The MLB trade deadline is the last chance contending teams have to get better ahead of the postseason, and the last chance sellers have to cash in on valuable assets they don't see helping them in the not-too-distant future. Players on expiring contracts on bad teams are near locks to get dealt, and we see players with club control get traded as well in deals for the right return.
Most of the players we expected to get dealt were eventually sent away by this year's July 31 deadline, but not everyone wound up getting moved. Whether offers weren't good enough or GMs got cold feet is a question we'll never fully know the answer to, but teams appear to have dodged a bullet by not trading for these players.
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4) Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates didn't do as much selling as expected, holding onto some of their veterans on expiring deals (I have no idea why) along with Mitch Keller. Holding onto Keller, a solid mid-rotation arm in the midst of what was his best season, made some sense if the right offers weren't there, but all Keller has done in August is validate gun-shy teams by pitching poorly.
Granted, he did pitch well his last time out and looked pretty sharp against the Cincinnati Reds earlier this month, but for the most part, August has not been kind to the right-hander. He began the month by allowing five runs in five innings at Coors Field, and soon after completed back-to-back duds against the Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays, allowing 11 runs on 15 hits in just 7.1 innings of combined work.
Keller has always been a fine mid-rotation arm and he's incredibly durable, but he had never finished a full season with an ERA below 3.91, and with his August slump, he now has a 4.35 ERA in 27 starts this season. The Pirates were likely asking for too large of a return for a guy who is, at best, a No. 3 in a postseason rotation, and teams are looking smart for going in another direction.
3) Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres
Starting pitching is always a priority at the trade deadline and Dylan Cease, when he's right, is an ace. The problem, though, is that he was in the midst of a down year at the deadline and he hasn't exactly righted the ship even after staying with the San Diego Padres.
Cease pitched well in his first two post-deadline starts, but the three he's made since have been downright disastrous. The right-hander has allowed 13 runs (11 earned) on 12 hits in 12.2 innings of work to go along with 11 walks. He's struck out over a batter an inning in that span, but he's completed five innings just once; if it weren't for fantastic run support he received, the Padres might've gone 0-3 in these outings.
There's a lot of talent with Cease, and it's fair to say he's run into a bit of bad luck, but he leads the league in walks and has had a world of trouble getting deep into games. Teams dreamt he'd have been the solution at the top of the rotation, and perhaps with a change of scenery he might've been, but he isn't pitching like a pitcher worthy of even making a postseason roster right now.
It goes without saying that teams should feel lucky not parting with what would've been a ridiculous amount for a struggling pitcher who happens to also be a rental.
2) Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
When the Emmanuel Clase news dropped, it felt like something shifted with the Cleveland Guardians. All of a sudden, they appeared to be very open to trading Steven Kwan, a player teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies could've really used. Well, the offers didn't appear to be good enough in the Guardians' opinion, and Kwan stayed put. He has not done well when it comes to justifying Cleveland's decision to hold on.
In 23 appearances this month, Kwan is slashing .206/.230/.258 with one home run and two RBI. Granted, power is not a big part of his game, but Kwan is supposed to be an elite table-setter. He's been anything but that in August, and in fact, an argument can be made he's been the worst hitter in the game this month.
His 34 wRC+ ranks 175th out of 175 qualified position players in August. I wish I was kidding. Slumps happen to just about everyone, and Kwan will surely be fine sooner rather than later, but contending teams were looking to acquire him expecting him to help them get to the postseason in 2025 and go on a deep run. Yes, he'd come with additional club control, but teams woudn't have pursued him now if 2025 didn't matter.
Kwan would've been the most expensive player to acquire on this list by a healthy margin, and he's been the worst performer of the bunch. Yeah, teams dodged a bullet.
1) Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
Easily the most head-scratching decision made at the trade deadline was the Chicago White Sox refusing to trade Luis Robert Jr. Okay, I don't know what the exact offers were, but it's hard to believe that the White Sox didn't have a single offer for any worthwhile player or two in return considering Robert's tantalizing talent.
Unfortunately for Chicago, Robert has somehow lowered his already seemingly non-existent value by showcasing his two major flaws post-deadline. First, his bat has slowed down: He was hot before the trade deadline and played well for around a week afterward, but in his last 16 games, he's slashing .203/.230/.339 with two home runs and seven RBI.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, Robert was placed on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain on Wednesday. This is Robert's second left hamstring strain this season and just the latest ailment he's had to deal with in his career.
Prior to tonight’s series finale vs. Kansas City, the Chicago White Sox placed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain and recalled outfielder Will Robertson from Class AAA Charlotte.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 27, 2025
The 28-year-old has stayed mostly healthy this season, appearing in 110 of Chicago's 132 games, but prior to this season, he had played in more than 100 games just once in five years. Sure, one of those seasons can be cancelled out due to the COVID-shortened 60-game season, but what's the excuse for the others? He's as injury-prone as anyone, which has been incredibly frustrating.
Robert has a $20 million option for the 2026 season which the White Sox seem intent on picking up, but is this the right decision? The best ability is availability, and even when Robert has been available, his numbers in the past two seasons have been incredibly lackluster. Teams understandably were unwilling to part with much to acquire Robert, even while acknowledging that he'll probably step his game up with a change of scenery. His recent slump and injury have only validated that decision.