The 2026 MLB trade deadline has officially wrapped and dozens of new players will be picking up new jerseys over the next few days. Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers is the big one: the back-to-back Cy Young winner is joining the back-to-back World Series champions, and he’ll make his first start in Dodger blue on Tuesday against the Cubs.
Of course, there was only one Skubal on the market and only one team could get him (although ). So where did everyone else turn? Here are our CBS Sports MLB experts’ favorite non-Skubal moves of the trade deadline.
Mike Axisa: , even though it’s been close to three months since he last pitched in an game due to that broken leg. I love his sinker and ground ball ability in front of that infield defense. It’s the perfect pairing of pitcher and fielders. Holmes has made three minor-league rehab starts and should be back soon, perhaps even later this week. The ground ball/defense thing is great, and Holmes has also checked the big-market and postseason boxes, plus he can start or relieve. He won’t be scared by a pennant race or his new digs, and he can fill whatever role the Cubs ask him to fill. Mostly, though, I love the ground balls with that defense.
Dayn Perry: I have to go with the from the in exchange for a 28-year-old lefty with control problems. I know Mayer has failed to adapt to major-league pitching thus far, but he’s still just 23 and isn’t far removed from being one of the very best prospects in baseball. He has the chops to play the middle infield, and the Sox aren’t exactly industry leaders in developing young position player talent on the job, at least not lately. This is exactly the kind of upswide swing the Giants needed to be taking, and that they got it for a bullpen piece is fairly astounding to me.
Matt Snyder: I loved the after having already added . And they kept their entire bullpen intact. We can’t be sure the Padres will make the playoffs, but if they do, they’ll have excellent run prevention with , Ray and Mize, along with that stellar relief corps of , , , et al. They don’t have much offensive depth, but in the postseason, you don’t really need it. There’s still hope that the offense finishes the season strong if they get the best versions of , and . They could miss the playoffs. They could get bounced in the Wild Card Series. But there’s a real chance that the Padres put a scare into some of the titans of the National League, even the . Remember, the Padres beat the 111-win Dodgers in the 2022 NLDS and pushed them to the brink in 2024.
