MLB Trade Deadline live updates: Winners, losers, and grades for every trade

The MLB Trade Deadline has arrived, and we’re breaking down every trade that was made and grading who won and who lost. 

After months of speculation about who will get traded where and what the ramifications of potential deals would be, the trade deadline is finally here.

The frenzy of deadline, an annual tradition for baseball fans, didn’t pick up until roughly 24 hours before the deadline was set to pass on Friday afternoon. Once it started, though, the dust was kicked up at a ferocious pace and absolutely massive deals began to come together.

Usually, the trade deadline has a main character that everyone talks about for months and follows up to a final resolution. This year it was an ensemble cast, with major names getting tossed out and gigantic proverbial set pieces blowing fans away with how spectacular the trade at the center of it was.

The dust is now settling and as MLB forges on into August and the final two months of the season, we can begin to assess how much the chaos of the deadline changed the course of the season.

When is MLB Trade Deadline 2021

The MLB Trade Deadline will pass on Friday afternoon at 4 pm ET.

Teams will be able to make trades after the deadline passes, but the waiver wire will become a factor. If a team wants to make a trade after the Friday deadline — known as the non-waiver deadline — a player will need to pass through waivers before he can be traded to any team in the league.

If a team claims a player, those two teams can work out a trade or the team that placed the player on waivers can pull him back.

MLB Trade Deadline live updates and grades

Note: These grades include teams and major players that were involved in trades starting on Thursday and extending through the deadline on Friday. Any trades completed before Thursday (aside from the Starling Marte deal) are not graded here. 

Braves make a last-minute deal for Jorge Soler

Braves Grade: B-

The Braves outfield remodel is officially complete. After trading for Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario, Atlanta completes its outfield depth with Solger and now has a trio of All-Star caliber pieces to move around in the lineup. The Braves seem to be October-bound, and while pitching is where series are usually won and lost, having big bats and great defense goes a long way too. Atlanta now has both of those things after its outfield facelift.

Royals Grade: B

Kasey Kalich is a powerful lefty who scouts say has ‘big league potential’ which is not exactly a glowing endorsement of his ability to anchor the Kansas City bullpen in the future. Solger was wasting away on a bad team, though, and Kalich is a Top 30 prospect for the Braves which is a lot better of a return than anyone was expecting Kansas City to get at the deadline.

Giants win the Kris Bryant trade sweepstakes

Giants Grade: A-

This was the biggest trade chip of the deadline, as it wasn’t a matter of if Kris Bryant would be traded, it was where and for what. Trading for Bryant quickly went from being a leg-up to becoming a necessity for the Giants. After the Dodgers broke baseball by trading for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, the arms race became a sprint just to catch up to Los Angeles. The bill will come due, however, which is the looming other shoe waiting to drop in this deal. The Giants landed Bryant and have propelled themselves to be close to the Dodgers as World Series favorites in the NL, but it cost them two of their best young prospects.

It’s one of the steeper prices any team paid at the deadline, but the Giants are massive winners for landing Bryant and adding him to a roster that was already well on its way to contending for a World Series this year.

Cubs Grade: C-

Alexander Canario and Caleb Killian are both Top 30 prospects in the Giants farm system but neither are Top 100. Chicago needed to get more for Bryant, full stop. Joey Bart was floated earlier in the week (and then named in a fake trade) which not only set the bar very high but seemed like the type of return that would be worth parting with Bryant. That didn’t happen, though, and the Cubs instead settled.

Think about that, the Cubs settled for a trade involving Kris Bryant. Of the deals the Cubs made in selling their core, the Bryant trade is dead last. Rizzo netted two fantastic top Yankees prospects, Baez returned a Top 20 overall pick from the 2020 MLB Draft, and Kimbrel netted the White Sox second baseman of the future. That was the bar for the Bryant trade and the Cubs sold for pennies on the dollar.

There’s still a possibility that Bryant returns to the Cubs in the winter as a free agent — something he hinted at in his final days with the team — which is, unfortunately, one of the most exciting parts of this trade.

Phillies land a pair of starting pitchers from Rangers

Phillies Grade: B-

The arms race that exploded ahead of the deadline on Friday is the gauge with which to read whether a team won or lost a trade. On a normal playing field, the Phillies landing two solid starting pitchers for a postseason push is a decent haul. Juxtaposed against the juggernaut deals that were made by the Dodgers, Mets, and others, it’s a mid-tier move that moves the needle but not by much. It’s not a bad trade, is it enough to allow the Phillies to go blow-for-blow with the Dodgers in the NLCS?

Rangers Grade: TBD

Javy Baez is on his way to the Mets

Mets Grade: B+

This grade is subject to turn into an ‘A’ depending on what happens with Baez and free agency. We can’t know for sure what he’ll do until he does it, but Baez has already come out and said he’d sign with the Mets in the winter so this might expedite the process. Having Baez and Francisco Lindor both in the same infield and the same batting order is a cheat code, and it gives the Mets the unreal fire power. The high water mark is the Dodgers, who are still unmatched in what they did at the deadline, and with their lineup of death, but the Mets have closed the gap on just about everyone else in the National League.

Cubs Grade: B-

The Cubs continue to collect recent first-round picks. Pete Crow Armstrong is a high schooler who the Mets took in the Top 20 of the MLB Draft just a year ago. He’s not a world-beating superstar in the making, but he’s an interesting prospect that seems to fit the bill of Cubs players who can be productive and versatile for stretches in a season, or valuable members of a playoff roster. His ceiling isn’t anywhere near what Beaz’s is, but the Cubs were never going to get that sort of value in return.

Cubs and White Sox make a huge crosstown trade

White Sox Grade: A

The White Sox picked up one of the best closers in baseball history and added him to a bullpen that already has an All-Star closer in it. Both Craig Kimbrel and Liam Hendriks will split saves and create a devastating duo for Tony La Russa to manage in October. Postseason baseball is defined by the strength of a team’s bullpen and the White Sox will come into every playoff game with a caged monster brooding and looming behind the outfield wall. The White Sox were already contenders before this deal but with one phone call across town announced they’re coming for the Dodgers crown.

Cubs Grade: A-

Are the Cubs lowkey winning the trade deadline? For a team that put its fanbase through such misery leading up to the deadline, with constant talk of ripping fan favorites away, the Cubs are paying it off nicely. Anthony Rizzo was turned into two top prospects from the Yankees farm system and Craig Kimbrel was flipped for the one of the core pieces of the White Sox future. Madrigal is out for the season with an injury, but was the No. 4 overall pick just two years ago and has been touted as potentially becoming one of the best young infielders in baseball. It’s hard to say the Cubs fleeced the White Sox when the best closer in baseball is involved in the deal, but this is pretty close.

Braves remake outfield with Eddie Rosario and Adam Duvall trades

Braves Grade: B+

Atlanta needed to figure out how to get outfield help, and Rosario is exactly that. He also provides some utility potential in that he can be used all over the lineup if the Braves need to get creative either down the stretch of the season or in October.

Indians Grade: C-

Cleveland looked like it might be contending for a hot second, but those dreams might be fading. Adding Sandoval is a nice way to add a big bat, and it certainly doesn’t take Cleveland out of the postseason race but it doesn’t make them much better than they were before. When a trade is more amusing than it is useful, it’s probably not a good one to make.

Braves Grade: B

He’s coming home. Adam Duvall is back with the Braves, and it helping Atlanta’s outfield facelift ahead of the deadline. Last time he was with the team, Duvall batted .229/.277/.478 with a 104 wRC+, 22 home runs, 68 RBI, and 1.1 WAR. That slash line is a sight for sore eyes in Atlanta.

FanSided MLB guru David Hill cracked wise in our Slack chat that “The Duvall went down to Georgia (again)” which makes this trade worth it beyond its implications on the ballfield.

Marlins Grade: B-

Miami selling at the deadline is not surprising, and nothing is going to top the Jesus Luzardo return it got for Starling Marte. Jackson is a promising young catcher, currently Triple-A Gwinnett where he seems to be getting his groove back after a rough outing the last time he was in the Majors.

Twins trade Jose Berrios to Blue Jays for a huge haul

Blue Jays Grade: B

When he’s firing on all cylinders, Jose Berrios is a Cy Young candidate who can anchor a rotation and win critically important games. He’s barely been presented with that opportunity with the Twins, although he’s also shown signs of serious struggles at times. Berrios is such a high-reward player when compared to the potential risk, and the Blue Jays made this move with shutting down the Rays and Red Sox bats in mind. Giving up the haul they did to get him, however, is where this deal starts to fall apart. Yes, Berrios makes the Blue Jays insanely better but does he put them above the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays in the trade deadline arms race?

Twins Grade: A+

The Twins do not have to play another game this season because they just notched their biggest win. Landing a top prospect for Jose Berrios was always going to be tough, but the Twins landed two Top-5 prospects from the Blue Jays in this trade. Thad Levine was basically wearing a ski mask when he accepted this trade, it’s an international heist. Minnesota adds one of the best shortstop prospects in baseball and one of the top pitching prospects. This season is a lost cause, but the Twins just turned Berrios — who was not going to re-sign after the season — into two critical pillars of a potential future World Series core.

Dodgers attempt to break baseball with massive Max Scherzer trade

Dodgers Grade: A+

Are you kidding me? Only the Dodgers can make a Max Scherzer trade where the filler is Trea Turner. Los Angeles sends an absolute haul back to Washington to make this happen, but this is highway robbery across state lines; get the feds involved. Scherzer instantly replaces Trevor Bauer, and if Bauer somehow returns will add another Cy Young winner to the rotation. A lot will be made about the Dodgers prospects they sent back and how great they are for a rebuild, but the Dodgers got back Turner — who is the build. This trade is the Breaking Bad’He Can’t Keep Getting Away With This’ GIF come to life.

Nationals Grade: C+

Washington is getting the cream of the crop from the Dodgers farm system, but it’s not enough. Yes, the team has insane pieces to rebuild with but in doing so they sold Turner — who as we mentioned is the build. Scherzer was always going to be traded but moving Turner, seemingly out of the blue, is stunning. The Nationals didn’t get totally robbed, but it’s hard to feel good about totally gutting a World Series roster just two years after it won a title.

Cubs trade Anthony Rizzo to Yankees

Yankees Grade: B+

This is a borderline ‘A’ trade for the Yankees if for no other reason than it prevented Anthony Rizzo from landing with the Boston Red Sox. Rizzo gives the Yankees an upgrade over Luke Voit — who became expendable in a trade to land the Yankees some pitching — and a big bat who can anchor the corner of the infield. Lest we forget the World Series experience that Rizzo brings to a team desperate to bring another title back to New York.

Cubs Grade: B-

It’s always difficult to grade a return of prospects too highly because you never truly know what you’re getting. On paper, however, this could be an absolute steal for the Cubs. Chicago is getting back two of the Yankees best prospects, a return that helps replenish a farm system that has been ravaged by trades over the last handful of years, and helps give the Cubs more top talent for its rebuild.

Losing a fan favorite is an unspeakably painful experience for fans, but once the mourning period is over there should be rejoicing over what Rizzo’s parting gift to the team ends up being.

Marlins trade Starling Marte to A’s

Marlins Grade: A

Calling this trade a steal implies that Starling Marte isn’t worth what his return was. A better classification would be to call this trade stunning or marvelous for the Marlins, as Kim Ng managed to turn a rental into a player who could be a franchise superstar. Luzardo is a pitcher that fans in Oakland assumed would be anchoring the rotation as its ace in the years to come, as the 23-year-old is a star in the making. That’s what Miami is acquiring, as the first massive piece of a potential title contender has been put into place for a guy that was not coming back. This is the type of trade that fans dream of their team making when moving a rental player at the deadline.

Athletic’s Grade: B+

Jesus Luzardo was an absolutely massive price for Oakland to pay for Marte, but they’re getting one of the best outfielders in baseball in return. This is the epitome of a pushing-the-chips-to-the-center trade, as there’s insane short-term value for the A’s but the gamble needs to pay off in a World Series. Does Marte make them better than the Astros, Red Sox, and Rays? That’s the question that needs to be answered, but the A’s desperately needed hitting and outfield help and landed the best guy for the job.