The trade deadline brought its share of fireworks, but for a few contenders, the bigger story was what didn’t happen.
Around the league, clubs swung major deals, including the Tarik Skubal blockbuster between the Tigers and Dodgers and the Red Sox-Orioles swap for Adley Rutschman. But while some teams solved problems, others came up short on the exact needs they were trying to patch.
Philadelphia is the clearest example. The Phillies did land Luis Arraez, one of baseball’s best pure hitters, but they still left the deadline without the starting pitcher and outfielder they were chasing.
The Arraez move also triggers a major defensive shuffle for a club that already sits as the worst defensive team in the league. Bryson Stott is moving to third base, Alec Bohm is shifting to first, and Bryce Harper is going back to the outfield for the first time since 2022.
The rotation remains a real concern, too. Behind Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo, the Phillies have not gotten much help.
Aaron Nola has a 5.55 ERA and has allowed 28 home runs in 23 starts, a steep drop from the Cy Young-caliber version of him from his prime. Andrew Painter hasn’t been sharp in his first MLB season either.
For a team trying to hold its ground in a crowded National League wild-card race, that’s a risky hole to leave open.
Atlanta had its own missed chance. The Braves were in the market for a shortstop and pitching help, and they did add Tyler Mahle, but he reads more like depth than a difference-maker.
Reports said the Braves checked in on Jacob deGrom, though the former Cy Young winner made it clear he didn’t want to leave the Rangers. In the end, Atlanta didn’t land a meaningful upgrade for a rotation that has been hammered by injuries.
Shortstop was supposed to be another fix, but the market never really lined up. The Braves are expected to stick with Jim Jarvis and Ha-Seong Kim, who was just activated from the injured list.
Jarvis, 25, has held his own since being called up in June, posting a .701 OPS with one home run and 10 RBIs in 26 games. Kim, on the other hand, has been rough: five hits in 27 games, a .068 batting average and a .239 OPS.
For a team with World Series hopes, that’s a painfully familiar problem since Dansby Swanson left.
The Yankees also walked away with a hole still staring them in the face. They added a pair of hitters to help a lineup that has sagged since Aaron Judge went on the IL, but they never solved their biggest need: catcher.
New York was reportedly in the mix for Adley Rutschman, but didn’t want to push into the kind of massive package Boston used to get him. Hunter Goodman would have required a hefty price, and Brian Cashman apparently wasn’t eager to pay it.
Ryan Jeffers was another name the Yankees looked at, but Minnesota ended up buying instead. Tyler Stephenson fit as well, though it’s unclear how far those talks ever got.
So the Yankees are left leaning on Austin Wells, who has been steady behind the plate but has been one of the least productive hitters in the majors. Heliot Ramos and Luis Garcia Jr. were brought in to help the offense, but New York still has to make do with the production it’s getting from Wells, J.C. Escarra and Ali Sanchez.
Milwaukee’s deadline was quieter in the wrong places, too. The Brewers did come away with starting pitcher Dustin May and reliever JoJo Romero in a deal with the Cardinals, but their bigger need was a power bat, and they never found one. No team in MLB has fewer home runs than Milwaukee’s 101, and while the Brewers have still scored runs at a high clip, ranking fifth in the league, the lack of a true slugger stands out.
That matters even more in October, when one swing can change everything. The Brewers had a chance to add that kind of threat and couldn’t get it done.
They also fell short in their pursuit of Tarik Skubal, choosing to protect their farm system rather than make a bigger push. In the end, they improved only a little while watching the Dodgers get substantially better.
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