The 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline closed Monday at 6 p.m. ET. The Los Angeles Dodgers made the most impactful move, acquiring reigning two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from a team battling for its postseason life. The defending two-time World Series champions are the clear winners of the deadline scramble.
The Dodgers entered the deadline with pressing rotation needs despite sitting a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for baseball's best record. Shohei Ohtani is shut down from pitching due to knee and biceps issues. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are on the injured list with elbow and back problems, respectively. Justin Wrobleski has already surpassed his career high in innings pitched. Emmet Sheehan holds a 5.39 ERA with poor underlying metrics and was sent to Triple-A on Monday. Roki Sasaki remains an enigma.
Skubal's move is also a win for the pitcher. He now joins a club aiming for a World Series three-peat, giving him a chance to perform on baseball's biggest stage ahead of free agency.
The Brewers, who held baseball's best record entering deadline day, were reportedly in the mix for Skubal but did not acquire him. Their best chance to challenge the Dodgers in a short postseason series involved Skubal and Jacob Misiorowski starting four games — a scenario now off the table.
The Brewers did acquire Codi Heuer, Dustin May, Bo Naylor, JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela. The moves are sensible individually, but the overall strategy drew criticism. Despite being in their most prosperous era, the Brewers took small steps when larger ones were available.
The Baltimore Orioles sent Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox in a stunner. The Red Sox met Baltimore's asking price by surrendering a top prospect package. Rutschman is on the injured list with a wrist issue but has begun baseball activities and is nearing a return. He will improve Boston defensively and add depth to the lineup. Rutschman was arguably the best position player dealt at the deadline.
The New York Yankees entered the deadline needing a right-handed hitting catcher, a right-handed hitting outfielder and bullpen help. They addressed one, acquiring right-handed hitting outfielder Heliot Ramos. They also added infielder Luis Garcia Jr. Their overall deadline activity was viewed as insufficient given those needs.
Elsewhere, the Chicago White Sox acquired right-handed reliever Huascar Brazoban from the New York Mets. The San Francisco Giants traded right-hander Tyler Mahle to the Atlanta Braves. The Chicago Cubs acquired right-hander Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Giants and Mets leaned into a seller's market and reaped rewards. The Pittsburgh Pirates landed Luke Weaver in a trade with the Mets, who paid down $8 million of Weaver's $13.4 million contract. The Pirates also added Ron Marinaccio and Camilo Doval, a former Giants closer who struggled with the Yankees. The Oakland Athletics traded a 2019 number one pick without a single postseason win, joining the Giants among the deadline's losers.
