In an attempt to improve their starting rotation, the Detroit Tigers swung a deal with the Baltimore Orioles that sent Charlie Morton to Detroit. No, it wasn't the splash Tigers fans had hoped for, but it wasn't hard to see why Scott Harris was eager to acquire Morton. The veteran right-hander had posted a 3.98 ERA in his last 10 starts before getting dealt, and he came with an outstanding postseason resume.
Well, it goes without saying that this trade hasn't aged as well as Detroit had hoped: Morton had a 7.09 ERA in nine starts with the Tigers before getting DFA'd on Sunday. It isn't only Morton's fault that the team is on the verge of completing one of the biggest collapses in recent memory, but he obviously didn't help stop the bleeding very much.
This was, almost certainly, the worst deal of the deadline, especially given the other moves Detroit didn't make. With that being said, these four trades aren't far behind.
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4) Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays
In an effort to fortify their bullpen, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired both Seranthony Dominguez and Louis Varland at the trade deadline. Dominguez has more or less lived up to his end of the bargain, but the same cannot be said about Varland. I was all-in on the Varland addition, thinking he'd be a perfect setup man in front of Jeff Hoffman, but it just hasn't worked out.
The right-hander has a 6.05 ERA in 20 appearances with the Blue Jays, and he's allowed at least one run in 10 of his 20 outings. He had an ERA just a shade above 2.00 before the deal and has tripled that in Toronto. Varland is extremely talented, and the strikeouts have still been there even amid his struggles (23 Ks in 19.1 IP with Toronto), so I have faith that he'll get it going eventually. But it just isn't working right now.
3) Cedric Mullins, New York Mets
All Cedric Mullins had to do to be a worthwhile pickup was outperform the likes of Tyrone Taylor, Jeff McNeil (not a true center fielder) and Jose Siri. He had the lowest of bars to clear, and yet, he has not come close to accomplishing that feat. His lackluster play both offensively and defensively has New York Mets fans missing Taylor, a player most begged to be benched for much of the year.
Mullins was primarily brought in for his bat, but he's slashing .188/.287/.291 with two home runs and 10 RBI as a Met. Not only is he not producing at the plate at all, but Mullins' lack of a throwing arm has been exposed on multiple occasions, and his defense was a big reason why the Mets lost a heartbreaking game to the Nationals on Saturday.
Watching Mullins struggle like this while see Harrison Bader, a former Met, thrives with New York's arch rivals hasn't been easy. Virtually the entire Mets team is to blame for their late-season collapse, and Mullins deserves as much as anyone.
2) Dustin May, Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox had a head-scratching deadline. Not only did they refrain from making any major moves, but they traded James Tibbs III, arguably the most valuable piece of the Rafael Devers deal, to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Dustin May. I've always liked May, but he had an ERA a shade below 5.00 at the time and is on an expiring deal. Was it really worth trading Tibbs (and more) for him? At the time, it felt like a mistake, and May has done nothing to change my opinion.
The right-hander has a 5.40 ERA in six appearances (five starts) with Boston, and is now on the IL with an elbow injury. Whether May will be healthy for the postseason remains to be seen, and even if he is, I'm not sure the Red Sox would want to include him on their roster (if they can even get there).
The Red Sox were in dire need of a No. 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet at the deadline. I understand that there wasn't really an ideal option who wound up being moved, but they really couldn't have done better than May, especially for a reasonably valuable asset like Tibbs? The Red Sox essentially traded Devers for six appearances of May, another struggling pitcher in Jordan Hicks and lefty Kyle Harrison. They better hope Harrison turns into something of value.
1) Ryan Helsley, New York Mets
I didn't quite think that the Mets had built a bullpen as formidable as the San Diego Padres, but I did think that by adding Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto to a unit that already included the likes of Edwin Diaz, Reed Garrett and Brooks Raley, New York's bullpen had what it took to be one of the best in the National League. Boy, was I wrong.
Granted, the additions of Rogers and Soto haven't been awful, but the same cannot be said about Helsley, the reliever I personally was most excited about. The 2024 NL Reliever of the Year has allowed 20 runs (16 earned) in 17 innings of work with New York. I don't know whether he's been tipping his pitches or if there's some other explanation for his 8.47 Mets ERA, but this has unequivocally been the worst stretch of Helsley's career.
The right-hander wasn't having quite as good a season in 2025 after a dominant 2024 campaign, but nobody could've seen this collapse coming. With that being said, hindsight is 20/20, and Helsley has pretty comfortably been the worst pickup of the deadline. He's been removed from high-leverage situations, and while he does have four straight scoreless appearances under his belt, it's hard to envision him being placed in any huge spots in October.
There have always been rotation questions with this team, and the lineup has had its ups and downs, but Helsley was supposed to turn the bullpen into a juggernaut. Somehow, he's only made it worse. The Mets could easily end up missing the postseason because of that fact.