Once the Trade Deadline passed at 6 p.m. ET on July 31 and the dust settled from the frenzy of transactions, there was one question to which everyone wanted an answer:
We had our immediate reactions, but the truth obviously wouldn’t reveal itself without some time. So now we’re back, one month later, to rank the players who have performed the best with their new clubs. They were indeed Deadline winners.
All stats updated through Friday.
1. Ramón Laureano, Padres
Laureano was already in the middle of a career year when the Orioles shipped him and Ryan O’Hearn to San Diego on Deadline Day. O’Hearn has been serviceable, but Laureano has been on another level. He broke into MLB.com’s latest Hitter Power Rankings and possesses a .302/.356/.573 slash line and a 159 wRC+ with the Padres.
Now in his eighth season, Laureano’s 21 homers for the year are three shy of his personal best from 2019. He has slugged six homers with his new team, including a grand slam in a victory over the Mariners on Tuesday. He will likely eclipse that career high soon if he keeps making optimal contact so frequently; his 17.6 percent barrel rate with San Diego ranks 12th in The Show (min. 100 PA).
2. Mike Yastrzemski, Royals
The best slugger acquired at the Deadline was … Yastrzemski?! Carl’s grandson had a career-worst .355 slugging percentage with the Giants before he was dealt to Kansas City. This month, he has a .654 slugging — fifth-best among qualified players — seven homers and 15 extra-base hits in 25 games. And based on his contact quality, it hasn’t really been a fluke. Yastrzemski’s .601 expected slugging percentage sits 14th among 200 players with at least 75 plate appearances this month. Now installed as the Royals’ leadoff hitter, Yastrzemski has as many walks as strikeouts (12) to go with a robust 1.024 OPS and a 170 wRC+.
3. Carlos Correa, Astros
Correa rejoining the Astros was the Deadline’s biggest shocker. Less surprising is how well he is playing in the city where he began his career. Correa picked up 30 hits through the first 22 games of this reunion and owns a .320/.389/.443 slash line in 108 plate appearances. His 137 wRC+ is a 40-point leap from what he accomplished with the Twins, and his 0.9 FanGraphs WAR in just 25 games with the Astros nearly matches his 1.0 fWAR in 93 games with Minnesota this season. Beyond his on-field contributions, Correa has quickly reclaimed the role of clubhouse leader in Houston.
4. Harrison Bader, Phillies
Badly in need of more production from their outfielders, the Phillies have found a solution in a player who’s more known for his glove. While Bader’s defense remains strong in center field, he is hitting .313 with an .890 OPS for the Phils. He’s been red-hot over his past nine games, batting 14-for-26 (.538) with five extra-base hits. That includes a four-knock evening on Thursday you probably didn’t hear much about because it got overshadowed by Kyle Schwarber’s historic homer binge. Bader has been integral to the Phillies’ 17-10 record this month, which trails only the Brewers (20-8) for the best in the Majors.
5. Miguel Andujar, Reds
By wRC+, Andujar has been the most productive hitter acquired at the Deadline among players with at least 60 plate appearances. He’s put up .361/.426/.590 slash line and a 179 wRC+, which is tied for ninth in MLB since Aug. 1. However, he gets dinged here because of that relatively low PA count. Andujar didn’t really grab hold of an everyday role with Cincinnati until Aug. 8. From that point, he recorded a 1.210 OPS over his next 12 games (46 PA) while mostly serving as the designated hitter.
Andujar has mashed lefties all season long, but he has also been making the best of his opportunities against right-handers in his new home, highlighted by a .389 average and a 1.099 OPS.
6. Kyle Finnegan, Tigers
This list has just one relief pitcher on it, though a handful are worthy of it. The top bullpen arms traded at the Deadline — Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran, Tyler Rogers — have been stellar. Finnegan, however, has been spotless. After registering a 4.38 ERA across 39 innings with the Nationals, Finnegan has thrown 13 1/3 scoreless innings with Detroit. That has included three hits, three walks, 18 strikeouts and four saves in as many chances. He’s a leading reason why the Tigers’ bullpen has the game’s second-best ERA this month (2.92).
Finnegan’s K rate has skyrocketed to 39.1%, by far the best in any month of his career. He has really leaned on his splitter, a pitch that he threw about 25-30 percent of the time over the previous few months. But with Detroit, Finnegan is throwing that pitch 51.4 percent of the time, and the results have been incredible: 1-for-25 with 16 strikeouts.
7. Josh Naylor, Mariners
Naylor wasn’t the biggest bat that the Mariners acquired from the D-backs last month, but he has been the better of the two with Seattle. While Eugenio Suárez’s return to the Pacific Northwest has been fairly underwhelming (.191 average, .686 OPS), Naylor has been solid, with five homers, 16 runs and a .766 OPS across 30 games. That’s a nice boost for a contender that has been on the hunt for a steady presence at first base for most of the season and was receiving a .708 OPS from that position prior to the trade.
8. Merrill Kelly, Rangers
It was a pretty dead Deadline for starting pitcher trades, and most of those who were moved — Adrian Houser, Zack Littell, Charlie Morton, Dustin May — haven’t really stood out. Kelly hasn’t been otherworldly for the Rangers; he has a 3.10 ERA and a 4.50 FIP over 29 2/3 innings and five starts for Texas. But his value to the club can’t be overstated in the wake of Nathan Eovaldi’s likely season-ending injury and after Texas had to give Jacob deGrom a bit of a break as he dealt with shoulder fatigue.
Kelly, who was scheduled to pitch Saturday versus the A’s, tossed seven scoreless innings in a victory over the Guardians on Aug. 24. The injury-riddled Rangers will need more performances like that out of the veteran if they want to stay afloat in the AL Wild Card race.
Shane Bieber, Blue Jays
It’s been only two starts and 11 1/3 innings, but Bieber has been mighty impressive since making his season and Blue Jays debut on Aug. 22. He has tallied 15 strikeouts and zero walks for the AL East leader.
Ke’Bryan Hayes, Reds
One of the absolute best with the leather at the hot corner, Hayes’ .429 slugging percentage with Cincinnati is 139 points better than it was this season with Pittsburgh.
Adam Frazier, Royals
Playing in the infield and outfield, the versatile Frazier is back with Kansas City for the second straight year and is batting .309 with a .781 OPS through 33 games.
