While a lot of so-called experts love to hand out grades and label teams as winners in losers in the immediate aftermath of the MLB trade deadline, those in the know say it takes a year or two to really determine who came out on top and who erred.
With that in mind, I decided to take a look back five years ago to see what deals went down, how they helped, and if there is an impact in 2025. Instead of looking at every deal, I selected five to take a deeper look at.
Now, the 2020 season was bizarre to begin with due to COVID-19, playing just a 60-game schedule in front of cardboard cutouts instead of a stadium filled with fans. That certainly altered the value some teams placed on players and the pursuit of a playoff spot. The biggest impact for teams was that the postseason was expanded from five teams in each league qualifying to eight teams. Second, due to the schedule being pushed back, the trade deadline was Aug. 31, with teams having played between 30 and 36 of the 60-game schedule. Here are the standings on that day and what the final standings looked like. Player analysis was also very small-sample-size theater, with starting pitchers making only a handful of starts (the MLB season leaders finished with 21). And don’t forget, the minor leagues were not in operation, with teams having an alternate site for players to keep in shape.
Of course, we all know that the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in six games to win the World Series.
Padres Get Clevinger, Nola
The deals: The San Diego Padres acquired RHP Mike Clevinger, OF Greg Allen, and a player to be named (RHP Matt Waldron) from Cleveland for C Austin Hedges, 1B-OF Josh Naylor, RHP Cal Quantrill, SS Gabriel Arias, IF Owen Miller, and LHP Joey Cantillo. In a separate trade, the Padres acquired C Austin Nola, RHP Austin Adams, and RHP Dan Altavilla from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for OF Taylor Trammell, C Luis Torrens, RHP Andrés Muñoz, and IF Ty France.
Impact on Padres: The busiest team at the deadline, these two deals headlined their action. They were in second place in the NL West, 4½ games behind the Dodgers, yet had the third-best record in the NL. Clevinger was the biggest get, but only made four starts for the Padres — the same number he made in Cleveland. His limited action in Cleveland was due to breaking COVID protocols. Clevinger would become a free agent in 2022 after two more years of arbitration. Allen was dealt before the 2021 season, while Waldron turned out to be the biggest asset. Of the prospects surrendered, Naylor turned out to be the best. The other deal saw the Padres replace Hedges behind the plate with Nola, while Adams and Altavilla didn’t amount to much of anything. However, the prospect cost proved to be heavy. The Padres, as the No. 4 seed in the NL, would be swept by the Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
Impact on Cleveland: Sitting in second place in the AL Central and with the fourth-best record at the time, the Guardians wanted to shed Clevinger for his off-field COVID antics. They won this deal just based on Clevinger flaming out and Naylor becoming a top left-handed bat before Cleveland dealt him to the Arizona Diamondbacks before this season for RHP Slade Cecconi, a key member of this year’s rotation. But there was more for Cleveland as Arias is now the starting shortstop, and Cantillo is also making contributions. Quantrill had pretty good seasons in 2021 and 2022 before regressing, while Hedges has been a good backup in four of the last five seasons, leaving the organization in 2023 before returning. Cleveland was the No. 4 seed in the AL, but was ousted in the wild-card round by the New York Yankees in two games.
Impact on Mariners: Similar to Cleveland, the Mariners got a really nice prospect haul. Seattle was on the outside of the playoff picture at the deadline, and that aspect didn’t change the rest of the season. Trammell was the attention-grabbing prospect as he ranked fifth in the Padres’ system, with Munoz — called an “intriguing piece” in a recap by MLB.com — blossoming into one of the top closers in MLB. Trammell was put on waivers at the start of the 2024 season and is now with the Houston Astros. France was an everyday bat for the Mariners for a few seasons, but then dealt to the Cincinnati Reds at last year’s deadline and is now in Minnesota.
The decision: Despite making a handful of moves, the Padres didn’t get any sort of payoff. Nola was the only player who provided any value, but that came as a reliable backup catcher. The Guardians and Mariners fared better, with Cleveland reaping the better haul of these two deals and the trickle-down effect of getting Cecconi for Naylor.
Reds Add Bradley
The deal: Cincinnati Reds acquired RHP Archie Bradley from the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF Stuart Fairchild and IF-OF Josh VanMeter.
Impact on Reds: Despite having a 15-20 record, tied for 11th in the NL, the Reds had been playing much better as the deadline approached and decided to see if they could sneak into the postseason tournament. Bradley had been subpar with the D’backs, posting a 4.22 ERA in 10 appearances with six saves. But in six games as a setup man for the Reds, Bradley had a 1.12 ERA in six games.
Impact on D’backs: Fairchild was in his age-24 season and yet to make his MLB debut, while VanMeter was a bench player before and after the deal. Fairchild appeared in just 12 games with the D’backs in 2021 and then went to the Seattle Mariners in April 2022, which started a series of bouncing around moves for the outfielder who recently joined the Tampa Bay Rays this season. VanMeter lasted just two more years in MLB.
The decision: In a low-cost move, Bradley did prove to be a difference-maker for the Reds, who climbed to the seventh spot to make the NL postseason at 31-29. But Bradley was a one-month rental, who then signed with the Philadelphia Phillies that offseason and was out of MLB following the 2023 season. His career was marred by a broken right elbow he sustained in 2022 with the Los Angeles Angels when he fell while climbing over the dugout railing during a brawl.
Marlins Pick Up Marte
The deal: The Miami Marlins acquired OF Starling Marte from D’backs for LHP Caleb Smith, RHP Humberto Mejía and a player to be named (LHP Julio Frias).
Impact on Marlins: Remember that this is pre-injury Marte, when he was a star center fielder. After being acquired by the D’backs in the offseason, Marte’s production dropped from a .311/.384/.443 slash line in Arizona to .245/.286/.415 with the Marlins, who were 15-15 at the trade deadline. The Marlins earned the No. 6 seed in the NL playoffs at 31-29 and knocked off the third-seeded Chicago Cubs before falling to No. 2 Atlanta in the NL Division Series. Marte would be on the move at the 2021 trade deadline, going to the A’s for LHP Jesús Luzardo.
Impact on D’backs: Smith was a key member of the D’backs’ bullpen for the next two seasons before leaving MLB, while Mejia didn’t appear with Arizona in 2020 and only five games in 2021, the last of his career. Frias never made it past High Class A in his career.
The decision: Marte bounced back in 2021 with a .305/.405/.451 slash line before going to the A’s, but the Marlins getting Luzardo appeared to be a win at the time and proved to be one long term. That trade tree got longer this past offseason when Luzardo was dealt to the Phillies along with minor-league C-OF Paul McIntosh for OF Emaarion Boyd and SS-2B Starlyn Caba, currently the Marlins’ No. 8 prospect by Baseball America. This was a win for the Marlins. Caba, 19, is at Low Class A, while Boyd, 21, is at High Class A.
Future Cy Ray Joins Jays
The deal: The Toronto Blue Jays acquired LHP Robbie Ray and cash from the D’backs for LHP Travis Bergen. Also, the Jays acquired RP Taijuan Walker from the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named or cash (OF Alberto Rodriguez).
Impact on Blue Jays: Ray was at the peak of his workhorse stage in 2020, with 2019 being the first of three straight 162-game seasons with 32 or more starts after beginning his career with four of 23 or more. He had struggled with the D’backs, who may have been trying to unload a deteriorating asset, with a 7.84 ERA in seven starts. He was moderately better with the Jays, posting a 4.79 ERA in five outings. Ray would pay big dividends in 2021 for the Jays, winning the AL Cy Young Award. Walker, meanwhile, was terrific for the Jays, with a 1.67 ERA in six starts before hitting free agency in the offseason. The Jays were 18-15 at the time, holding down the eighth and final AL playoff position, which is the same spot they finished with a 32-28 mark. The Jays were ousted in the first round by the top-seeded Rays.
Impact on D’backs: It was not my intention to include the D’backs in here three times, but here we are. They were just 14-21 and last in the NL West, with only two NL teams having worse records. A reliever, Bergen made seven appearances for the D’backs with a 4.05 ERA the rest of 2020, then went back to the Jays in a cash deal following the season. Bergen had a 1.69 ERA in 10 games, one start, for the Jays in 2021, then spent 2022 in the minors with the Padres, his last in organized ball.
Impact on Mariners: Rodriguez was 19 at the time and did progress to Double-A in 2024, but is now playing in Mexico.
The decision: Winning the Cy Young in 2021 before becoming a free agent easily puts this in the Toronto win column. But four AL East teams won 91 or more games, with three making the playoffs. The Jays did not after finishing fourth at 91-71, one game behind the Boston Red Sox.
Phillies Bolster(?) Bullpen
The deal: The Philadelphia Phillies acquired RHP Brandon Workman and RHP Heath Hembree from the Boston Red Sox for RHP Nick Pivetta and RHP Connor Seabold. Also, the Phillies acquired RHP David Phelps from the Milwaukee Brewers for three players to be named (RHP Brandon Ramey, RHP Juan Geraldo, RHP Israel Puello). Finally, the Phillies acquired RHP David Hale from the New York Yankees for RHP Addison Russ.
Impact on Phillies: Workman, Hembree, and Phelps blew up (derogatory) with the Phillies. Workman had a 6.92 ERA in 14 games with five saves, while Hembree had a 5.59 ERA in 11 appearances. Phelps, who had a 2.77 ERA with the Brewers, had a 12.91 ERA in 10 games. Hale was OK, with a 4.09 in six games, including two starts. The Phillies were 15-15, third in the NL East and sixth in the NL. As you can tell by the performance of these key bullpen adds, the Phillies fell out of playoff positioning, finishing with a 28-32 mark, just a game out of a playoff spot.
Impact on Red Sox: Pivetta had struggled in his first three-plus seasons with the Phillies, but turned into a solid rotation piece with the Red Sox, whom he played for through the 2024 season. Seabold was a non-factor in 2021 and 2022 before being dealt to the Colorado Rockies before the 2023 season.
Impact on Brewers: None of the three minor-leaguers picked up were in any team’s system past 2022.
Impact on Yankees: Russ made it to Triple-A in 2021, but then was out
The decision: This backfired on the Phillies in spectacular fashion, and the only beneficiary was the Red Sox with Pivetta. Workman would sign back with the Red Sox after the season, while Hembree and Phelps went elsewhere.
