Some MLB players are paying off for their new clubs, others are not

Nearly a month removed from the July 31 trade deadline, we figured it would be a good time to see which of the names are actually paying off for their new clubs — or maybe sabotaging those October chances instead.

It’s not a complete list, but it covers most of the high-profile players swapped before the deadline and ranks them from best to worst as far as their performances to date. For the ones who appear to be early busts, at least they still have another five weeks to turn things around and possibly flip the script with a big October (stats are before Friday’s games).

1. Jhoan Duran, RP, Phillies. We’re not sure what’s earned the most rave reviews since Duran’s arrival in Philly — his dominant performance or the spectacular “Durantula” entrance show at Citizens Bank Park. Let’s stick with the mound stuff, however, as Duran survived a 94-mph line drive off his ankle to post seven scoreless appearances, allowing only two hits and striking out five (zero walks) in 5 2/3 innings. He’s 6-for-6 in save chances, too.

2. Ramon Laureano, OF, Padres. Maybe Laureano wasn’t the highest-profile bat available at the deadline (see: Suarez, Eugenio) but he’s arguably been the most productive — and at the bargain price of $2 million remaining on his deal (including a $6.5M team option for ’26). Laureano, who’s played centerfield and leftfield for San Diego, was hitting .333 (24-for-72) with four homers, 13 RBIs and a .982 OPS through his first 19 games.

3. Charlie Morton, SP, Tigers. Morton goes from being labeled the winter’s worst offseason signing by the Orioles to maybe the best starting pitcher traded at the deadline. His one-year, $15 million deal looked like a disaster when a 10.36 ERA demoted him to  Baltimore’s bullpen in May, but he’s enjoyed a renaissance in Detroit. The 41-year-old righthander is 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in four starts, averaging 5.58 innings.

4. Miguel Andujar, DH, Reds. Remember Andujar, the former Yankees prospect who finished runner-up to Shohei Ohtani for Rookie of the Year in 2018? Now with his fourth team since then after being dealt by the A’s, and still only 30, Andujar is making a big impact for the Reds in a playoff race, hitting .383 (18-for-47) with three homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.102 OPS in 15 games since the deadline.

5. Carlos Correa, 3B, Astros. When the Astros needed a third baseman, it was only natural that they reached back to their glory days to rescue Correa from his Twins oblivion. The converted shortstop has looked right at home, hitting .338 with an .854 OPS in his first 18 games back — above his Minnesota production (.267/.704). Correa was even calling out his new/old teammates this past week when the slipping Astros lost five of seven games.

6. Mike Yastrzemski, OF, Royals. Don’t look now, but the Royals have  climbed back into the wild-card race. Yastrzemski is a big reason for that, providing the offensive boost KC has desperately craved all season. Since being traded from the Giants, Yastrzemski has four doubles, five homers and a .907 OPS through his 18 games. His three leadoff homers in the first 15 games was the fewest games for the feat aside from Rickey Henderson, who did it in his first seven games with the Mariners (2000).

7. Mason Miller, RP, Padres. The most coveted reliever at the deadline cost Padres GM A.J. Preller his top prospect as he sent shortstop Leo De Vries to the Athletics, but closers with a fastball that sits at 101.2 mph and four more years of team control don’t come cheap. Aside from the one blown save in his second appearance, Miller allowed two hits total in the other seven, striking out 16 in eight innings, and the Padres’ bullpen had the majors' second-best ERA (2.43 ERA) and K/9 rate (10.66) since the July 31 deadline.

8. Kyle Finnegan, RP, Tigers. Detroit plucked Finnegan from NL East oblivion with the Nationals, the only place he’s ever pitched, but the transition to the top of the AL Central couldn’t have gone more smoothly. Finnegan, given a share of the closer’s role, was 4-for-4 in save chances, allowing only two hits and striking out 11 in eight appearances, a total of 8 2/3 innings.

9. Merrill Kelly, SP, Rangers. Front-line starting pitchers were a precious commodity at this year’s trade deadline, and Kelly was among the very select few dealt, going to the already rotation-rich Rangers. He has been fairly solid with a 4.09 ERA propped up by one clunker, an Aug. 8 drubbing by the Phillies ( four runs, two homers, 4 1/3 innings). Kelly pitched six innings in each of his last two starts, both no-decisions in a pair of Texas losses.

10. David Bednar, RP, Yankees. Bednar overcame an April demotion to the minors to win back his closer job in Pittsburgh, but he earned the gig in short order after being acquired by the Yankees, mostly by default as the rest of the bullpen’s back end was crumbling at that point. Bednar won the manager’s trust with a five-out, 42-pitch save on Aug. 6 that sealed a pivotal win in Texas and had been building on that (2.16 ERA) with 14 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings before suddenly imploding last Wednesday in Tampa.

11. Josh Naylor, 1B, Mariners. Part of a Seattle offensive makeover that included the Eugenio Suarez swap, Naylor also has underperformed from his Arizona days, hitting .238 (20-for-84) with four homers, 10 RBIs and a .717 OPS. He was 11-for-11 in stolen-base chances, however. Still, the Mariners have been middle of the pack in runs scored (84) and OPS (.718) since the deadline, and would be much worse off if not for the historic year of slugging catcher Cal Raleigh.

12. Dustin May, SP, Red Sox. Boston’s relatively quiet deadline (long after the mid-June dump of Rafael Devers) was surprising for a resurgent team trying to tighten its grip on a playoff spot. May wasn’t much of a needle-mover, a former highly regarded Dodgers prospect nudged out of the rotation as the staff’s health improved. He got off to a rocky start, lasting only 3 2/3 innings in his Sox debut, but has improved considerably, going six innings in back-to-back outings and allowing a total of two earned runs and striking out 13.

13. Griffin Jax, RP, Rays. Considered another top prize from the Twins’ bullpen fire sale, Jax has been fairly reliable for the Rays — though he did blow a save in his fourth appearance, allowing a three-run homer by Raleigh that tanked the 3-2 loss. Otherwise, he gave up two earned runs in seven games, striking out nine in 6 2/3 innings.

14. Eugenio Suarez, 3B, Mariners. Remember when everyone was drooling over Suarez’s power at the deadline? It was understandable, considering that Suarez had 31 homers in the first half, making him the most appealing rental bat. But that has yet to materialize for the Mariners, as Suarez was hitting .181 (13-for-72) with three homers, 10 RBIs, 28 strikeouts (!) and a .582 OPS through 19 games. Also, Seattle had lost five straight and seven of eight heading into Friday’s series with the A’s.

15. Nestor Cortes, SP, Padres. It’s been a tumultuous year for Cortes, the beloved former Yankee who was shipped to Milwaukee last winter in the Devin Williams deal. He made only two starts for the Brewers because of a flexor tendon strain, then got traded to the San Diego at the deadline. It’s only logical that Cortes would need time to settle in, and after teeing up three first-inning homers to the Tigers in his Padres debut — just as he did in the Bronx in his Brewers debut — he was 0-1 in three starts with a 4.20 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 15 innings.

16. Ryan Helsley, RP, Mets. David Stearns’ goal of building a super-pen at the deadline seemed all but guaranteed when he followed up the trade for Tyler Rogers by acquiring the hard-throwing Helsley. But the former Cardinals closer has been way too hittable for the Mets, blowing saves in three consecutive appearances and racking up a 7.11 ERA overall in eight games. Hells Bells indeed.

17. Camilo Doval, RP, Yankees. Doval has been a head-scratcher for the Yankees. The former Giants closer looks overwhelmed wearing pinstripes, with a 7.36 ERA in nine appearances. He gave up runs in three straight games and four out of his last five, mentioning afterward that it’s been difficult adjusting to his new non-closer role with the Yankees. At this rate, Doval is pitching himself out of being used in high-leverage spots altogether.