The 2022 Major League Baseball trade deadline passed. After a flurry of action in the days and even hours leading up to the deadline, here's a look at some winners and losers:
Winner: San Diego Padres
The Padres acquired Juan Soto Tuesday.
(Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Padres added Juan Soto and Josh Hader -- the debate is over, they are the biggest winners at the deadline. Neither are rentals, with Hader under team control for one more season and Soto for two. The Padres have assured they'll have at least two cracks at the postseason with Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, who can opt out of his contract after the 2023 season. A.J. Preller snapped at the trade deadline, to the point where the additions of Josh Bell and Brandon Drury are afterthoughts. As Craig Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus noted, the Padres have become one of the sport's most aggressive spenders, which makes it hard to continue excusing other medium or small-market owners for not spending on their teams.
Loser: Washington Nationals
The Nationals traded Juan Soto Tuesday.
(Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
MacKenzie Gore and C.J. Abrams are already at the big league level, and there's definitely reason to be excited about the prospect trio of outfielder Robert Hassell III, outfielder James Wood and RHP Jarlin Susana. But the Nationals traded a 23-year-old that already feels destined for Cooperstown, and while $440 was a large number, offering him less than $30 million per season over the course of a 15-year deal wasn't a serious offer. To let Soto, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Max Scherzer all leave your organization over a five-year span is unacceptable.
Winner: Seattle Mariners
The Mariners acquired Luis Castillo.
(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Luis Castillo certainly wasn't cheap, but the Mariners acquired a front-line starter that they'll have for the rest of the 2022 season and for 2023. Seattle also added Matthew Boyd and catcher Curt Casali. The Mariners haven't made the postseason since 2001, but president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has set them up to have a slew of successful seasons in the coming years.
Loser: Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles traded away Trey Maninci.
(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Orioles haven't posted a winning record since 2016, and they haven't exactly averaged an 80-82 record over the past half decade. But despite being very much in the American League Wild Card race, general manager Mike Elias traded Trey Mancini to the Houston Astros without receiving an especially notable return for the rental. Meanwhile, they sent All-Star closer Jorge López to the Minnesota Twins without receiving a top-30 prospect. Mind you, López can't become a free agent until after the 2024 season, it's not as though he was a rental that the team was likely to lose this offseason if he wasn't traded.
Winner: New York Yankees
Frankie Montas was traded to the Yankees.
(Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
At 70-34, the Yankees have been the best team in baseball from the get-go this season. As the team pushes in for a World Series run, Brian Cashman was able to add Frankie Montas, Andrew Benintendi and Scott Effross, while holding onto top prospects Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza and Jasson Domínguez. They did part with Jordan Montgomery to acquire outfielder Harrison Bader, but they got an excellent center field defender in the process.
Winner: Atlanta Braves
Raisel Iglesias was traded to the Braves.
(John McCoy/Getty Images)
Alex Anthopoulos never seems to make the splashiest moves, but they almost always seem to work out. After adding Jake Odorizzi and Robbie Grossman Monday night, the defending World Series Champions landed reliever Raisel Iglesias to pair with Kenley Jansen at the back-end of their bullpen. While Jansen can become a free agent at the end of the season, Igleasias is only in the first year of a four-year/$58 million deal.
Loser: Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers traded Josh Hader.
(Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Hader has had a disastrous 12.54 ERA in July, but prior to that, he had been the best closer in baseball for a five-year stretch. The guess here is he hasn't forgotten how to pitch, and July will prove to just be a blip on the radar. That's great news for the San Diego Padres. Meanwhile, a Brewers team built around their pitching gave up their star closer, a move that doesn't seem to be sitting well with his successor, Devin Williams. The Brewers could have waited until the offseason to trade Hader, and kept him for one last World Series run. Instead, they could now run into the four-time All-Star in the postseason.
Winner: Philadelphia Phillies
Noah Syndergaard was traded to the Phillies Tuesday.
(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Phillies perhaps didn't pull off any earth-shattering deals, but the additions of Noah Syndergaard, Brandon Marsh and David Robertson certainly will improve the team's chances of reaching the postseason for the first time since 2011. While it was a bit of a surprise to see the Phillies trade prospects Logan O'Hoppe and Ben Brown away to acquire Marsh and Robertson, former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak and 21-year-old outfielding prospect Jadiel Sanchez felt like a pretty light package to send for Syndergaard. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski held onto the team's top three pitching prospects in Andrew Painter, Mick Abel and Griff McGarry.
Winner: Minnesota Twins
Tyler Mahle was traded to the Twins Tuesday.
(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
While the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox had quiet deadlines, the AL Central-leading Twins acquired Tyler Mahle, Jorge López and Michel Fulmer, bolstering their postseason odds. Of those three, Fulmer is the only one who can become a free agent after the season, so it was a productive day for Thad Levine and company.
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