MLB Trade Deadline Sellers Won This Year’s Baseball Trade Frenzy

When he wasn’t making duets with Dolly Parton or faking Michael Jordan out of his sneakers (don’t believe me; look it up on YouTube), Kenny Rogers was your basic garden variety philosopher.

Remember when he crooned about knowing when to hold ‘em and fold ‘em? Well, a few MLB teams took his advice in the latter department and officially folded their 2024 hands, hoping to create better cards for next year.

It was a seller’s market, but not everyone jumped on the opportunity. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim decided not to offload three guys that could have netted a nice return, apparently bound and determined to hang on to fourth place in the American League West.

The Colorado Rockies did what they always seem to do, which is the bare minimum to remind folks that they are still, at least in name, an MLB franchise. And the Chicago White Sox took some steps toward the future but really could have done more.

So among the small crowd of sellers, who did the best job of putting themselves in a position to become buyers by this time next year? Let’s take a look at four teams that dealt shrewdly with an eye to 2025 and beyond.

Tampa Bay Rays

Give them credit. Even though they are just 3 ½ games out of the last wild card spot (and won again Tuesday night) and have a winning record, they looked at a terrible run differential entering last week and played the long game.

Most of their work was done before Tuesday. They traded reliever Jason Adam Sunday to San Diego for three good prospects and then shipped power-hitting Isaac Paredes to the Cubs for two prospects and Christopher Morel, whose .199 average with Chicago was weighed down by bad BABIP luck.

What’s more, they extricated two top-20 prospects from Baltimore’s rich farm system on Friday in the Zach Eflin deal. Then Tampa Bay sent Randy Arozarena to Seattle for a pair of top 25 farmhands.

Given the Rays’ ability to develop young, cheap talent, don’t be stunned when they’re playing at the margins to add help next year. And don’t be shocked if they somehow wind up playing important games this September, either.

Miami Marlins

Last year’s playoff spot now screams fluke. This franchise seems bent on being two things: cheap and irrelevant. But they were able to secure a lot of good, young talent during a multitude of deadline deals.

Swinging for the fences about an hour before Tuesday’s deadline, they bagged three of the Padres’ top five prospects in exchange for closer Tanner Scott. While pitchers Robby Snelling and Adam Mazur bring some risk, they also have power arms that, if they can throw strikes, could provide a huge return down the road.

Miami also picked up two top 20 prospects in the Yankees’ chain in exchange for Jazz Chisholm Jr. and got two of Pittsburgh’s top 20 farmhands in the Bryan De La Cruz trade. Sending lefty Trevor Rogers to Baltimore brought back the Orioles’ No. 5 prospect, second baseman Connor Norby.

Toronto Blue Jays

Few thought they would be giving up on the season with two months left, but Toronto has grossly underachieved. Management figured it out and got stunning returns for catcher Danny Jansen and lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi.

Jansen netted the Blue Jays’ No. 22 prospect, shortstop Eddinson Paulino, as well as two other minor leaguers. Kikuchi and his close to 5.00 earned run average brought back three potential contributors, including infielder Will Wagner, the son of potential Hall of Famer Billy Wagner.

Washington Nationals

The organization with perhaps MLB’s top farm system added to it by trading outfielder Lane Thomas to Cleveland for two of the Guardians’ top 25 prospects and also offloaded Jesse Winker to the Mets for that organization’s No. 17 prospect, righty pitcher Tyler Stuart.

With their immense stockpile of young players, Washington isn’t far away from using some of that talent to trade for help next year—and for years to come.