Grading this season's MLB Trade deadline pickups

MLB teams who were looking to make a playoff push loaded up on talent ahead of the trade deadline in early August. Some of the higher profile moves have helped clubs charge higher in the standings, while others have not worked out as planned. We’ll grade the larger scale transactions as baseball’s regular season winds down.

It’s been pretty easy for Houston to coast into the postseason in recent years, but the Astros find themselves in a dogfight in the American League West in 2023. Verlander’s experience in big games has largely benefitted the ballclub upon his return. He hasn’t flashed the Cy Young form he had a year ago, but has been very good in most starts.

The acquisition of Scherzer by the Rangers has blown up in their faces. The veteran is set to miss the rest of the regular season with a forearm strain, and may not be available for the postseason either. He was lit up in one of Texas’ most critical games of the season, a September 6 outing against Houston where he conceded seven earned runs.

The Cubs find themselves back in the thick of the race in the National League Central and in the Wild Card hunt. Candelario hasn’t quite been what Chicago hoped, as he’s hit for a lower average and posted a lower on base percentage than what he had recorded with the Washington Nationals earlier in the season.

Lorenzen’s tenure with the Phillies started with a bang. He threw a no-hitter in his second start with Philadelphia, but his performance has been uneven since that memorable August 9^th night. He’s been touched up a bit in games against the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves.

The Blue Jays were looking to sure up the back end of their bullpen, and Hicks has been as good as advertised. While some may question the lack of saves he’s logged in Toronto, Hicks’ game logs have shown that he’s shut down the opponent nearly every time his number has been called. After a shaky first outing with the team, Hicks has been lights out.

It’s very rare that a team acquires a player during the trade deadline, only to part ways with him a month later. The Angels thought they were getting an electric arm to add to their rotation, but Giolito’s brief stint with the club was a nightmare. After a month of poor performance, he was re-routed to the Cleveland Indians, where things haven’t gone much better.

The Brewers seem to be a safe bet to make the postseason in some capacity, and bringing Santana in was a move that will prepare them for October. He may not play everyday for Milwaukee, but he’ll be a viable option at DH or off the bench in power situations. In limited action, he’s almost hit as many home runs in Milwaukee as he did in Pittsburgh for four months of the season.

The Dodgers have to feel pretty good about this one. They traded Hernandez to Boston as part of the blockbuster Mookie Betts deal a few years ago, and then got him back this summer for pennies on the dollar. He’s an extremely valuable piece for Los Angeles, who utilizes his positional versatility to play him all over the diamond.