MLB trade deadline 2026: What to make of Red Sox, Cubs, more - ESPN

After a wild final rush of deals, the 2026 MLB trade deadline is in the books.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox added impact bats just before the deadline. The Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets landed big prospect returns for their in-demand veterans… and, of course, there's the Dodgers with new ace Tarik Skubal in the fold.

Which clubs made the right calls? What should we expect for the rest of the MLB season? Now that the dust has settled on this trade season, we asked our experts to debate what's real — and what's not — going forward.

Alden Gonzalez: Real. As real as it can get when considering the randomness of October baseball, at least. The Dodgers had already assembled one of the deepest, most star-laden rosters in baseball history, and to that mix they've added the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner.

If everything goes as expected, a team that faces them in October is going to have to get through Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani — with Tyler Glasnow potentially lurking in a bullpen headlined by Edwin Diaz and Tanner Scott. And if you do, one of the most dangerous lineups ever assembled — featuring Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and others — will have to be tamed. Assuming their starters get healthy — and that is never a guarantee — it's about as unbeatable as a roster can get.

Jorge Castillo: Not real. Everyone seems to forget that the Blue Jays were two outs away from beating the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series last October. The Dodgers are the heavy, heavy favorites to become the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series titles, but it's far, far, far from a given. The Brewers, Cubs,