Grades for 5 Trades
1 of 12
Seattle Mariners Acquire Teoscar Hernández
The Deal: Mariners get OF Teoscar Hernández; Toronto Blue Jays get RHP Erik Swanson, LHP Adam Macko
Hernández was meant to bring some power to a Mariners team that had just snapped a 21-year playoff drought in 2022. Instead, he never figured out T-Mobile Park and wasn’t much better than a league-average bat (108 OPS-plus).
Toronto got one strong season (66.2 IP, 2.97 ERA) from Swanson in 2023 before injury trouble pushed him to early retirement. Though he’s still only 25, Macko is basically off the radar as a prospect after three straight rough years in the minors.
Grades: D for Mariners, D for Blue Jays
Atlanta Braves Acquire Sean Murphy
The Deal: Atlanta Braves get C Sean Murphy; Milwaukee Brewers get C William Contreras, RHP Joel Payamps, RHP Justin Yeager; Oakland Athletics get OF Esteury Ruiz, C Manny Piña, LHP Kyle Muller, RHP Freddy Tarnok, RHP Royber Salinas
The legacy of this trade is basically this: Atlanta didn’t know what it had in Contreras, whereas the Brewers clearly saw something.
Murphy has posted 7.7 rWAR as a Brave, but has declined the last two years and is now set to share time with reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin. Contreras, meanwhile, has 12.4 rWAR in this same span, and is still in his prime at 28 years old.
For the A’s, this trade is basically a disaster. Piña was the only non-prospect in the deal at the time, and none of the four players have yielded any returns in the majors.
Grades: A for Brewers, C for Braves, F for A’s
Toronto Blue Jays Acquire Daulton Varsho
The Deal: Toronto Blue Jays get OF Daulton Varsho; Arizona Diamondbacks get OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr., C Gabriel Moreno
This was a case of the D-backs selling high on Varsho’s unexpected breakout in 2022, and they were right that his bat was too volatile to be consistent going forward. Even so, he’s given the Blue Jays 11.3 rWAR through his excellent defense and strong power/speed combination on the offensive side.
Gurriel was an All-Star in 2023 before reaching free agency and subsequently re-signing with Arizona. Yet the real get at the time was Moreno, and he’s had trouble living up to a 4.3-rWAR breakout in 2023. He’s good when he plays, but he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy the last two years.
Grades: B for Blue Jays, B for Diamondbacks
Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins Swap Pablo López, Luis Arraez
The Deal: Miami Marlins get INF Luis Arraez; Minnesota Twins get RHP Pablo López, INF José Salas, OF Byron Chourio
On the one hand, the Marlins got a staggering .343 average out of Arraez while he was around. On the other, he only lasted 180 games in Miami before he was traded to San Diego in a deal that has yet to have any payoff.
López, meanwhile, was quick to sign an extension and went on to be an All-Star and down-ballot Cy Young contender in 2023. Injuries and inconsistency have plagued him in two seasons since, but the Twins should still feel like they got the better end of the deal.
Grades: B for Marlins, A for Twins
Los Angeles Angels Acquire Hunter Renfroe
The Deal: Los Angeles Angels get OF Hunter Renfroe; Milwaukee Brewers get RHP Janson Junk, RHP Elvis Peguero, LHP Adam Seminaris
This was at a time when Renfroe was coming off hitting 60 home runs across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was thus meant to boost the Angels’ offense, but the 2023 season instead saw his production fall into an irreversible downward trend.
Not that the Brewers did much better, mind you. Of the three players they got back for Renfroe, not one is still with the organization.
Grades: F for Angels, F for Brewers
