The final stretch of the 2022 MLB season is finally upon us.
The trade deadline passed at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and it delivered on the hype. Juan Soto was traded in a historic blockbuster trade. The top starting pitchers on the market, Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas, were both traded in the days leading up to the deadline. Several other, more unexpected trades were also made ahead of the deadline.
As is always the case, there are winners and there are losers. Not every fan base will come away from the trade deadline as happy as Padres' fans. Some will be disappointed. Some will be perplexed. Some will just be happy to see some faces not get traded.
The Sporting News is taking a look at the winners and losers from the 2022 MLB trade deadline.
MORE: Live analysis of every deal on deadline day
Winners
Padres
There is no bigger trade deadline winner than the Padres. There might not ever be a bigger trade deadline winner than the 2022 Padres. Acquiring a player the caliber of Soto is a feat rarely ever seen in sports. He is a generational talent whose best historical comparison is Ted Williams. But that wasn't all. They also acquired first baseman Josh Bell, perhaps the best first baseman on the market, in the same trade as Soto. But that wasn't all. They also acquired maybe the best closer on the market in Josh Hader. But that wasn't all. They also acquired super-utility bat Brandon Drury from the Reds, who has enjoyed a breakout campaign with 20 home runs and a .855 OPS. But that wasn't all. They also found a trade partner for Eric Hosmer after acquiring Bell. Yes, the Padres have lost a lot of prospects. But prospects are never a guarantee, and the chance to trot out a lineup of Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado is worth any cost.
MORE: By winning Juan Soto trade derby, Padres' A.J. Preller cements aggressive, daring legacy
Mariners
If there's any general manager that enjoys making moves more than A.J. Preller, it might be Jerry DiPoto. And his phone was busy leading up to the deadline. Seattle made the first big splash by trading for the top pitcher on the market, Castillo, though it came at a major cost. They added rotation depth by trading for Matthew Boyd, who will be returning from the injured list before the end of the season, they added catching depth behind Cal Raleigh by acquiring Curt Casali and they traded for Jake Lamb to put together a platoon at third base with Eugenio Suarez. Just obtaining Castillo would be a win enough, but Boyd, Casali and Lamb, though minor moves, are going to help improve a team looking to make its first playoff appearance since 2001.
MORE: Luis Castillo trade grades
Astros
Yuli Gurriel has not gotten it done at first base the way the first-place Astros have expected heading into 2022. What did Houston do? It went out and landed one of the top rental bats on the market in Trey Mancini from the Orioles. Mancini's .751 OPS is .065 points higher than Gurriel's .686 OPS, and he brings more power (10 home runs to seven) and defensive versatility (first base or outfield). Then the Astros got a major upgrade at catcher in bringing in Christian Vazquez from Boston and brought in southpaw reliever Will Smith, who has struggled in 2022 but could return to his 2021 dominance.
MORE: Trey Mancini trade grades
Twins
Minnesota is trying to hold off both the Guardians and White Sox in the AL Central race. Being the only team of the three to make any major moves at the deadline is a great way to stay ahead. The Twins acquired Orioles' closer Jorge Lopez, who has a 1.68 ERA and 2.99 FIP in 48.1 innings, for several prospects. Then, they traded for Reds' starter Tyler Mahle, who has a 4.40 ERA and 3.60 FIP, to bolster the rotation for a few more prospects. Before the deadline, Minnesota also landed Michael Fulmer, who has had a good campaign in Detroit out of the bullpen. The Twins' offense is already one of the best in baseball. Making three strong pitching additions? That could go a long way toward making a strong postseason push.
Yankees
There are going to be some Yankee fans that would dispute their placement as a winner after missing out on both Soto and Castillo, but they got the next-best thing at each position. New York acquired Andrew Benintendi from the Royals and Montas from the Athletics, and kept its top three prospects in the process. The Yankees also traded Joey Gallo to the Dodgers for Clayton Beeter, an interesting flier with explosive stuff, and flipped Jordan Montgomery for Harrison Bader. New York addressed areas of need and picked up players that should help them make a deeper push in the playoffs.
MORE: Frankie Montas trade grades
Honorable mentions
Sellers shouldn't make the winners list fully, but the return for Castillo, Mahle, Tommy Pham and Drury for the Reds was a serious haul that massively changes the state of their farm system. They went all-in on the rebuild. The Orioles weren't influenced by the breakout 2022 and stuck to the plan, moving Mancini and Lopez rather than try to buy too early. They can still re-sign Mancini in the offseason. The Phillies trading for David Robertson, Brandon Marsh and Noah Syndergaard addressed a number of areas without giving up too much.
Losers
Red Sox
Seriously, what is Boston doing? On Monday, it traded long-time catcher Christian Vazquez (.759 OPS) to Houston and then traded for White Sox catcher Reese McGuire, who is only four years younger at 27 and has a .546 OPS in 2022, for ace reliever Jake Diekman. Then the Red Sox acquired 34-year-old Tommy Pham (.694 OPS) from the Reds and 32-year-old Eric Hosmer (.727 OPS) from the Padres. All this while keeping Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez, who can both walk as free agents in the offseason. The Red Sox didn't really get better, they didn't really trade for prospect depth and they didn't dump enough salary to get under the luxury tax threshold. This deadline felt like making several trades for the purpose of staying completely still.
MORE: Vazquez pulled from awkward interview after Red Sox-Astros trade
Nationals
There was never going to be a trade package that seemed reasonable for Soto. All things considered, the Nationals did about as well as they could do for trading him. So why are they losers? Because they actually traded Juan freaking Soto. When Bryce Harper walked in free agency, Soto was supposed to be the new face of the franchise. That's no longer the case. There were two-and-a-half years left on his deal, which gave them plenty of time to continue to negotiate an extension before he hits free agency and trade him later — still for a huge haul. Now the fans lose the team's only star and one of the sport's most charismatic faces. Yes, the Nationals got a haul. But what are the chances any of those players turn into the next Juan Soto? Slim to none.
MORE: Breaking down Nationals' return for Soto
Mets
The Mets weren't entirely quiet and did at least make some moves. They obtained Tyler Naquin from the Reds, traded for the weak-side of a first-base platoon in Darin Ruf to join earlier acquisition Dan Vogelbach, and acquired Mychal Givens from the Cubs. But while New York was able to make some inexpensive improvements, there wasn't the big splash the Mets needed. They didn't upgrade at catcher, and Willson Contreras stayed put in Chicago. The Mets also missed out on Soto and all the major starting pitchers and top relievers on the trade market. If it were most teams, this would have been simply an unexceptional deadline. But with the Mets trying to hold off the Braves, who acquired Jake Odorizzi and Raisel Iglesias, in the NL East, they needed to make more moves.
Cubs
Speaking of Contreras and the Cubs, the final sell-off in Chicago amounted to nothing. David Robertson to the Phillies and Givens to the Mets were the only major moves for Chicago. Contreras stays in Chicago. Ian Happ stays in Chicago. Contreras is a free agent at the end of the season and could walk for just a draft pick, while Happ is a free agent after the 2023 season and is currently enjoying a breakout year. Clearly, the Cubs believed the draft pick is better than whatever prospect they could have received for the top catcher on the trade market. But not capitalizing on his value or Happ's more is a big miss for a team that needs to re-stock its farm system.
Giants
It has been a disappointing season for the Giants after they had the best record in 2021, and it seemed that it could lead to San Francisco becoming sellers. And it was. Kind of. The Giants traded Ruf to the Mets, Trevor Rosenthal to the Brewers and Curt Casali to the Mariners. Not traded: Carlos Rodon, who can opt out after this season, or Joc Pederson, who is a free agent after the season. Maybe San Francisco believes it could still stay in the Wild Card picture and didn't want to move too many pieces, but not acquiring any impactful pieces also won't help in 2022.
(Dis)honorable mentions
How about a 2-for-1? The Guardians and White Sox are both chasing the Twins, and stayed relatively silent while division-leading Minnesota made a number of moves. Cleveland wants to stay the course and keep its prospects, while Chicago has limited MiLB assets to trade, but those teams could have done something. The Rockies decided not to trade veteran Daniel Bard, and instead signed him to an extension. Colorado continues to exist in its own world.
