2023 MLB Trade Deadline winners and losers

Major League Baseball’s trade deadline motivated a flurry of activity throughout the league. Some teams looked to stock their cupboard full of additional talent for the stretch one, while others looked to replenish their organizations in hopes of competing in the future. We’ll take a look at the teams who came out on top after the dust settled, and which teams made puzzling moves.

There was a lot of chatter around the Angels possibly parting ways with star pitcher/hitter Shohei Ohtani before the deadline, since he’s going to be a free agent after the year. Instead, the team decided to double down on attempting to make the postseason, which makes sense considering the Angels have been out of the playoff picture since 2014.

There may be no more disappointing team in the league than the Mets, who came into the season with the highest payroll in baseball history. New York jettisoned a bunch of veterans, including Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and David Robertson. The franchise hoped to bolster their farm system, but curiously acquired a couple of young shortstops, who may be blocked by Francisco Lindor.

The Dodgers are a well-oiled machine when it comes to adding players for the final months of the season. They brought in pitchers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly from the Chicago White Sox, two veterans who should help stabilize the rotation and the bullpen. Lynn had a turbulent first half of the season, but figures to be reinvigorated by a playoff run.

Cleveland is still very much in the hunt in the wide-open American League Central division, but made a bizarre trade. They sent away struggling shortstop Amed Rosario to the Dodgers in exchange for a similarly struggling pitcher in Noah Syndergaard. While Syndergaard came to the major leagues as a prodigy, he has not been good for several years.

The Blue Jays figure to have a chance at postseason success for a long time, considering the youth and ability of their lineup. Toronto will just need to hope that their pitching staff holds up, and they made a savvy move by bringing closer Jordan Hicks in from the St. Louis Cardinals. This puts them in a much better position to finish games as the year progresses.

The Phillies are in the thick of things for a National League Wild card spot, and baseball fans know how dangerous they can be. Philadelphia made a surprise run to the World Series last year, but it seems like the front office may not be as confident in this group. The team was surprisingly quiet during the deadline, electing to refrain from making any notable deals.

The Astros figure to have a more challenging road to defend their World Series title in 2023, but a familiar face will be along for the ride. Houston (re)acquired pitcher Justin Verlander from the Mets, who won the Cy Young award with the team just last season. He’s been rounding into form in the last month or so, and will give Houston another legitimate ace alongside Framber Valdez.

The Pirates are hoping to build a contender for the next several years. Veteran catcher Austin Hedges was deemed expendable. Reportedly, five or six teams were interested in acquiring him. The Texas Rangers ultimate landed the backstop, and gave up international signing bonus money to do so. It seems like a low haul to receive for a player who was in high demand.