Projecting every current MLB playoff team's postseason rotation after the trade deadline

The MLB trade deadline was the last opportunity for most contenders to meaningfully improve their rotations ahead of the playoffs. Some took advantage better than others. Tarik Skubal joining the Dodgers is the natural focal point for the national media conversation, but there is plenty of new talent — and plenty of question marks remaining for several teams hoping to punch their World Series tickets in a couple months.

Let's dive into all 12 teams currently in the postseason bracket and determine how their shortened rotations could shape up come October.

Milwaukee Brewers

Jacob Misiorowksi is steamrolling his way to an NL Cy Young Award in his first full MLB season. He will take the mound in Milwaukee's postseason opener. From there, it's an equally simple one-two punch of breakout youngsters Kyle Harrison and Logan Henderson, assuming the former can get back up to speed after an arm injury.

The real questions arise with the No. 4 spot, assuming Milwaukee expands that far. Dustin May was acquired at the deadline and should be viewed as the tentative favorite. May has always been a big natural talent, but he struggled to find his footing during stops with the Dodgers and Red Sox. He changed his approach and found more success than his 4.38 ERA indicates in St. Louis this season. Milwaukee is a great environment in which to take that next step, although rookie southpaw Shane Drohan deserves to have his name in the mix, too.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers could give the Game 1 nod to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP, but there's a reason L.A. went out and got Skubal. He's the best pitcher in baseball at full strength, with unrivaled command of a deep, devastating arsenal. Yamamoto is tough as nails, though, and has proven he can weather the storm in high-pressure environments.

Blake Snell is due back from injury in the next month or so, and assuming he looks like himself, the Dodgers figure to trot theirother two-time Cy Young winner out there in October as well. Shohei Ohtani is on the shelf as a pitcher while he nurses a knee injury, but he has looked damn near unhittable when heathly, with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts. Tyler Glasnow is also shaping up for a return from injury, but he fared well in the bullpen last October. Los Angeles has endless depth options, too, but we can expect Emmet Sheehan, Rōki Sasaki and All-Star Justin Wrobleski to take on bullpen duties if L.A. is operating at 100 percent capacity.

Atlanta Braves

The Braves' quiet trade deadline puts Alex Anthopoulos under the microscope, as it's unclear who exactly this team is supposed to trust in October aside from Chris Sale. Bryce Elder has performed reasonably well this season and he can pitch deep into games, which is a plus. But he's hardly a solid No. 2 in a playoff series. Martín Pérez and Reynaldo López wield the benefit of experience, but neither has great metrics under the hood, and neither has proven especially durable.

The best-case scenario for Atlanta is getting Spencer Schwellenbach back from injury and up to speed in the final month. He looked like a breakout star before elbow surgery. Atlanta could also call up AJ Smith-Shawver from the Minors; he has returned from Tommy John throwing gas, so there's some upside there. Grant Holmes has 102 innings under his belt this season, but the Braves would be hard-pressed to rely on him in do-or-die situations. He feels more like a long relief guy come postseason time. Tyler Mahle was Atlanta's lone deadline acquisition and he's their major wild card, but a 5.13 ERA on the season does not inspire confidence.

Chicago Cubs

Chicago was the most aggressive non-Dodgers team in the National League at the deadline, acquiring both Clay Holmes and Kevin Gausman. Both should lock down spots in the postseason rotation, with southpaw Shōta Imanaga assuming Game 1 duties by default. Matthew Boyd was an All-Star last season and has settled into a groove in recent weeks, but he's a very hittable pitcher and his performance in the 2025 playoffs is an ominous memory.

Ben Brown finally broke out before a neck injury put him on the 15-day IL. There's less of a track record with Brown, but the 27-year-old might have the best pure stuff on the Cubs' staff. Edward Cabrera struggled mightly before a hamstring injury put him on ice in mid-June. Still, Chicago paid a steep price to trade for Cabrera last offseason and we can't discount a late surge. He's a big-time talent.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Not unlike Atlanta, the Diamondbacks left their rotation issues completely unresolved at the deadline. It appears Arizona will count on injury comebacks, primarily from Michael Soroka, who's about to start a rehab assignment, and Corbin Burnes, who's approaching the final stages of Tommy John recovery. Burnes is a major question mark — and a wild card that could determine the Diamondbacks' postseason fate. If he only needs a few weeks to look like the Corbin Burnes of old, he will start Game 1 in a series and really solidify things. But Burnes didn't look like "the Corbin Burnes of old" even before the injury, so Arizona is playing with fire.

Eduardo Rodriguez has done more than his share to keep Arizona afloat, punching a ticket to his first All-Star Game after two miserable years to start his D-backs tenure. Soroka looked very good before a glute injury sidelined him, but the 29-year-old is hardly a proven ace. Brandon Pfaadt has missed a lot of time this season. Merrill Kelly, once Arizona's headliner, looks completely cooked, but he has experience and pedigree on his side. If the Diamondbacks end up in a truly desperate situation, rookies Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake are worth mentioning, although neither has looked very sharp in limited MLB exposure to date.

Philadelphia Phillies

It should be fairly cut-and-dry for the Phillies, who did absolutely nothing to address their poor back-end depth at the deadline. Either Cristopher Sánchez or Zack Wheeler will take the mound in Game 1, with Jesús Luzardo as the best No. 3 starter in the league (aside from Blake Snell or Shohei Ohtani, perhaps). Whether the Phillies dare to start either Aaron Nola or Andrew Painter, or simply try to work a three-man rotation on a tight turnaround, is the big question.

Nola piggybacked with Ranger Suárez last season. The Phillies could attempt a similar arrangement in 2026. But the 33-year-old is Philly's longest-tenured and most experienced pitcher, so he probably gets the nod if the Phillies roll with a straight fourth starter. Painter showed some life before the deadline, however, and his ceiling is much higher if he can start missing bats with his fastball. If anybody gets hurt here, Philadelphia is in deep, deep trouble.

Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa has found creative ways to fill holes in the rotation this season, starting with converting Griffin Jax from back-end reliever to full-time starter. Drew Rasmussen was an All-Star and feels like the clear-cut No. 1 at this point. Shane McClanahan is on the IL currently, but assuming he's back in time for the stretch run, he has arguably the highest individual ceiling of any Rays pitcher on a given night.

Freddy Peralta was Tampa's big deadline splurge, and although he has struggled this season with the Mets, he figures to claim a spot in the postseason rotation on reputation alone. He finished top-three in NL Cy Young voting just last season, and Tampa's staff knows how to tweak a pitcher's approach. Nick Martinez has benefitted from some batted-ball luck all season, but his 2.77 ERA speaks for itself. It would be surprising if he wasn't the third or fourth starter, but Jax has big-time stuff and is a worthy alternative in a pinch.

Chicago White Sox

Davis Martin and Sean Burke are the real deal, but Chicago's rotation thins out pretty quickly from there. The Luis Castillo trade was an admirable financial investment from a typically cheap management group, but the 33-year-old has a 5.06 ERA this season. He looks pretty darn cooked, though experience should lock him into the postseason rotation for now. Perhaps a change of scenery can help.

Anthony Kay and Noah Schultz are two struggling southpaws. Schultz was Chicago's top prospect coming into the season, so there's latent potential there, but it seems unlikely that he will be ready to pitch five or six quality innings in a high-stakes environment. A wild card: Current No. 2 prospect Hagen Smith, another southpaw who flashes big potential in Triple-A and could be worth a trial run before the regular season ends.

Houston Astros

Houston really needed to do more to address its rotation at the deadline. Alas, Hunter Brown is a very strong No. 1, and Peter Lambert has done enough this season to feel good about him in Game 2. From there, the "good" options are scarce. Ronel Blanco has only made three starts in his return from Tommy John surgery; he has allowed three-plus runs in each of them, but there's probably internal hope that he can settle into a better groove down the stretch. A similar redemption arc from Cristian Javier is also possible, but his 6.59 ERA through five starts does not inspire confidence.

The Astros could look to Hayden Wesneski, another recent Tommy John returnee who's a bit more spry at 28 years old. Mike Burrows, their second-splashiest offseason addition on the mound, has better stuff than his 5.99 ERA suggests. In reality, the real breakthrough candidate is Tatsuya Imai, the 28-year-old rookie from Japan who sat down nine straight out of the bullpen on Monday with five strikeouts. Imai's transition to MLB has been rocky, to say the least, but he's up to 77 strikeouts in 61.2 innings with a killer backwards slider that stacks up with the best pitches in baseball when he's locating it.

New York Yankees

The Yankees are going to look much better at full strength, if the baseball gods oblige. Gerrit Cole has seniority in the organization, but Cam Schlittler is the AL Cy Young frontrunner and should obviously take the mound in Game 1, all other things equal. Max Fried and Cole are aces in their own right, while Carlos Rodón's imminent return gives New York a very strong No. 4.

Ryan Weathers is a big talent whose durability this season has been a pleasant surprise, so he shouldn't be completely written off. Prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange are very fun, but we pretty much know the Yankees' setup unless health gets in the way.

Boston Red Sox

Sonny Gray appeared to be on his last legs in St. Louis a year ago, but he has found new life with the red-hot Red Sox, with a 2.93 ERA and all the pedigree necessary to lock him into a Game 1 start. Ranger Suárez, with a long history of poise and production in October, is the easy Game 2 starter. Those are the vets, after all.

From there, Boston probably rides with its two rookies in Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett, a pair of uber-talented southpaws with sub-3.50 ERAs and October-ready confidence. The Red Sox almost certainly don't trade Connelly Early without faith in both their youngsters, especially Bennett, who was a largely unheralded offseason addition. Patrick Sandoval is on standby just in case, while Brayan Bello can serve as the "break in case of emergency" option.

Cleveland Guardians

Parker Messick has been Cleveland's best pitcher all season, but Gavin Williams is on a heater and he's their most established ace. Williams was lights-out in Cleveland's brief postseason run a year ago and seniority could (and arguably should) land him the Game 1 start. Either way, Messick will get his reps in as an extraordinarily sharp 25-year-old who commands the strike zone and gives up very little hard contact.

From there, newcomer Foster Griffin, a 30-year-old "rookie" and first-time All-Star, probably takes the third spot; there's a reason the Guardians went out and got him. That said, Tanner Bibee is a big-time talent with a longer track record in the Cleveland organization. His velo and strike-throwing have fallen off a cliff this season, but he's still producing solid results. Joey Cantillo, a 26-year-old southpaw and another developmental gem for the Guardians, should also get a look. He gets down the mound in a hurry and produces an appealing blend of soft, ground-ball contact and swing-and-miss.

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