Once the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline passed on July 31, attention turned to how newly acquired players would perform with their new teams. Now, a month later, several of those players have made significant impacts.
Ramón Laureano, traded from the Orioles to the Padres along with Ryan O’Hearn, has stood out. Laureano is hitting .302 with a .573 slugging percentage and has hit six home runs for San Diego. His performance includes a grand slam against the Mariners and a 17.6 percent barrel rate that ranks among the top in MLB for players with at least 100 plate appearances.
Mike Yastrzemski, who joined the Royals from the Giants, has also excelled. After struggling earlier in the season, he now boasts a .654 slugging percentage this month and seven home runs in 25 games. He leads off for Kansas City and has matched his walks to strikeouts while posting an OPS over 1.000.
Carlos Correa’s return to Houston was unexpected but productive. In his first 22 games back with the Astros, Correa collected 30 hits and posted a .320 batting average. His wRC+ improved by 40 points compared to his time with Minnesota this season.
The Phillies addressed their need for outfield production by acquiring Harrison Bader. Known primarily for his defense, Bader is hitting .313 since joining Philadelphia and has been especially hot recently, going 14-for-26 over nine games. “Bader has been integral to the Phillies’ 17-10 record this month, which trails only the Brewers (20-8) for the best in the Majors,” according to team sources.
Miguel Andujar of the Reds leads all deadline hitters by wRC+ among those with at least 60 plate appearances since August began. While he became an everyday player only after August 8, Andujar posted strong numbers against both left-handed and right-handed pitching during that stretch.
Kyle Finnegan was one of several relievers moved at the deadline but stands out due to his performance since joining Detroit from Washington. He has not allowed a run in more than thirteen innings pitched for Detroit and recorded four saves while increasing his strikeout rate significantly by relying more heavily on his splitter pitch.
Josh Naylor provided stability at first base for Seattle after coming over from Arizona; he contributed five home runs and sixteen runs scored in thirty games while also adding eleven stolen bases—an unusual feat given his career sprint speed metrics.
Among starting pitchers traded before August, Merrill Kelly helped stabilize Texas’ rotation following injuries to key starters Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom by posting solid outings including seven scoreless innings against Cleveland on August 24.
Other notable performances include Shane Bieber’s two strong starts for Toronto after debuting late in August; Ke’Bryan Hayes’ improved power numbers with Cincinnati; and Adam Frazier’s versatility across multiple positions as he returned to Kansas City batting .309 through thirty-three games.
