By Jacob Becquey

The Trade Deadline is in full swing! Many expect some major players to be dealt, such as Eugenio Suarez, Sandy Alcantara, and Mitch Keller. While these moves may or may not happen soon, 2 major ones have.

So what about these moves? Are they fleeces or are they failures? Are they even or one-sided? Do they change any particular team’s outlook? Lets dive in to the first 2 moves of the deadline.

Trade #1: 1B Josh Naylor to the Mariners for LHP Brandyn Garcia and RHP Ashton Izzi

Mariners: A

There’s no better way to boost your playoff odds then upgrading a weakness.

The Mariners have struggles at first base all season, ditching Rowdy Tellez and slotting in Donovan Solano/Luke Raley at the position. Solano batted for just a .627 OPS in 64 games this season, with Luke Raley not fairing much better at a .691 OPS in just 49 games. Seattle trading for a first baseman makes a whole lot of sense, and Naylor may have been the top name of that market.

Naylor batted for an .804 OPS in 95 games this season, helping Arizona create one of the most electric offenses in the league. With proven power and postseason experience with Cleveland last year, Naylor could prove to be the piece that wins Seattle the AL West. While I believe it takes one more good move to reach that mark (namely Eugenio Suarez), this move does exactly was the Mariners front office wants to do: raise the ceiling for the playoffs while not selling key pieces of the farm.

Diamondbacks: B

With Naylor on an expiring deal and a lack of postseason aspiration in a tough National League, it makes sense for Arizona to sell off his contract. MLB Pipeline ranks Ashton Izzi and Braydyn Garcia as the #11 and #16 prospects in the Diamondbacks system, a rather nice haul for a rental contract.

Still, the move takes out almost any hope of a better second half for Arizona, who hover around .500 just after the All-Star Break. While the move makes sense overall, Naylor is a very good player, and his absence will hurt the D-Backs. However, in a year that seems to be a lost season, its nice to at least restock the farm system with more prospects likely on the way.

Trade #2: 3B Ryan McMahon to the Yankees for LHP Griffin Herring and RHP Josh Grosz

Yankees: C+

The Yankees absolutely needed a third baseman at this year’s deadline, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. failing to cover the position and Oswald Peraza hitting for a .453 OPS in 70 games. While many slotted in Eugenio Suarez as the likely solution, the Yankees opted for Ryan McMahon, who has struggled this year with a .718 OPS.

Ryan McMahon is not a bad player, and New York can certainly afford the contract. The problem with this move is that it is not the splashy, ‘all-in’ move that many expected Cashman to make. McMahon will certainly have good moments in the pinstripes, but with Toronto leading the division by 6 games with no signs of stopping, the Yankees should be more desperate for star power than McMahon.

Rockies: A-

The Rockies have the worst record in MLB by a large margin, so a sale was greatly needed to stock up the farm system for the rebuild. Getting rid of McMahon’s contract is great for the small-market Rockies, who avoid $32 million dollar price-tag in the next 2 seasons.

The prospects are not flashy, but are good for the Colorado system. Herring ranks at #5 in Colorado’s system as of now, with Josh Grosz sitting at 18. Both will not be ready until 2027, but the Rockies got a pretty nice haul for an expensive contract.

While other moves have transpired, McMahon and Naylor prove to be the biggest splashes thus far. With both headed to contenders’, I personally can not wait to see how they preform with their new teams.