The MLB trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, and it certainly was an eventful one. The deadline had everything from blockbuster trades (including a surprise one for Carlos Correa) to a dizzying number of deals that could shift the balance of power in baseball in meaningful ways. With all of those moves comes a ton of prospect movement, as well as some prospects who somehow managed to stay with their current teams.
As is always the case with prospects, there are going to be players that were traded that aren't household names right now but who will turn into All-Stars down the road. There are also going to be guys that are big names right now, but who end up flaming out. Prospects will always surprise us, but we can at least make some educated guesses with the guys that were traded as well as those that managed to survive the deadline unscathed.
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3 top prospects that were moved at the trade deadline and 2 we're surprised stayed put
Making a comprehensive list of the good MLB prospects that were traded at the deadline would be be exhausting. Instead, we'll look at some of the names that were surprisingly moved by their previous teams, as well as others that defied the odds and remained with their current clubs. No, these are not the only names that fit that mold, but this is a decent first glance.
Leo De Vries did end up getting traded by the Padres after all
The word coming out of San Diego forever was that shortstop Leo De Vries was untouchable in trade talks. As one of the top prospects in all of baseball, a player who nearly every scout thinks could be destined to be an All-Star in the Majors, it was hard to argue with the Padres for having that point of view. However, the tooled up, projectable teenage phenom did wind up being included in the Mason Miller trade. Adding one of the best bullpen arms in baseball and potentially a future starter is certainly the kind of of move that could warrant including De Vries, but this trade could come back to haunt the Padres.
Phillies, somewhat surprisingly, decided to move Mick Abel
The other huge bullpen trade from the deadline came courtesy of the Twins, who decided at the last minute that a fire sale in order to make the team more appealing to potential buyers was the play. Jhoan Duran heading to the Phillies certainly gives Philly a formidable back-end of their bullpen, but it is a little surprising they were willing to part with one of the better pitching prospects in baseball in Mick Abel to do it.
Not only is Abel very good and already contributing in the Majors, but the Phillies rotation is starting to get older. As long as Dave Dombrowski is in charge, the Phillies will spend to fix potential problems, but letting a rotation arm like Abel go for relief help might not age particularly well.
Trading Eduardo Tait makes the Jhoan Duran trade a potential all-timer
On top of landing Abel, who is already a centerpiece type of prospect, Minnesota also landed catching prospect Eduardo Tait, a player who has an argument for the most raw power anywhere in the Minor Leagues. Time will tell if Tait can stick at catcher, but giving up this kind of potential for a reliever (albeit a great one) is tough. If Tait gets to Double-A and Triple-A and he is still mashing baseballs, this trade may end up being a big mistake for the Phillies.
We still don't really understand why Owen Caissie wasn't traded by the Cubs
Almost everyone thought there was a good chance Owen Caissie would get traded, including Caissie himself. The Cubs had resisted calling the hot-hitting Caissie up from the Minors, and their need for starting pitching was very real — which seemed to point toward Chicago dangling Caissie as a trade chip to acquire an impact starter. Instead, Chicago added righty Michael Soroka (who almost immediately got hurt) as a bandaid solution, and the Cubs largely avoided the busiest areas of the trade market and kept Caissie around.
It is honestly surprising the Mariners were able to hang on to Harry Ford
This isn't a knock on Seattle whatsoever, because they made some big moves. They acquired arguably the top bat available on the trade market in Eugenio Suarez, upgraded first base with Josh Naylor and added bullpen depth with Caleb Ferguson. But what is surprising is that doing all of that did not require giving up top catching prospect Harry Ford, whose path to playing time in the near term is complicated by the presence of Cal Raleigh. Lazaro Montes has an argument here as well, but it did feel like Ford was the more likely of the two to get moved. Instead, Seattle managed to keep both.