Which teams atop the MLB standings added the most WAR at the trade deadline?

It's safe to say this year's MLB trade deadline exceeded expectations. Many thought that given the tight standings around deadline day, there'd be far too many buyers and not enough sellers for action to take place. Clearly, that wasn't the case.

From Tarik Skubal to Adley Rutschman to Luis Arraez to Jose Soriano, there was no shortage of impactful players to change teams by Monday evening. But who added the most talent for the stretch run? Here's a look at every team ranked by the most WAR added at the trade deadline, per Baseball Reference (bWAR).

AL postseason standings

Cleveland Guardians (4.5)

Credit to the Cleveland Guardians, who were as aggressive as they've been in years at the trade deadline, adding more bWAR to their roster than any team currently in a postseason spot. That's bound to help them in their attempt to chase the Chicago White Sox down in the AL Central.

The headliner of the bunch Cleveland acquired was Foster Griffin, a breakout All-Star this season with the Washington Nationals. Griffin will add much-needed stability to Cleveland's rotation behind Gavin Williams and Parker Messick; pound-for-pound, that group can compete with anyone in the American League right now. Griffin and their position player additions (Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe) are sure to help the Guardians in a big way down the stretch.

Tampa Bay Rays (3.8)

The Tampa Bay Rays missed out on Skubal but pivoted nicely and acquired a trio of impactful players. Liam Hicks, a breakout catcher, is the best of the bunch, and he should be a major upgrade offensively over the likes of Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia behind the dish. Tyler Wells will join ex-Orioles teammate Bryan Baker in the back end of a very underratedly solid Rays bullpen.

The really intriguing addition comes by way of Freddy Peralta, who is actually worth -0.2 bWAR as of this writing. Peralta had the worst half-season of his career with the New York Mets, but his track record speaks for itself. With the success the Rays have had getting the most out of pitchers in the past, it would not be surprising to see Peralta be a viable mid-rotation option at worst behind the likes of Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan and Griffin Jax.

Boston Red Sox (3.7)

The Boston Red Sox made the biggest splash of all AL teams at the deadline, so it should be no surprise to see them on this list. Adley Rutschman has been injured and was struggling at the plate prior to going down, so his bWAR is lower than you might expect. But the upgrade he represents over the duo of Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong behind the plate cannot be overstated.

Rutschman didn't come to Boston alone, either. Erik Miller's command can elude him at times, but his stuff is as electric as any left-handed reliever in the sport. Eli White is far from splashy, but he's a versatile fourth outfielder who can help in the field and on the base paths. He's also been close to league-average at the plate. Craig Breslow parted with a lot to get these deals done, but the Red Sox are much better today than they were before the deadline. The WAR totals reflect that.

AL Wild Card standings

New York Yankees (3.3)

New York Yankees fans are upset about their trade deadline, and rightfully so. Brian Cashman did not address needs behind the plate, in the infield or in the bullpen. With that being said, he still found ways to acquire impactful players.

Luis Garcia Jr., as Yankees fans saw on Monday night, is a legitimate slugger at first base who torments right-handed pitching. Heliot Ramos is a masher of left-handed pitchers, and should help the Yankees' lineup against the tough southpaws in October. Both of these players are under control beyond this season, too. Cashman didn't have a good deadline, but these players should still be impactful for New York.

Seattle Mariners (3.1)

The only major addition the Seattle Mariners made was Taylor Ward, who gives them an upgraded right-handed outfield option. He hasn't had a good power year, but he draws tons of walks and could be a solid table-setter in front of the likes of Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena and (if he gets hot) Cal Raleigh.

Their other notable addition, Seranthony Dominguez, has only accumulated 0.5 bWAR in what's been a down year for him, but he has high-octane stuff and adds depth to a Mariners bullpen that needed it. He isn't the leverage arm they should've acquired, but he's a plus, and should help Seattle in its hopes of either winning the AL West or sneaking into October as a Wild Card team.

Minnesota Twins (-0.1)

In terms of bWAR, the Minnesota Twins technically took a step back at the trade deadline, but that's really only because of Dean Kremer and his -0.6 bWAR. Kremer is nothing more than a back end of the rotation guy, but the Twins really needed to improve their bullpen to have a shot in the postseason, and it's safe to say they did that.

Jeff Hoffman only has 0.0 bWAR this season, but he has a 1.21 ERA in his last 23 appearances since the start of June. A.J. Minter only has 0.5 bWAR this season, but he also missed the first two months rehabbing from major hip surgery. Both of these veterans are sure to help Minnesota's bullpen, and their deadline deserves more credit than the bWAR statistic is giving them.

NL postseason standings

Chicago Cubs (4.3)

The Dodgers stole most of the headlines, but the Chicago Cubs had the most impactful trade deadline by bWAR among teams in an NL postseason spot. Jed Hoyer had to add pitching, and he did so better than most expected.

Kevin Gausman is having a down year by his standards, but he's a battle-tested starter who should provide value in October. Clay Holmes was having a stellar year prior to his leg injury, and he should be a perfect fit as a ground-ball pitcher pitching in front of an elite Cubs infield defense. Ryan Zeferjahn is a very underrated addition to a bullpen that needed another high-leverage arm. Hoyer didn't make a major splash, but he certainly understood the assignment.

Los Angeles Dodgers (4.0)

So did Andrew Friedman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, obviously, as he acquired the best player available in Skubal. It hasn't been Skubal's best year WAR-wise, which is to be expected as he's missed significant time due to injury, but he's still at a very impressive 2.9 bWAR in 16 starts. He is as big a difference-maker as there is if he can stay healthy.

The Dodgers didn't stop at Skubal, though. Kris Bubic is on the IL, but he's working his way back and is a rock-solid mid-rotation arm when healthy. How the Dodgers, a team with many more starters than spots, will use him remains to be seen, but there's no such thing as too much starting pitching depth. Los Angeles is doing whatever it can to win.

Milwaukee Brewers (1.9)

While the Cubs and Dodgers did what they could to put themselves in a position to win, the same cannot be said about the Milwaukee Brewers, which added just 1.9 bWAR — roughly half that of Chicago and Los Angeles. Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela should help, but while the Brewers held onto their best prospects, they lost valuable ground against their fellow NL postseason contenders.

Will the Brewers still make the playoffs? Almost certainly. Will they win their first World Series in franchise history? It's hard to come to that conclusion.

NL Wild Card standings

San Diego Padres (4.3)

A.J. Preller waited a bit longer than expected to strike, but as usual, he was aggressive when it came to adding talent at the deadline, acquiring two of the best rental starting pitchers available in Casey Mize and Robbie Ray. Neither of these arms possesses the kind of value that Skubal does, but they should provide quite a boost to a San Diego Padres team that lacks any sort of reliability in its rotation beyond Michael King.

With that being said, the Padres did give up some of their best prospects to make these deals, and that could come back to haunt them. After all, while they're trending upwards, they're still on the outside looking in when looking at the NL Wild Card standings.

Philadelphia Phillies (4.0)

The Philadelphia Phillies made one of the biggest trades of the deadline, acquiring both Luis Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian in a deal with the Giants. Arraez gives the Phillies much-needed length in the lineup, as their order isn't quite as top-heavy anymore with him in the mix. Kilian has had a breakout year and should be a good addition to a Phillies bullpen in need of arms.

An underrated addition Dave Dombrowski made was acquiring Brooks Raley from the Mets. The southpaw has already put up 1.5 bWAR this season, a new career high. With how badly their left-handed relievers have performed this season, Raley should be a welcome addition for a Phillies team hanging onto the final Wild Card spot in the NL.

Pittsburgh Pirates (2.0)

Ben Cherington's only real goal at the deadline was fortifying the Pittsburgh Pirates' bullpen, and he did just that. Luke Weaver has already been worth 2.0 bWAR this season for the Mets, and could easily be Pittsburgh's closer down the stretch. He wasn't the only reliever added, either.

Kirby Yates remains a semi-serviceable veteran reliever. Lake Bachar is having a strong year, and comes with years of control. Even Camilo Doval, who has -0.8 bWAR this season, could thrive with a change of scenery. His stuff is certainly good enough.

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