That was a fun deadline.

The American League East continues to profile as arguably the best division in baseball, and the deadline gave the big dogs an opportunity to get even bigger. Some teams prepared for now, others built for later. But with both of those being true, the past few days reinforced how good this division could be for many years to come.

*This article includes trades only made in July. Minor league for minor league trades not included.

*Players in parenthesis were who the team gave up in that respective trade. Players in italics are minor leaguers.

Grade: B+

Moves: RP Gregory Soto from PHI (P Seth Johnson, P Moises Chace); OF Eloy Jimenez from CHW (P Trey McGough); OF Austin Slater, SS Livan Soto from CIN (PTBNL); SP Trevor Rogers from MIA (2B Connor Norby, OF Kyle Stowers); RP Seranthony Dominguez & OF Christian Pache from PHI (OF Austin Hays); SP Zach Eflin from TB (P Jackson Baumeister, OF Mac Horvath, OF Matthew Etzel)

Summary: Despite not making the “big move,” the ceiling on Baltimore’s roster still got higher. Their rotation has been hampered with injuries – season ending ones, at that – so grabbing Eflin and Rogers shore that up instantly. Furthermore, Eflin and Rogers have one and two more years of team control, respectively, so the Orioles are hoping that their rotation has enough depth for future years to assist with any more injury woes. Rogers is the wild card as he hasn’t had much success since his 2021 All-Star season, but perhaps this will be a classic “change of scenery” trade.

The back end of their bullpen also got stronger with Dominguez and Soto, and if they pick up the former’s ’25 club option, then they will have them both for next year also. They both possess season ERAs north of 4.00, but the strikeout numbers are still prevalent, and they both have postseason experience from their time in Philadelphia.

Jimenez is one of the more interesting deals of the deadline. While all eyes with the White Sox were on Garrett Crochet, this move was outside the box. He fills in the blank from dealing away Hays, but the former Top 5 prospect can be very impactful when healthy. Should I boldface, underline, or italicize the end of that sentence?

Grade: C

Moves: OF/INF Jazz Chisholm Jr. from MIA (C Agustin Ramirez, 2B Jared Sterna, SS Abrahan Ramirez); RP Enyel De Los Santos, P Thomas Balboni from SD (OF Brandon Lockridge); P Kelly Austin, future considerations, International Bonus Pool Money from HOU (RP Caleb Ferguson); RP Mark Leiter Jr. from CHC (SS Benjamin Cowles, P Jack Neely)

Summary: Was that really it? Maybe I had too big of expectations for the Yankees, but the rumours didn’t align with the results. This grade certainly isn’t an indictment on Chisholm Jr.; he’s a jolt of energy that this lineup desperately needed, and now that Giancarlo Stanton is back, the top of their order is starting to take shape. However, Chisholm Jr. doesn’t fix this lineup completely, as the bottom of the order has been slumping massively of late.

Despite being in on Garrett Crochet and Jack Flaherty, any offers that the Yankees threw out there didn’t “match up” for either of those pitchers, albeit Flaherty’s recent back injury did affect the volume of offers presented from some teams. Maybe the Yankees targeted other starters on the market, but it was to no avail. It was an opportune time for the Yankees to capitalize on that field, especially with Gerrit Cole being scratched from his latest start due to body fatigue, as well as the rest of the rotation’s regression from the beginning of the year.

Leiter Jr. and De Los Santos are nice adds for the ‘pen, especially with Leiter Jr.’s swing-and-miss ability. In the end, the Orioles had a far better deadline, and that’s who New York is chasing. There’s the biggest reason why the Yankees got what they got.

Grade: C+

Moves: RP Luis Garcia from LAA (SS Matthew Lugo, 1B Niko Kavadas, P Ryan Zefejahn, P Yeferson Vargas); RP Lucas Sims from CIN (P Ovis Portes); RP Quinn Priester from PIT (2B Nick Yorke); C Danny Jansen from TOR (SS Cutter Coffey, SS Eddinson Paulino, P Gilberto Batista); SP James Paxton from LAD (SS Moises Bolivar)

Summary: It’s a C+ deadline because Boston hung in the middle. Despite addressing a couple of their needs, none of their acquisitions put them head and shoulders above their biggest Wild Card opponents. Adding Jansen was an ideal fit for Boston’s lineup; a lefty-heavy batting order needed some thump from the other side of the plate (naturally his first four hits with the Red Sox have been singles).

I’ve got a legitimate question about the returns for Jansen and Garcia, however. Seven prospects between those two rentals at their value seemed like quite a bit, but perhaps it was just influenced by the market. Priester, a reliever with several more years of control, could wind up being a steal if pitching coach Andrew Bailey can steer him in the right direction. If Boston wanted to get ultra-aggressive, they would’ve/could’ve/should’ve gone a lot further than adding only Paxton to their rotation.

Ultimately, Boston has multiple prospects that figure to be a big part of their future, and they clearly didn’t want to jeopardize that for a run this season. It was a “meh” deadline, but they should still be able to make things fun down the stretch.

Grade: A

Moves: SS Gregory Barrios from MIL (SP Aaron Civale); P Jackson Baumeister, OF Mac Horvath, OF Matthew Etzel from BAL (SP Zach Eflin); RP Cole Sulser from NYM (Cash); 3B Christopher Morel, P Hunter Bigge, P Ty Johnson from CHC (3B Isaac Paredes); P Dylan Lesko, OF Homer Bush Jr., C J.D. Gonzalez from SD (RP Jason Adam); P Michael Flynn from LAD (SS Amed Rosario); CF Dylan Carlson from STL (RP Shawn Armstrong); P Paul Gervase from NYM (RP Tyler Zuber); P Brody Hopkins, OF Aidan Smith, PTBNL from SEA (OF Randy Arozarena)

Summary: The Rays were on the see-saw of buying or selling as the deadline approached, but once they got a grasp on what the market would bring for sellers, they knew what to do. Maybe save for Yandy Diaz, the Rays weren’t afraid to trade anyone. In fact, I’m pretty surprised Pete Fairbanks didn’t get moved as well after seeing what they got for Adam.

The prospect haul is enough for an entire article separately, but a player that I believe will thrive in Tampa Bay is one of their few major league returns: Christopher Morel. Morel has elite bat speed and legitimate pop, and he’s already hit his 19th and 20th home run of the season since joining the Rays just days ago. His strikeout rate is still concerning even after reducing it by nearly 8% since last season, but Tampa has time to maximize his potential as he won’t be a free agent until 2029.

The Rays were one of the biggest winners during this deadline with their ability to identify the market and capitalize on it. They probably won’t be in the playoffs this season, but with most of their starting pitching looking ready for next season, they have a really bright future and have set themselves up for a quick re-tool. I saw this MLB cliche, if you will, many times on X last week: if the Rays are calling about a trade, hang up the phone.

Grade: B+

Moves: OF Jonatan Clase, C Jacob Sharp from SEA (RP Yimi Garcia); SS Cutter Coffey, SS Eddinson Paulino, P Gilberto Batista from BOS (C Danny Jansen); SS Josh Rivera, OF Yohendrick Pinango from CHC (RP Nate Pearson); P Jake Bloss, OF Joey Loperfido, 2B Will Wagner from HOU (SP Yusei Kikuchi); OF RJ Schreck from SEA (1B/DH Justin Turner); 2B Charles McAdoo from PIT (UTIL Isiah Kiner-Falefa); RP Ryan Yarbrough from LAD (CF Kevin Kiermaier); SS Jay Harry from MIN (RP Trevor Richards)

Summary: The Blue Jays were one of the most active teams at this year’s deadline, trading all of their players on expiring contracts as reports were saying they would. It was nice to cash in on those, but the deal that induced the most buzz was the Kikuchi trade, a deal that saw three prospects with several years of control head Toronto’s way for a rental starting pitcher who was struggling of late. Loperfido has a chance to play a ton down the stretch, but it will be interesting to see what they do with Bloss and Wagner. Bloss was expedited through the minors this season due to Houston’s plethora of pitching injuries, but his numbers at three different minor league levels this season are nothing at which to scoff.

The Blue Jays missed out on an A because the market certainly suggested profitable returns for pitching. More specifically, there was potential to capitalize on Chad Green, Chris Bassitt, and maybe even Kevin Gausman, especially given that their contracts extend beyond this season. On the other hand, Toronto GM Ross Atkins has insisted on the team competing next year, and having those three on the team coincides with that vision. Nonetheless, while getting closer to the CBT threshold will be beneficial, shedding those salaries would’ve also given them some financial flexibility to do some heavy lifting in the offseason to enhance a competitive ’25 roster.