The trade deadline is closing in, and the dominoes have begun to fall. Whatever happens, the best place to find out what it means for your Fantasy Baseball team is right here in the Trade Deadline Tracker. Over the next week-plus, Scott White and Chris Towers will use this space to break down every move that’s of some significance for Fantasy, updating the feed as trades happen. Be sure to bookmark it so you’ll always have the recent insights and information. Adley Rutschman to the Red Sox
Adley Rutschman
C
BAL
Baltimore
• #35
•
Age: 28
2026 Stats
AVG
.251
HR
8
R
30
RBI
47
SB
0
SO
40
The Orioles ended up playing in five playoff games with Adley Rutschman, and they weren’t on track to add to that total in 2026 so they shipped him out ahead of his final season of club control. Rutschman has struggled with injuries in recent years and he is currently on the IL for the third time this season, this time with a left wrist injury. He passed a physical, so the Red Sox must be confident in Rutschman’s health heading into the stretch run, and he represents a big upgrade for the Red Sox behind the plate.
For Rutschman, this is probably a bit of a lateral move. The Orioles and Red Sox have essentially identical team wOBAs, though the Red Sox have come alive in recent months after a slow start while the Orioles have been pretty steadily mediocre. It might be a mild park downgrade on the whole – Fenway has those short poles down the lines but is an especially tough park for left-handed power overall – but it probably isn’t enough to change Rutschman’s outlook. That’ll come down to how quickly he can get back from the IL and hit like himself. Rutschman probably isn’t a superstar like he looked in his first few seasons, but he’s a solid top 12 catcher option and that shouldn’t change with a move to Boston. –Chris Towers
Liam Hicks to the Rays
Liam Hicks
DH
MIA
Miami
• #34
•
Age: 27
2026 Stats
AVG
.282
HR
14
R
54
RBI
62
SB
3
SO
39
This is an interesting one, because the Marlins have approached Hicks as if he basically isn’t a catcher anymore – he has appeared in just five games behind the plate since July 1. And the Rays tend to really prioritize defense at catcher. But two of their three best hitters are locked in at first base or DH, so Hicks is probably going back to primarily catching in Tampa. That’ll hurt his Fantasy value because it seems likely to cost him at least some playing time over the next two months. And, of course, there’s this: Hicks has hit just .299/.384/.390 since the start of June, with the early-season power breakout largely disappearing. That’s still a pretty terrific line from a catcher, but the early-season power breakout has largely disappeared for Hicks, and while his surface-level numbers are still very good, his expected wOBA is down to .309, actually worse than his .315 mark from last season. Hicks remains a useful Fantasy option, but with the playing time downgrade he’s likely staring at here amid his diminished overall production, he might be more like a No. 2 catcher the rest of the way. –Chris Towers
Luis Arraez traded to Phillies
Luis Arraez is having a typical year offensively, leading the league in batting average for the fourth time, but he’s been much improved defensively at second base. And that improvement will prompt a massive shakeup in the Phillies lineup to accommodate his bat. Bryson Stott will go to third base, Alec Bohm will go to first base, and most notably, Bryce Harper will go to the outfield, a position he hasn’t played at all since 2022 and not regularly since 2021. The added eligibility will help Fantasy Baseballers on all fronts but will be most valuable in Harper’s case, seeing as outfield is a position of need and first base is a position of incredible surplus.
Luis Arraez
2B
PHI
Philadelphia
• #1
•
Age: 29
2026 Stats
AVG
.324
HR
4
RBI
43
R
52
SB
10
OPS
.801
As for Arraez, he goes to a much more favorable venue for hitters, though that matters less to one who hardly ever hits homers. In fact, the smaller confines makes for less outfield ground to cover, and I’ll note that he’s a career .259 hitter at Citizens Bank Park. Probably, though, he’ll continue to do what he does, just with better run and RBI production. The Phillies also get right-handed reliever Caleb Kilian, who will help form the bridge to closer Jhoan Duran. Meanwhile, the Giants’ main return in the deal is right-handed pitching prospect Ramon Marquez, a 20-year-old who has broken out this year with a 1.68 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 14.2 K/9 between two levels of A-ball. –Scott White
Jose Soriano traded to Blue Jays
Really? For all the contenders that need pitching help, Jose Soriano goes to the last-place Blue Jays? The 27-year-old is under control for two more seasons, so it makes sense if they anticipate being back in contention next season. Still, you’d think a team with something to play for now would find the motivation to outbid whatever the Blue Jays offered. Granted, shortstop Arjun Nimmala is a prospect of some note, offering tantalizing power but still working to tap into it fully. He heads to the Angels, along with a couple lower-end prospects.
Jose Soriano
SP
TOR
Toronto
•
Age: 27
2026 Stats
W-L
9-6
ERA
3.29
WHIP
1.25
INN
123
BB
57
K
127
As for Soriano, the league’s fifth-best ground-ball pitcher gets a better defense behind him, though his .273 BABIP already ranks in the top half of the league. Control has been what’s held him back, his 11.2 percent walk rate tied for worst among qualifiers. Overall, though, he’s trending up, having become more of a bat-misser this year by diversifying his arsenal (specifically, more four-seamers and splitters) and having overcome a rough midseason stretch with a 2.74 ERA in July. Give him a slight bump with this move and consider him a top 50 starting pitcher rest of season. –Scott White
Kevin Gausman traded to Cubs
Kevin Gausman
SP
CHC
Chi. Cubs
•
Age: 35
2026 Stats
W-L
5-10
ERA
4.38
WHIP
1.29
INN
127.1
BB
36
K
127
The Cubs get the rotation piece they desperately needed, though it’s fair to say Kevin Gausman is no sure thing at this stage of his career. The 35-year-old managed to work around a declining strikeout rate the previous two years but has struggled to keep his ERA under 4.00 this year as his velocity has continued to sag. Then again, his swinging-strike rate, walk rate and ground-ball rate are about the same as in 2024 and 2025, and his average exit velocity is actually a little better (88.4 mph). His 3.95 xERA and 3.51 FIP both say he deserves better than he’s gotten and are more in line with the aforementioned seasons. Notably, he also had an ERA over 4.00 in the first half of those two seasons before shaping up in the second half, and the Cubs are obviously counting on the same here. Gausman will have a more forgiving offense backing him in Chicago, but for the most part, his stock holds steady with this move. You could argue he was a buy-low candidate whether he stayed or went. –Scott White
Taylor Ward to the Mariners
Taylor Ward
LF
BAL
Baltimore
• #3
•
Age: 32
2026 Stats
AVG
.246
HR
7
R
64
RBI
30
SB
4
SO
103
The Mariners can always use more offense, and getting that offense without a meaningful downgrade to their rotation is always going to be a win. Ward likely slides into their outfield and DH rotation and figures to be in the lineup everyday, potentially near the top – the way his profile has flipped overnight has made Ward more of a table setter than the power hitter he has been in the past. And moving to T-Mobile Park doesn’t seem likely to change that – in fact, given how much of his production this season has hinged on massively improved plate discipline, T-Mobile’s strikeout-inflating effects is a big concern here. It’s a park downgrade for Ward, who is a fringe-y option for Fantasy to begin with. That doesn’t mean you should drop him, but it’s not a move that inspires a ton of confidence, let alone excitement. –Chris Towers
Robbie Ray to the Padres
Robbie Ray
SP
SF
San Francisco
• #38
•
Age: 34
2026 Stats
INN
122.2
W
10
K’s
107
ERA
3.08
WHIP
1.29
Well, it’s one of the few parks in baseball that isn’t a significant downgrade for Ray, so he’s got that going for him. And that is increasingly meaningful for Ray, who no longer misses enough bats to be the kind of pitcher who can thrive anywhere. In fact, this season he has his worst strikeout rate ever to go along with an 11.1% walk rate, a full percentage point ahead of his career rate. It’s a 3.08 ERA, but with ERA estimators above 4.35 across the board, so there is probably some regression coming no matter where Ray pitches. But it’s less likely to be a totally ruinous level of regression in Petco Park, so the decline should be a bit more gradual now. That doesn’t mean we should expect Ray to be much more than just a fringe contributor, so if you get the chance to sell high on him, you should follow in the Giants’ footsteps here. –-Chris Towers
Jo Adell to the Guardians
Jo Adell
RF
CLE
Cleveland
•
Age: 27
2026 Stats
AVG
.239
HR
16
R
46
RBI
62
SB
3
SO
108
2026 has been a letdown for Adell after a breakout in 2025. Having stated that, his 16 homers on the season would lead the Guardians, and nobody is within two of him right now. This is a team that desperately needs someone who can put the ball over the fence, something their outfielders have collectively done a league-low 28 times this season. It is neither a park nor lineup upgrade, but maybe the change of scenery is enough to get Adell going. We know when he’s locked in he can help carry an offense for weeks at a time, but we’ve gotta see a sign of him getting locked in before anyone needs to buy in at this point. –Chris Towers
Brenton Doyle to the White Sox
Brenton Doyle
CF
COL
Colorado
• #9
•
Age: 28
2026 Stats
AVG
.214
HR
1
R
22
RBI
5
SB
9
SO
42
The White Sox have gotten basically nothing from their center fielders this season, as they are hitting .246/.305/.359 with an 86 wRC+ for the season. Of course, since his breakout 2024 season, Doyle has put up a combined 62 wRC+ and has actually rated out as a negative defensive player this season, so he might not even be an upgrade relative to the low standards of this position on the North Side. Doyle hasn’t really mattered for Fantasy since 2024 and moving away from Coors Field doesn’t seem likely to help in that regard. –Chris Towers
Tyler Mahle traded to Braves
Tyler Mahle
SP
ATL
Atlanta
•
Age: 31
2026 Stats
W-L
3-9
ERA
5.13
WHIP
1.39
INN
94.2
BB
37
K
89
It’s fair to ask whether this trade is even worth bringing up in a Fantasy Baseball context given Tyler Mahle is only 20 percent rostered and … well, you see the numbers. But he’s not far removed from being a pitcher of interest, having put together a 2.18 ERA for the Rangers during an injury-shortened 2025, and he’s actually regained some of the velocity he was lacking then. He’s sure to get an extended look with the Braves, who have plenty to play for but a startling lack of viable starting pitchers, and if he he were to recapture something, it wouldn’t be the most shocking development. Meanwhile, it’s likely that JR Ritchie’s and/or Grant Holmes’ days in the starting rotation are numbered. –Scott White
Luis Garcia Jr. traded to Yankees
Luis Garcia
1B
NYY
N.Y. Yankees
•
Age: 26
2026 Stats
AVG
.283
HR
23
R
48
RBI
76
SB
4
SO
61
The Nationals turned Garcia’s breakout season into a surprisingly light return – a couple of relievers in Yovanny Cruz and Jake Bird and a couple of prospects ranked outside of the team’s top 10 in MLB.com’s rankings in Jack Cebert and Ben Grable – which tells you what the market thinks of a platoon-only, likely first baseman. Maybe the Yankees will move Garcia to second base and retry Jazz Chisholm at third base occasionally, but I’m viewing this as the Yankees acquiring a righty-mashing partner to pair with Paul Goldschmidt at first base. Garcia’s only limitation this season has been a lack of playing time against lefties, and I don’t expect this trade to change that much. It’s probably a park upgrade and a lateral move in lineup context once Aaron Judge is healthy, but it doesn’t fundamentally alter how we view Garcia for Fantasy. He was a good player who is held back by his lack of everyday at-bats and he still is.
One additional detail here: I think this probably serves as a pessimistic note for Giancarlo Stanton’s chances of ever making an impact. He is set to take live BP Monday as he continues to work his way back from a lingering calf injury, but the Yankees seem to rightfully have very little confidence in Stanton’s chances of playing a big role down the stretch if they are willing to essentially lock Ben Rice into a full-time DH role, which is deal seems to telegraph. –Chris Towers
Freddy Peralta traded to Rays
Freddy Peralta
SP
NYM
N.Y. Mets
• #51
•
Age: 30
2026 Stats
INN
113.2
W
5
K’s
113
ERA
4.99
WHIP
1.48
Peralta is on the move for the second time in eight months, and the Rays have to believe they have a plan to fix whatever has gone wrong for them since he arrived with the Mets. What is that, exactly? Well, Peralta doesn’t get strikeouts anymore, is the main problem – he’s down to a 22.1% strikeout rate on the season, the first time he’s ever been below even 27%. His changeup, curveball, and fastball whiff rates are all within spitting distance of last year’s numbers, and his slider still has an elite 48.7% whiff rate, too – but that pitch has been getting crushed when he throws it, and Peralta has clearly lost faith in it, increasingly opting to lean on a much less effective sweeper instead. The first order of business of the Rays has to be figuring out why the slider has been so much worse this season and how to get it back.
Everything else generally looks as it should for Peralta, so making a change-of-scenery bet while giving up very little in prospect capital — three top-30 organizational prospects, but zero top-10 ones — for two months of Peralta makes plenty of sense. And the Rays are definitely on the shortlist of of teams we believe can fix slightly dented and broken pitchers. There’s no guarantee that Peralta will turn things around, of course, but it’s not a bad bet for the Rays to make – and it’s one Fantasy players should be willing to see through, too. –Chris Towers
Tarik Skubal traded to Dodgers
Tarik Skubal
SP
LAD
L.A. Dodgers
•
Age: 29
2026 Stats
W-L
7-5
ERA
2.79
WHIP
0.91
INN
96.2
BB
14
K
116
This was entirely expected. The only thing that could have stopped the Dodgers was their own follow-through, and we’ve all seen they have no shortage of that. So what did it take for them to complete the deal? Ultimately, three prospects: one who’s pretty close to top tier, one who would also be if he wasn’t 27 years old, and one who’s lesser known but has the sort of numbers that could raise his stature in the future. Their names are Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith. If you didn’t already have Skubal as the top starting pitcher rest of season, even for as good as he’s looked coming back from a midseason elbow procedure, you should now that he’s joined the best supporting cast in baseball. Over his past six starts, he has a 1.95 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 12.2 K/9. For more on the impact of this trade, and particularly what it means for the league as a whole, check out my full article here. –Scott White
Luis Castillo traded to White Sox
While Luis Castillo is the biggest player on the move, the most impacted player for Fantasy is one that’s staying put: Kade Anderson. The top-flight pitching prospect, drafted third overall last year, has been a force of nature at Double-A, as you can see from the numbers, and because the Mariners typically have their best pitching prospects skip Triple-A, the only obstacle to his promotion has been a stacked rotation that was already six deep.
Kade Anderson
SP
SEA
Seattle
• #13
•
2026 Minors
W-L
9-1
ERA
1.20
WHIP
0.66
INN
82.1
BB
12
K
119
The Mariners recently had Anderson take three weeks off from pitching, obviously wanting to reserve some bullets for stretch run. The only question, then, is whether they bring him up right away and stick with a six-man rotation or wait a couple weeks so as to preserve his rookie eligibility. The latter option makes them eligible for certain draft pick incentives, but they may need all the help they can get right now. Either way, Anderson needs to be rostered in all Fantasy leagues because his impact down the stretch could be enormous.
Luis Castillo
SP
CHW
Chi. White Sox
• #58
•
Age: 33
206 Stats
W-L
3-9
ERA
5.06
WHIP
1.40
INN
99.2
BB
32
K
86
As for Castillo, he wouldn’t seem to have much left in the tank anymore. He’s not the bat-misser nor ground-ball generator he used to be and has struggled to keep his ERA under 5.00. He’s still capable of going six-plus innings on a good day, though, so he’ll be worth streaming at times. Presumably, he’ll be taking Noah Schultz’s place in the rotation, though Erick Fedde and Anthony Kay aren’t exactly mainstays either. What about the Mariners’ return, you ask? Part of it is salary relief, but they’re also getting reliever Seranthony Dominguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and catcher Boston Smith, a 23-year-old with a .291/.448/.589 slash line between Low-A, High-A and Double-A. Smith isn’t the most highly regarded prospect, but numbers like that are sure to draw attention now that a trade has put him on everyone’s radar. –Scott White
Lane Thomas traded to Braves
Lane Thomas
CF
ATL
Atlanta
• #20
•
Age: 30
2026 Stats
AVG
.230
HR
10
SB
7
OBP
.325
OPS
.717
AB
283
The 30-year-old Lane Thomas, who had a couple years of Fantasy relevance with the Nationals, had begun to draw some Fantasy interest again in July, batting .268 with five homers and three steals. Of course, that was as an everyday player. He’s likely to form the lesser half of a platoon with Mike Yastrzemski in Atlanta, effectively replacing Eli White, given that he has an .800 OPS against lefties this season and an .850 OPS against them for his career. There’s moderate pop and good speed here when he’s playing well, but he’s probably not going to play enough to matter. The other players involved in this deal — left-hander Bailey Falter going to Atlanta and minor league pitchers Lucas Braun and Carter Holton going to Kansas City — are of no real interest in Fantasy. –Scott White
Dean Kremer traded to Twins
Dean Kremer
SP
MIN
Minnesota
• #13
•
Age: 30
2026 Stats
W-L
1-4
ERA
6.50
WHIP
1.36
INN
36
BB
11
K
38
For a minute there, it looked like Dean Kremer might be of some interest in Fantasy. I’m referring mainly to that time when he allowed one earned run in six innings against the White Sox after a three-month absence for a quad strain. He was leaning into his splitter more than ever before, and it’s a pitch that yields excellent results with a .204 batting average against and 41.5 percent whiff rate. As the pitch selection normalized, though, the ERA took an ugly turn, and now he finds himself on a Twins staff that doesn’t have an obvious opening for him. At first glance, he wouldn’t appear to be any better than the pitchers occupying the fourth and fifth spots, Zebby Matthews and Connor Prielipp, but both are entering unfamiliar territory with regard to innings, Prielipp especially. This trade serves as a reminder that those two pitchers, who are pretty fringy in Fantasy to begin with, have an expiration date. You can expect Kremer to fill a swingman role until he needs to step in full-time. –Scott White
Curtis Mead traded to Red Sox for Connelly Early
Curtis Mead
3B
BOS
Boston
•
Age: 25
2026 Stats
AVG
.254
HR
17
SB
6
OBP
.352
OPS
.852
AB
284
Report: Curtis Mead fractured his wrist in his second plate appearance for the Red Sox and will likely miss the rest of the season. The outlook depicted here now belongs to the theoretical. Perhaps it will apply to 2027, though the Red Sox could make moves between now and then that would alter it.
How refreshing to see a trade that’s more about matching up needs than shedding salary for prospects. Mead and Connelly Early both have several years of control left and, with this trade, become foundational pieces for clubs that lacked what they can provide. The big winner for Fantasy is Mead, who has had a breakout season in every respect but was required to sit occasionally on account of the Nationals’ infield surplus. He should play every day for the Red Sox — and at second base, no less, likely preserving his triple eligibility for next year. He also has a batted-ball profile that’s perfectly suited for Fenway Park, lacking in high-end exit velocities but abounding in fly balls pulled from the right side. He was already having an offensive breakthrough, but you can expect his batting average to rise as some of his fly ball outs become singles and doubles off the Green Monster. This trade puts him on the fringes of the top 12 at third base, where he’s of the most use in Fantasy.
Connelly Early
SP
WAS
Washington
•
Age: 24
2026 Stats
W-L
7-5
ERA
3.44
WHIP
1.26
INN
91.2
BB
34
K
93
From a real-world perspective, this trade probably seems like a coup for the Nationals, seeing as Early was a top prospect coming into the year while Mead had already flopped with two organizations and is challenged defensively. Mead’s stock has obviously risen since then, however, while Early’s has probably slipped a little. Notably, the Nationals are acquiring Early while he’s sidelined by elbow inflammation, which doesn’t sound serious but does introduce an element of uncertainty. Even prior to the injury, Early’s control had been shaky and his stuff had played down, putting his ERA estimators well above his actual ERA. Perhaps the Red Sox thought they should get while the getting was good. –Scott White