After a wild final rush of deals, the 2026 MLB trade deadline is in the books.
The Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox added impact bats just before the deadline. The Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets landed big prospect returns for their in-demand veterans ... and, of course, there's the Dodgers with new ace Tarik Skubal in the fold.
Which clubs made the right calls? What should we expect for the rest of the MLB season? Now that the dust has settled on this trade season, we asked our experts to debate what's real -- and what's not -- going forward.
Real or not? The Dodgers won the 2026 World Series on Aug. 1
Alden Gonzalez: Real. As real as it can get when considering the randomness of October baseball, at least. The Dodgers had already assembled one of the deepest, most star-laden rosters in baseball history, and to that mix they've added the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner.
If everything goes as expected, a team that faces them in October is going to have to get through Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani -- with Tyler Glasnow potentially lurking in a bullpen headlined by Edwin Diaz and Tanner Scott. And if you do, one of the most dangerous lineups ever assembled -- featuring Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and others -- will have to be tamed. Assuming their starters get healthy -- and that is never a guarantee -- it's about as unbeatable as a roster can get.
Jorge Castillo: Not real. Everyone seems to forget that the Blue Jays were two outs away from beating the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series last October. The Dodgers are the heavy, heavy favorites to become the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series titles, but it's far, far, far from a given. The Brewers, Cubs, Braves and Phillies are all capable of representing the National League in the World Series. The Dodgers' pitching staff is deeper than any team in recent memory, but they're not invincible.
Real or not? The Red Sox moved to the top of the AL with the addition of Adley Rutschman
Castillo: Not real. The Red Sox are the hottest team in baseball right now. They're up there with the Yankees and Rays as the best teams in the AL. But I think the Yankees will be the best team in the AL by October. That, of course, is contingent on Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger returning from the injured list and playing to their usual levels. If that happens, the Yankees, with the top pitching staff in the AL, are the favorites to win the pennant for the second time in three seasons.
If that doesn't happen, the Red Sox could complete their remarkable turnaround. But that will be difficult without Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet returning at some point during the stretch run.
Kiley McDaniel: Not real, but they're getting closer. I agree that the Yankees have a slight edge here in a pretty close three way race with the Rays and Red Sox. The Red Sox could've used a bit more help for the infield and obviously, adding back some of the players in the IL would help a lot. The margins are small enough that some lucky bounces or a couple players getting hot could be the difference in the AL East, which is also the race for the best team in the AL; you could see the recent win streak as their luck already being used up or that there's more to come.
Real or not? The Phillies and Cubs cemented themselves as true World Series contenders
Jesse Rogers: Real. When you have (healthy) pitching, you have a chance. The top of the Phillies rotation gives them that chance in October. Yeah, they moved some players around on the diamond but it's a veteran team that can roll with the punches. Luis Arraez is like the anti-typical Phillies player. He doesn't slug, which means he brings a different element to their offense -- a much needed one. The Cubs aren't as top heavy in their rotation but it's deeper than ever with the additions of Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes. Yes, you'll have to squint hard to see them outpitch the Dodgers rotation in October, but the Cubs do other things better -- like play defense. Their bullpen needs straightening out but the deadline additions should help there too. They have a chance.
Bradford Doolittle: Not real. I'd word it more as both teams kept themselves in the mix, though both teams are better today than they were yesterday. The decision by the Phillies to upgrade the outfield by shifting Bryce Harper back there is intriguing, but it also may be too clever by a half. We just haven't seen him out on the grass for a long time. Arraez's numbers at second base this season have been good, so I'm not sure I get it. At the same time, I am excited about Arraez on top of that lineup and Philly did well to bolster its bullpen.
The Cubs? They needed pitchers and boy did they get them. I know surplus-value wonks are hammering them for the Holmes trade but I liked it as a chips-in move. If they keep playing games that produce championship probability added chances, I'm fine with the trade-off in value beyond this season. Still, I'm not sure how much the needle has been moved; this is more about heading off a collapse than triggering a spree.
Real or not? The Mets and Orioles got enough value back in their deadline teardown
Gonzalez: Real, and that's only if you consider what the Orioles got back for Adley Rutschman. The thought all along was that if Rutschman was going to get traded within the division, it was going to cost more. And did it ever. In Kyson Witherspoon and especially Anthony Eyanson, the Orioles brought in two talented prospects who could be in their rotation by next year. In Enddy Azocar, they got a 19-year-old outfielder who's slashing .286/.341/.540 in A ball and brings power and speed.
The Mets demanded a significant return for Clay Holmes, according to several teams that checked in, and they wound up getting their new No. 1 prospect from the Chicago Cubs in shortstop Jefferson Rojas. The Mets ended up trading away seven veteran players from their roster before the deadline, but Rojas has by far the highest ceiling. This was a very important deadline for Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, but outside of Holmes and Luke Weaver, he didn't have a ton of appealing players.
McDaniel: Real. Obviously the headline here is the O's getting a haul for Rutschman, but the list of players added fits into the 2027 context, as well. Eyanson and RHP Michael Forret should both be factors for the rotation at some point in 2027 while RHP Alex Hoppe and RF Christian Franklin will be complementary pieces for the big league roster, and the farm system has added more upside for potential future moves in Azocar, RF Jhomnardo Reyes, Witherspoon, and RHP Harrison Kreiling. There's still plenty of talent returning and this is a big enough group to markedly change their position on the farm and in 2027, too.
The Mets added a top 100 prospect in Rojas who could be a factor in late 2027, then a plethora of depth for the system of different sorts, with RHP Gary Gill Hill and SS Sammy Stafura having the most notable upside of that group for the development staff to work with. Since the Mets weren't dealing a number of controllable, standout players, the returns weren't as impactful or noisy as Baltimore's additions.
Real or not? The Guardians passed the White Sox as the team to beat in the AL Central
Doolittle: Not real. Wait, what? Is that a thing people are saying? I thought Cleveland did fine at the deadline. But the White Sox had emerged as the favorite to win the division before the sprees of the last few days, then went out and had a better deadline than the Guardians.
Either team can win, but for me, Chicago only increased its advantage. You can question whether or not the White Sox gave up too much future value for this year's stretch run, but not that they did well to bolster those short-term objectives -- and better than the Guardians.
Rogers: Not real. It's not that they can't -- they absolutely can -- but now I just view it as an even race. And on top of it, the White Sox have a three-game head start. But the Guardians offense should look better with the additions of Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe. They average a full run less than the White Sox. If that gap closes they have a shot at the division. Cleveland has the experience but there's little more than that to believe they're the team to beat. It should be a great race to the finish.