Copyright MLB News
Prior to 2019, July 31 was referred to as the non-waiver Trade Deadline, and players could be traded after that date if they first cleared revocable trade waivers. Although trades could be completed after Aug. 31 under the old rules, the last day in August was sometimes colloquially referred to as the "waiver Trade Deadline," as players acquired after that date were ineligible to be added to the postseason roster by their new teams. But now there is only a single Trade Deadline, which in 2025 took place on July 31. Shane Bieber, 2025 Blue Jays Even though he was still pitching in Minor League rehab games as he neared the end of his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Bieber's track record spoke for itself and the Blue Jays swung a deal to acquire him from the Guardians prior to the Trade Deadline. The former Cy Young Award winner posted a 3.57 ERA over seven starts down the stretch to help Toronto win the AL East and secure home-field advantage throughout the postseason. With Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler on the injured list and Bobby Miller battling inconsistency, the Dodgers’ need for a starter was clear. Flaherty, who signed a one-year deal with the Tigers after a difficult 2023, was widely considered to be the best starter available after going 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA in 18 starts. The Yankees nearly had a deal done, but New York backed out thanks to concerns with Flaherty’s health. That opened the door for the Dodgers, who sent catcher/first baseman Thayron Liranzo and shortstop Trey Sweeney to Detroit in exchange for Flaherty. “We had a ton of conversations with a lot of teams over this last week,” general manager Brandon Gomes said after the trade. “We felt like getting an impact starter was a very high priority for us, and Jack is definitely that. His command, his stuff, the swing-and-miss, we feel like that’s a real power option come October, so he fits into this rotation really well.” Flaherty went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 regular-season starts for Los Angeles, then made five starts in the postseason. His October results were mixed, and while he posted a 7.36 ERA overall, he threw seven shutout innings in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Mets, then held the Yankees to two runs over 5 1/3 innings in Game 1 of the World Series, keeping the Dodgers in the game before Freddie Freeman walked it off with a 10th-inning grand slam. The deal for Kopech and Edman cost the Dodgers three players: infielder/outfielder Miguel Vargas, and infield prospects Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus. Kopech – who went from the worst team in baseball to the best in the trade – excelled for the Dodgers, posting a 4-0 record, six saves and a minuscule 1.13 ERA in 24 appearances. Edman made 22 starts in center field and 13 at shortstop, and while his offensive numbers were solid (six homers, 20 RBIs in 37 games), the 29-year-old really made his mark in October. Following a quiet NLDS against the Padres, Edman was a one-man wrecking crew against the Mets in the NLCS, hitting .407 with a 1.023 OPS and 11 RBIs in the six-game series, winning MVP honors in the process. Edman carried that momentum into the World Series, where he scored six runs with a .988 OPS in the five-game win over the Yankees. “We had an opportunity to acquire another starting pitcher and a veteran reliever that we think will both help us,” Young said. “Jordan Montgomery is having a tremendous year. We felt like he was one of the better starters on the market. And given where we are, that we needed to continue to upgrade our rotation. We addressed that.” Scherzer wasn’t much of a factor in the postseason, throwing a total of 9 2/3 innings over three starts in the ALCS and World Series. Montgomery, on the other hand, was a force throughout October, going 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA in his first four starts before throwing 2 1/3 innings of relief of Scherzer in Game 7 of the ALCS against the rival Astros, earning the win that sent the Rangers to the World Series. The southpaw lost his lone Series start, but finished the postseason 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA in five starts and a relief appearance, a total of 31 innings. Steve Pearce, 2018 Red Sox Pearce started the 2018 season a Blue Jay. He ended it as the MVP of the Fall Classic for the Red Sox, making him just the second midseason acquisition to ever win World Series MVP, along with the Mets' Donn Clendenon in 1969. On a Boston team led by a duo of superstars in Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, it was Pearce -- acquired from Toronto on June 28 for Minor Leaguer Santiago Espinal -- who came through with some of Boston's biggest hits of the World Series. In the Red Sox's clinching Game 5 win over the Dodgers, Pearce homered twice to bookend the scoring. His first homer, off Clayton Kershaw, gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and the second pushed their lead to 5-1 in the eighth, putting the series away. Those homers came just a day after Pearce crushed a game-tying blast off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in the eighth inning of Game 4, followed by a bases-clearing double that broke the game open in the ninth. Not bad for someone who was brought in mainly to give the Red Sox a platoon advantage against left-handed pitching. "I think he'll add a dimension we don't have," Astros owner Jim Crane said at the time. "He's pitched well his whole career and has been pitching well lately. I think he'll add a dimension in the playoffs, hopefully, when we get there. I think it's great for the team. I think the players will be excited and fans will be excited." "His presence in the lineup and on the team will raise the energy level, and I hope it raises the energy level in the dugout and in the stands," Mets GM Sandy Alderson said after making the deal. "This is a player that can have a big impact, both in terms of on the field and how the team is perceived." Céspedes mashed opposing pitchers after arriving in New York, blasting 17 home runs with 44 RBIs and a .942 OPS in 57 games through the end of the season. He homered twice in the NL Division Series against the Dodgers, then drove in three runs in the four-game NLCS sweep of the Cubs. The Mets lost a five-game World Series against the Royals, but Céspedes re-signed with New York after the season, making the NL All-Star team in 2016. "Obviously, they have played well and they already have a great club, and then they have the addition of Johnny Cueto," Zobrist said after his deal. "There should be a lot more wins coming. I'm super excited about this. They are already a good team. I just have to try and not screw it up." The following summer, the Red Sox dealt the right-hander to the Giants five days before the Trade Deadline. Peavy thrived in San Francisco, going 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts before winning his San Francisco postseason debut with 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Nationals. He didn't pitch particularly well in his other three postseason starts, but Peavy picked up his second straight World Series ring nonetheless. "Obviously the Phillies are the defending world champions, they're a good team, and they're in first place," Lee said. "Honestly, it's an honor, and I look at it as a good thing. If other teams are wanting me and are willing to trade some of their key players and future players for me, it's a compliment." The Phillies acquired Lee and Ben Francisco from Cleveland, sending four Minor Leaguers back to Cleveland, including Carlos Carrasco. Lee went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts following the trade, then pitched brilliantly during the postseason, going 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in five starts. The Phillies won all five games started by Lee in the playoffs, including two against the Yankees in the World Series, but Philadelphia lost the Fall Classic in six games. Manager Joe Torre benched Boone for Game 7, but he would later come into the game as a pinch-runner in the eighth, setting up the most famous swing of his career. His 11th-inning walk-off home run against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield clinched the pennant for New York, sending Yankee Stadium into a frenzy. The Yankees fell to the Marlins in a six-game World Series, but Boone's legacy in the Bronx was cemented forever. "Not a week goes by that I'm not reminded of how big the New York Yankees are or how big their reach is," Boone said after being introduced as the Yankees' new manager prior to the 2018 season. "I've had hundreds of stories told to me, too, about where people were or what side of the ledger they were on."
