The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.
The final hours of the MLB trade deadline saw a multitude of deals as teams jockeyed for talent before the stretch drive. Here’s a look at four trades involving big-league players and some intriguing prospects.
Trade No. 1: Cleveland Guardians acquire LHP Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals in exchange for LHP Will Dion, LHP Josh Hartle, RHP Kendeglys Virguez and OF Nick Mitchell
Foster Griffin has been unbelievable in his return from NPB, making him one of the best (if slightly undertold) stories of the 2026 season. Even though he’s a rental, I’m surprised all the Nats got was a package of fringe guys, with lefty Josh Hartle (No. 18) the top-ranked prospect heading back from Cleveland.
Griffin should be the favorite pitcher of every fan complaining about how all anyone does now is try to throw 98 with huge spin. He’s a cutter/sweeper/changeup guy now, having reinvented himself in three years in Japan, and Statcast has him throwing seven pitches this year. He lives on the edges of the zone with everything but the cutter and four-seamer, and doesn’t walk anyone, with a 5.7 percent walk rate this year that’s lower than anything he posted in the minors. My colleague Tyler Kepner has been raving all afternoon in Slack about how much Griffin understands the craft of pitching, and it just makes me like him more. (Griffin, not Tyler. Jury’s still out on that guy.)
The Guardians’ rotation has been a rock this year, making every start but one, so this wasn’t a clear need. Still, Griffin is an upgrade over Slade Cecconi and would slot into the playoff rotation ahead of Joey Cantillo.
Hartle is a polished lefty with a 55 changeup and an average slider, but he sits 90-92 mph with a fringy cutter, and neither pitch misses bats. The formula can work if either of the first two pitches becomes a real out pitch, and if he can be a plus control guy, which he was as a sophomore at Wake Forest but really hasn’t been since. He’s walked 9.2 percent of batters this year, and probably would need to cut that by a third or more to be a big-league starter — kind of the way Griffin has become a plus control guy with his own marginal velocity.
Will Dion is a lefty reliever with a plus changeup, sitting 90-91 with below-average breaking stuff. He has faced 35 left-handed batters in the minors this year, and they have hit .469/.514/.750 against him. He was actually better against lefties in the majors, but it’s still not good.
Right-hander Kendeglys Virguez is a straight reliever who’s up to 100 with a slider that’s at least a 60; lefties have destroyed him this year, including a .434 OBP. Nick Mitchell is a slap-hitting outfielder who doesn’t chase or whiff much but has no power and puts the ball on the ground a lot. It’s a handsy swing, and he doesn’t rotate his hips well to try to get something from his lower half. He’s hitting .240/.358/.360 in Double A this year as a 22-year-old.
It just doesn’t add up to much for me; it’s hard to see any of these guys becoming more than a replacement-level big leaguer, although I could at least sketch out a scenario in which that happens for Hartle. I was all in favor of the Nats’ trading Griffin on the assumption they’d get more than this in return.
Trade No. 2: San Diego Padres acquire RHP Casey Mize and IF Gage Workman from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for LHPs Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf
Right-hander Casey Mize has finally fulfilled the potential that made him the No. 1 pick in 2018; he missed most of 2022 because of Tommy John surgery, took a big step forward in 2025, and this year has shown plus control and command of a three-pitch mix in which all three are above-average assets. His calling card in college was a splitter, and he still throws one, although it’s not as filthy as it was at Auburn. He had a lot of trouble with it last year, and this year he’s getting more glove-side run to it and dropping some further below the zone. He might be the Padres’ best starter now, and with Michael King and Robbie Ray, they have a viable front three to compete in any playoff series if they get there. They also get Gage Workman, a plus runner who can move around the infield, lacking the bat to be more than a quadruple-A player.
Lefty Kash Mayfield was the Padres’ first-round pick in 2024 out of an Oklahoma high school but hasn’t had the same velocity in pro ball he did as an amateur. He was up to 98 in his draft year but is more 90-94 now, with a plus changeup and below-average breaking ball. He’s already 21 and has a 3.54 ERA in High A, averaging fewer than four innings a start while striking out 29 percent of hitters.
Lefty Jackson Wolf made one start in the majors in 2023 and has spent most of the past three years pitching in the hitter-friendly park of El Paso, with a 6.48 ERA at that level in his career. He’s a kitchen-sink guy with below-average velocity, probably an up-and-down guy, but I would like to see what he could do pitching in a normal environment rather than in the elevated parks of the PCL.
Heliot Ramos hit nine homers with a .728 OPS in 74 games with the Giants this season. (Denny Medley / Imagn Images)
Trade No. 3: New York Yankees acquire Heliot Ramos from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for IF Kaeden Kent and LHP Henry Lalane
Heliot Ramos was an All-Star in 2023 when he broke through in his third stint in the majors, hitting 22 homers with a .269/.322/.469 line, but the little signs that he would have trouble making contact were telling us something, and he has regressed each of the past two years. He’s also turned out to be a poor defensive outfielder, which is the most surprising part of his rapid rise and fall. What he can do, however, is hit for power against lefties, and the Yankees have room for that given how their outfield and DH spots typically go to left-handed batters. He’s under team control through 2029 and will be arbitration eligible this winter under the current rules.
Lefty Henry Lalane was Rule 5 eligible in December but went undrafted, as he barely pitched last year after returning from a shoulder injury and was sitting more 90-91. He’s sitting 93-96 again, touching 98, with a plus slider and above-average changeup. He’s 6 feet 7, and his extension can get up to 7.4 feet, but the delivery is still extremely inconsistent; he’s gangly and looks like he’s still finding his coordination on the mound. To his credit, he hasn’t walked many guys at all when healthy, with an 8.4 percent walk rate this year between Low A and High A. He could be an above-average starter if he gets to consistent mechanics, especially if he finishes better out front so the four-seamer can play up to its velocity.
The Giants also get Kaeden Kent, son of Jeff Kent, who is having a solid full-season debut in High A (.302/.359/.433) and looks like a future utility infielder. This is a good return for the Giants given Ramos’ limitations.
Trade No. 4: Arizona Diamondbacks acquire OF Lars Nootbaar from the St. Louis Cardinals for RHP Daniel Eagen, LHP Sandro Santana and a player to be named later
Outfielder Lars Nootbaar has been a big stathead favorite for a while, but he hasn’t converted his strong batted-ball data into consistent power or enough other production to be an everyday player, especially with his wide platoon splits. He’s an upgrade over recently signed Max Kepler, who’s also a left-handed hitter but hasn’t been productive at the plate since 2023.
Right-hander Daniel Eagen has had two problems this year: Lefties hit him hard, and he’s made half his starts at Amarillo, where the ball flies out to center. He’s 92-94 with a hammer breaking ball, however, and could be a good big-league reliever with no adjustments. Given the way the Cardinals develop pitching now, however, I would bet the house he’ll show up later this year or next spring with a kick-change, split or something else to try to give him the third pitch he’ll need to be a back-end starter.
Lefty Sandro Santana is already in the bullpen, pitching quite well so far in 15 innings for Amarillo. Left-handed batters are 8-for-64 off him with no extra-base hits, and he’s struck out 42.4 percent of them so far. He’s fastball/slider from a low three-quarters slot, up to 98, with nothing for righties, and adding a pitch will not be as simple with that slot or his “everything hard” approach. Lefty specialists aren’t a thing anymore, but that’s what he is right now. Anything to help him keep right-handers in check would make him a big leaguer.
