zyhir Hope’s dynasty value also gets a boost from this trade. Yes, he loses the Dodgers’ prospect development value, but there is MUCH less competition ahead of him for playing time. Hope no longer has to compete with the Dodgers’ ever-growing payroll. He also is away from Mike Sirota, Eduardo Quintero, and Josue De Paula. Hope’s raw power should play just fine in any stadium, even Comerica, and he remains a top dynasty prospect.
Brady Smith cracked the Dodgers’ Top 15 prospect list in last month’s update for Pitcher List. My scouting report on him was: A third-round pick back in 2023, arm injuries prevented Smith from making his professional debut until 2025. 2026 represents the first time he has been healthy heading into a season, and he is putting up impressive numbers. Smith’s fastball is a plus offering with good ride and late life. His curveball is the best of his secondaries, but he is still working to find his command of anything other than the fastball. The stuff is good enough to produce success in the lower levels of the minor leagues, but Smith will need to develop from a thrower to a pitcher once he faces tougher competition.
This is a very intriguing get for Detroit and a prospect that dynasty managers should keep a close eye on.
- White Sox get: RHP Luis Castillo
- Mariners get: RHP Seranthony Domínguez, OF Nolan Jones, C Boston Smith
The biggest piece of this trade is likely the players who were not involved. Seattle needed to clear room in their rotation for both Ryan Sloan and Kade Anderson. Anderson feels like the more likely prospect to earn a promotion in 2026 and is a must-add in all redraft and keeper formats. In terms of dynasty, Anderson’s value increases with a promotion more likely. Luis Castillo also gets a slight boost now that he will be starting more consistently. Castillo owns a 5.06 ERA on the season, but a 4.04 ERA since May 19th.
As far as the rest of the deal, Seranthony Domínguez loses whatever value he still had, as he will not be closing at all in Seattle. Nolan Jones, I honestly had no idea Jones was even with the White Sox. The team just lost Luke Raley to the IL, so it is possible that Jones gets some major league run in his place. However, this is not a player that dynasty managers need to go pick up.
Boston Smith was a sixth-round pick out of Wright State who is already on his third different level this season. He is up to 22 home runs but does not project as a catcher long-term. He is a heavy flyball and pull-side hitter who works plenty of walks but has some definite holes to his swing. His ceiling is a strong side platoon with power upside and a low batting average.
To Be Continued by Matt Heckman- Analysis Will be Published August 4th
