Josh Naylor to Seattle for Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi:

Obviously, Naylor is the key player in this deal, but Arizona did receive two kid pitchers in return. Garcia is mediocre, and he's the better of the two, but he's a two-pitch lefty pitcher (fastball and slider) with spotty command. He is not high on my list. Izzi has been at Single-A, but I'm not as familiar with him. He'll need to show me something.

Gregory Soto to New York NL for Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster:

Last year at the deadline, the Orioles acquired the southpaw reliever Sosa, and this year they are sending him to the Mets. He's a relatively reliable set-up guy who looked like he might see some save chances when Felix Bautista got hurt, but now he returns to his best role, setting up Edwin Diaz. Aracena is just 20, but he has pitched well at Single-A St. Lucie, splitting time between starting and relieving. Keep an eye on him. Foster (26) is your basic reliever. He'll head to Double-A Chesapeake. Probably not an impact arm.

Randal Grichuk to Kansas City for Andrew Hoffmann:

Arizona appears to be collecting fringy relief pitchers. Like the trade of Naylor to Seattle, the acquisition of Hoffman in this deal would not seem to move the needle much. He had three relief appearances for the Royals where he allowed 11 baserunners while recording just 14 outs. He has a live enough arm (averaging 95 mph on his fastball) but he lacks command and consistency. If they collect enough bodies, maybe one will do it?

Erick Fedde to Atlanta:

Checking the timeline, it's Sunday night and we still haven't had anyone acquire a pitcher anyone would care about. Fedde found out what happens when hitters catch on. He has a13.25 ERA over his last five starts, earning him a DFA. The Braves got him for a player to be named, cash considerations, and/or a pineapple upside down cake. The injury-riddled Braves are looking for innings. I don't want innings that bad

Carlos Carrasco to Atlanta:

Desperate for innings, the Braves have added both Carrasco and Fedde. Obviously, they would be thrilled if either of these guys found any success in their new home, but I think that has to be considered a dream. Carrasco's price was cash considerations. His most recent work has actually been respectable at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak to the Tigers for Enrique Jimenez

The ability level of the pitching being dealt has clicked up a notch, albeit a very small notch. Paddack is probably the best pitcher traded so far as the deadline approaches, but with a 4.49 career ERA and a 1.21 WHIP, he's not likely to be a major difference maker, and Dobnak is fringy at best. Just waiting for the good arms to come out.

Seranthony Dominguez to the Blue Jays for Juaron Watts-Brown

The door is open a crack. Toronto is understandably all in for the playoffs and they went out picking up a very solid set-up guy in Dominguez. He should slot right into the seventh or eighth inning (his best spot) but things could still change as I'm not at all sure the Blue Jays are done. As for Watts-Brown, he's a genuine prospect. He's been starting at Double-A with relative success, but he's very slider reliant and needs better command or the bullpen could be in his future.

Jake Eder to the Nationals for Luis Garcia and Andrew Chafin

On the surface this might look like another ho hum deadline deal, but there is the possibility it could turn into a minor "changes in latitudes" special. Having seen Eder a few times, he looks better than his numbers suggest. It's certainly no guarantee, as he will need access to good innings — maybe a starting spot — and better command of the strike zone. In any event, Garcia and Chafin will add depth to the Angels bullpen, but keep tabs on Eder. He might find some fantasy value in his new home.

Tyler Rogers to the Mets for Blade Tidwell, Jose Butto and Drew Gilbert

Interesting. Submariner Rogers should help the Mets bullpen, albeit maybe not in fantasy terms, but to me that seems like a pretty big price tag. Butto and Tidwell have some potential to be useful for the Giants and Gilbert (an OF) might be the best of it. He has posted good not great numbers at Triple-A Syracuse. He was once a topo 100 prospect and I'm sure the Giants hope to see that again.

Taylor Rogers to the Pirates for Ke'Bryan Hayes

His twin brother was dealt so it was apparently Taylor's turn. He's another decent set-up guy so his fantasy impact is limited. That said, there is potential impact here. Hayes is a standout defensive third baseman so his presence could help all the Reds. Move all Reds pitchers up slightly on the expectations list.

Caleb Ferguson to Seattle for Jeter Martinez:

Okay, this is looking like an exercise in patience. I understand bullpen depth is Important to contenders, but we're looking for fantasy impact and depth is not usually a factor in that. Just be patient. This is being written as a timeline so bigger deals are still coming. Ferguson is perhaps the best reliever dealt so far, and he goes to a much better team. If your league ccunts holds you might consider him.

Jhoan Duran to Philadelphia for Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait:

Here we go. It's our first truly game-changing deal. One of the elite closers in the game, Duran joins the Phillies and should immediately step into the ninth inning gig. He averages triple digits with his fastball, and defines intimidation. His acquisition pushes guys like Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering back into set up roles where they are best suited. As you would expect, Duran did not come cheap. Abel is a top tier pitching prospect, and should already be on your watch list (or ion your roster).

Ryan Helsley to the Mets for Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm, and Frank Ellissalt:

Just minutes after the Duran announcement, word began circulating that Cardinals' closer Helsley was heading to the Mets. This one is a bit more complicated. I would be tempted to make Helsley my primary closer, but with veteran Edwin Diaz in town, he's more likely to serve as a set-up guy, at least in the beginning. Keep an eye on this one. The return wasn't too bad, and included pitchers Dohm and Elissalt, and shortstop Baez, who have all been working fairly effectively in High-A ball.

Michael Soroka to the Cubs for Ronny Cruz and Christian Franklin.

I have been a big Soroka fan since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. They had the bad luck of having a meteorite fall on them. Soroka has had stuff land on him resulting in injuries and extra runs against etc. Joining a new team couldn't hurt, even if it is the Cubs. Regarding the prospects the Cubs received, Frankln is your basic OF with a little pop, and a little speed, nothing really special. I'm not very familiar with 18-year-old Cruz

Zack Littell to Cincinnati for Brian Van Belle:

The Reds added a durable arm as they push for a playoff spot. Littell is not fancy, he just goes out and does his best to provide innings, and we are seeing how important that can be.it was actually a three-team deal with another player going to the Dodgers. The kid pitchers are really just flyers but reasonable return for someone like Littell.

It's still early, but the possibilities are virtually endless:

At deadline for this article, there are still plenty of names that should or could be circulating. Some of the most prominent starting pitchers expected to be targets, include the Marlins' Sandy Alcantara, Arizona's Zac Gallen, the Padres' Dylan Cease, and Washington's MacKenzie Gore. They (and others) have been mentioned as possibilities for several contenders, but so far officially linked to none. They have all been talked about as "under the radar" possibilities. Besides the buyers already mentioned, there are several more and all need starting pitching, so this may be shaping up as a seller's market. The BIG question is, exactly who are the sellers?

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• Starting to pay some attention to Anthony DeSclafani who signed recently with Arizona. He's made eight appearances including some long relief and one start, but he was once considered a good starting pitcher prospect. He missed all of 2024 following flexor tendon surgery, but he appears to be rounding into form.
• The Royals lost Kris Bubic to a strained rotator cuff last weekend. That is turning into surgery, and they are already missing Cole Ragans so the injury could impact their plans for the trade deadline. Right now, they are just one spot out of a wildcard birth so they are probably still hoping for the best.
• I thought we might see Washington's Travis Sykora (my top ranked kid) later this year, but the Nationals just announced he will undergo reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. That takes him out of the picture for the rest of this year, and probably all of 2026. Keep him stashed on your wish list.
• Do you remember just a few years ago when Toronto's Alek Manoah was about the hottest thing going? He had moving stuff and good command back in 2022, but then the injuries set in. He was abled to avoid Tommy John surgery (he did the race instead). Bd's not close yet, but he's on the way back.
• I'll admit (again) that I have been waiting for San Diego's Yu Darvish to round into form. He suffered through an elbow injury and some other distractions which limited his innings in 2024. And, being 38-years-old I he could take longer to bounce back, but wow did he look like that young Darvish against the Mets.

Endgame Odyssey:

Let's look at the ongoing Emmanuel Clase saga. Earlier this week he was placed on "non-disciplinary paid leave" at least through August 31. He was reportedly on the trading block. You can scratch that. Cade Smith is probably next in lined. Orioles closer Felix Bautista was also reportedly being discussed in trade talks, but a shoulder injury put him on the IL and probably ended the talks. With him hurt, and Gregory Soto now with the Mets, Seranthony Dominguez was their most likely closer. Now, he's in Toronto, so we move down the food chain to Corbin Martin or Andrew Kittredge. We haven't talked about the Angels' Ben Joyce lately. One of the hottest arms in the game (he averages almost 102 on his fastball), he had shoulder surgery in May, and is out for the year, but for speculators, he has "future closer" tattooed on his forehead. Now we have Boston's Aroldis Chapman suffering some issues with his back. Word is they don't expect it to be a significant problem, but possibly watch for Jordan Hicks to collect a save or two if Chapman goes down.

Deadline for this week's column is upon us. Hopefully the powers that be will have the comments/questions section fixed. If so, I will add comments regarding trades made on the actual deadline day (Thursday).