Making sense of trade deadline: Are Padres, Mariners title contenders? What were the Twins thinking?

After a chaotic last day, the 2025 MLB commercialized deadline is successful the books.

The San Diego Padres and Houston Astros made astonishing moves that rocked the deadline. The Seattle Mariners went large successful their quest for the archetypal World Series travel successful franchise history. And the Minnesota Twins, well, near america scrambling to spot who is inactive near connected their roster.

Which clubs made the close calls? What should we judge (or not believe) astir the remainder of the shot season? Now that the particulate has settled from the 2025 commercialized deadline, we asked our ESPN MLB experts to statement what's existent -- and what's not -- moving forward.

Real oregon not: The 2 teams to bushed successful the American League reside successful the AL West aft the Astros and Mariners made large moves

Bradford Doolittle: Not real. There is nary squad to bushed successful the American League. The Royals, Rangers and adjacent the Rays -- and that's conscionable the R's -- tin each triumph that league. That's not due to the fact that they're each sleeping giants. There's conscionable not overmuch separation successful that circuit.

I really don't judge the Astros are immoderate better, and I already thought they were hanging onto their accustomed front-runner presumption with their proverbial fingernails. I similar what the Mariners did, and that lineup is simply a batch much unsafe with Arizona's erstwhile bosom of the order. And I emotion Matt Brash, conscionable to propulsion retired immoderate random hyperbole. I could slot the Mariners into the apical spot from here, but I inactive don't spot immoderate existent separation.

David Schoenfield: Not real. I inactive deliberation you tin instrumentality the apical six oregon 7 teams successful the AL and fertile them successful immoderate bid and not person overmuch of an argument.

Yes, the Astros added discourtesy successful Carlos Correa and Jesus Sanchez, but Correa isn't adjacent to the subordinate helium was astatine his peak, and the Astros didn't code their rotation. The Mariners surely improved with Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor, but their rotation hasn't been astir arsenic bully arsenic it was past season, and the lone reliever they added was Caleb Ferguson -- hardly an interaction move. The AL remains wide, wide open. Which volition marque these last 2 months ace exciting.

Real oregon not: The 2 teams to bushed successful the National League are successful the NL East aft the Phillies and Mets loaded up astatine the deadline

Jorge Castillo: Not real. Both clubs went for it astatine the deadline and emerged bigger threats for October, but the National League remains a jumbled messiness of contenders. In the West, A.J. Preller went afloat A.J. Preller again, aggressively maneuvering to amended the Padres' chances, portion the Dodgers are inactive the Dodgers, and their starting rotation is getting healthy. In the Central, the Brewers are a finely tuned machine, and the Cubs tin bang with the champion of them. Not a batch separates those six teams. It should marque for a fascinating October.

Schoenfield: Not real. I emotion what some teams did astatine the deadline, addressing holes successful their bullpens. But, um, the Dodgers are yet opening to get steadfast (Blake Snell volition commencement Saturday, for starters) and the Brewers mightiness inactive beryllium the champion squad successful the league, adjacent if they added lone reliever Shelby Miller, and the Cubs inactive person possibly the champion discourtesy successful the majors.

I particularly loved what the Padres did, getting Mason Miller, Ryan O'Hearn, Ramon Laureano and Freddy Fermin, plugging each their lineup holes portion adding different ascendant reliever to what was already a ascendant bullpen. Much similar the AL, I deliberation you could present fertile these teams successful astir immoderate order. October is going to beryllium a chaotic ride.

Real oregon not: The Padres are present a morganatic menace to dethrone the Dodgers successful the NL West aft their latest deadline spree

Alden Gonzalez: Real. Very overmuch so. The Padres sat conscionable 3 games backmost heading into the deadline connected the heels of a five-game winning streak. Then they lengthened a precise top-heavy lineup, acquired a beauteous decent upgrade astatine catcher and, astir notably, gave themselves the deepest, fiercest bullpen successful the sport.

The Dodgers are rather comfy with who they are astatine the infinitesimal -- successful archetypal place, with respective cardinal players coming back, portion feeling beauteous assured that their champion shot mightiness inactive beryllium successful beforehand of them. But there's nary denying that the Padres are a morganatic threat. Again.

Jesse Rogers: Real. They got amended wherever they needed to, particularly astatine the catching presumption and the bottommost of their order. And their bullpen is intelligibly amended than L.A.'s close now. The Padres person been hanging astir adjacent the apical of the NL each season, but person been viewed arsenic lone a bully team, not a large one. They person a accidental to beryllium amended present that they've eliminated the holes successful their lineup. And immoderate shortage they person successful their rotation, that bullpen volition marque up for it.

Real oregon not: The Yankees helped their chances for a World Series instrumentality astatine the deadline -- and the Dodgers did not

Castillo: Real. The Yankees approached the deadline seeking to amended 3 areas: the starting rotation, bullpen and infield. In the end, they checked disconnected 2 of the 3 boxes good capable to see them existent AL pennant contenders without surrendering immoderate of their apical 9 prospects connected Kiley McDaniel's organizational rankings.

Though the Yankees chose not to wage the commercialized terms for an interaction starter, they overhauled their bullpen with high-octane closers (David Bednar and Camilo Doval) and a 3rd right-hander (Jake Bird) who misses bats astatine an above-average rate. On the position-player side, New York improved its clunky roster operation with 4 additions who should proviso manager Aaron Boone greater lineup flexibility and amended choices to navigate games. Aaron Judge's elbow wounded -- and whether he'll instrumentality to play the outfield this play -- inactive looms large, but the Yankees are a amended squad than they were a week ago, erstwhile wide manager Brian Cashman started dealing.

Gonzalez: Not real. The Yankees surely helped their chances by giving themselves a deeper bullpen and much options against opposing left-handed pitchers. But the Dodgers helped their chances, too. Brock Stewart is simply a sneaky-dominant reliever, particularly against right-handed hitters. Alex Call, portion not sexy, is simply a bully acceptable arsenic a right-handed hitter who works bully at-bats and provides coagulated defense. The occupation is the Dodgers wanted to bash adjacent better. They were successful connected Steven Kwan. They were successful connected Griffin Jax. But successful the end, they were not consenting to conscionable commercialized demands that were deemed by galore arsenic exorbitant.

Real oregon not: The Cubs and Tigers are inactive teams to fearfulness successful October contempt their little assertive deadline approaches

Rogers: Not real. Both teams did enactment to assistance them get to the playoffs, but not needfully triumph successful them. That's wherever trading for those apical closers oregon setup men would person travel into play. The regular play is astir starting pitching. October is astir bullpens.

Detroit recognized the need, but chose quantity implicit prime (though Kyle Finnegan should help). Neither squad did capable compared with their rivals. That doesn't mean they won't triumph successful October. But their deadlines were conscionable so-so.

Doolittle: Real, due to the fact that being a squad to fearfulness doesn't equate with being the clear-cut favorite. I americium nevertheless underwhelmed. Both teams person already positioned themselves for a beardown seed, though the Cubs person to fend disconnected the Brewers. Neither squad made the benignant of splash an all-in squad would make.

Detroit surely helped its rotation and won't extremity up relying connected arsenic galore bullpen games arsenic it did past season. (Then again, that attack worked.) I would person liked to spot the Tigers bash a batch much for the bullpen, and I'm not large connected either Rafael Montero oregon Finnegan.

The Cubs' deadline was a yawner. Willi Castro is simply a bully inferior player, but I'd alternatively thrust with Matt Shaw and his imaginable to interruption retired astatine immoderate clip astatine 3rd base. And the outlook for the pitching unit is unchanged from earlier the deadline, and yes, I recognize the Cubs added immoderate radical to the roster. But they were bully earlier the deadline and stay truthful now.

Real oregon not: The Twins made their aboriginal brighter with their commercialized deadline teardown

Doolittle: Not real. My mother, tragically an inveterate Royals fan, texted maine successful the midst of the madness asking if the Twins were going to commercialized everyone connected their team. They astir did! But I don't cognize -- it looks to maine similar a lawsuit of moving things astir and not needfully ending up successful a amended place. The semipermanent payroll outlook is simply a small better, but this squad has go a spot dull, and the bullpen -- a spot -- is simply a husk of what it was. I'd similar the Taj Bradley pickup more, but a woody similar this with the Rays is perilous. Thumbs-down for me.

Gonzalez: Not real, due to the fact that truthful galore of their moves were intelligibly astir cutting costs for a franchise successful transition. To me, the Twins trading distant 10 large league players was an denotation that this roster was really rather bully -- and possibly worthy of a accidental to contend again successful the perpetually unfastened AL Central arsenic aboriginal arsenic adjacent year.

There were immoderate bully gets present (Bradley for Griffin Jax, James Outman for Brock Stewart, Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel for Jhoan Duran). But successful the end, the Twins parted with cardinal controllable players, nary much notable than Carlos Correa, who went to the Astros successful what amounted to a wage dump. This was a atrocious time for Twins fans. Painting it immoderate different mode would beryllium a disservice.