Before the kids get back to school, we’re grading the best in class at the trade deadline. Here are the top deals from the swap meet to end July, with an eye on impact potential for the final two months of the season. He flopped as a deadline-deal acquisition last year with the Orioles, but the 28-year-old revitalized his career after signing a one-year deal with the Tigers, and the Dodgers will reap the benefits down the stretch and in the postseason. With several question marks regarding their rotation, the NL West leaders landed the best starting pitcher dealt at the deadline. It doesn’t mean the Dodgers will cruise to a World Series title, but this trade potentially sets them up with a formidable playoff rotation of Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw (or possibly rookie Gavin Stone), and Flaherty, who is resembling his 2019 self when he finished fourth in the NL Cy Young Award race. A shrewd acquisition, and not just because the former Marlins standout posted back-to-back two-homer games in a road sweep of the National League-leading Phillies earlier this week. Aging third baseman DJ LeMahieu is on a downward spiral, so replacing him with the youthful and athletic Chisholm, though he never played third professionally before joining the Bronx Bombers, is a major upgrade. The 26-year-old was the face of the Marlins, but now he can blend in on a star-studded roster as he enters his prime. As a lefty pull hitter, he’ll love the short porch at Yankee Stadium, and he also brings speed to a team near the bottom of the majors in stolen bases. The Phillies cruised to the majors’ best first-half record despite a middle-of-the-pack bullpen. Clearly, upgrading the relief corps was a top priority. GM Dave Dombrowski solved that problem and may have put the NL East leaders over the top in the process by acquiring Estevez, a 2023 All-Star closer, in the final year of a two-year deal with the Angels. Following a 31-save season last year, the 31-year-old Estevez was a ray of sunshine on a lackluster Angels roster, posting 20 saves in 23 first-half chances along with a 2.38 ERA and an impressive 0.74 WHIP. While the Phils sent the Halos a pair of promising pitching prospects in George Klassen and Samuel Aldegher, it’s World Series title or bust in the City of Brotherly Love. With a roster chock full of rising young stars and a rotation guided by former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes, the AL East leaders had few needs at the deadline. They did, however, seek a starter who could slot in behind Burnes and young Grayson Rodriguez in a playoff rotation, and Eflin fits the bill. A solid starter with the Phillies for six seasons, the 30-year-old blossomed with the Rays in 2023, going 16-8 with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in 31 starts. Despite Tampa Bay’s inconsistent first half in 2024, Eflin posted a 1.19 WHIP. He’s also under contract through 2025, and the O’s didn’t lose any top prospects from their highly regarded farm system—a win-win for a team built to contend for the foreseeable future. Following a terrible 2023 season and a rough start to the 2024 campaign, it looked like another lost year for the Redbirds. But skipper Oliver Marmol’s club turned its season around and became buyers at the deadline, in search of a solid mid-rotation starter. Fortunately for St. Louis, the Chicago White Sox—the majors’ worst team—were in selling mode, so the Cardinals plucked right-hander Erick Fedde, who’s in the midst of his best season and under contract through 2025, and former St. Louis outfielder Tommy Pham. What did it cost them? Injured super utility man Tommy Edman, who has yet to play this season, and 17-year-old righty prospect Oliver Gonzalez. If the Cards make a deep postseason run, this deal will go down as the steal of the deadline.
RHP Jack Flaherty, Dodgers
INF Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees
RHP Carlos Estevez, Phillies
RHP Zach Eflin, Orioles
RHP Erick Fedde, Cardinals
