As expected, the trade deadline brought a flurry of prospect movement. Last week's article tried to predict some of the players and teams who would be affected by the deals. Now that the dust has settled, let's take a look at some of the impacted phenoms and situations.
See where future major league baseball stars slot into RotoWire's MLB Top Prospects & Rankings for 2025!
UPGRADE
Leo De Vries, SS, ATH – The biggest prospect moved at the deadline, De Vries was shipped to the A's as the headliner of the package for Mason Miller and JP Sears. He'll now likely to shift to second base, yet is expected to be an offensive force no matter where he plays. At only 18, De Vries boasts polish beyond his years at the dish with 52 walks in 82 games at High-A alongside eight homers and eight steals. The switch-hitting prodigy is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential, with more long balls to come as he fills out and matures. De Vries' frequent comparison is Francisco Lindor, so even reaching 75 percent of that would make him a special player. And with a strong push, he could debut as early as late 2026.
Kendry Rojas, P, MIN – The Twins moved out a staggering 38 percent of their big league roster at the deadline as the rebuild is clearly in full swing. Rojas spent the first two months on the Injured List due to a midseason injury, but returned with a
As expected, the trade deadline brought a flurry of prospect movement. Last week's article tried to predict some of the players and teams who would be affected by the deals. Now that the dust has settled, let's take a look at some of the impacted phenoms and situations.
See where future major league baseball stars slot into RotoWire's MLB Top Prospects & Rankings for 2025!
UPGRADE
Leo De Vries, SS, ATH – The biggest prospect moved at the deadline, De Vries was shipped to the A's as the headliner of the package for Mason Miller and JP Sears. He'll now likely to shift to second base, yet is expected to be an offensive force no matter where he plays. At only 18, De Vries boasts polish beyond his years at the dish with 52 walks in 82 games at High-A alongside eight homers and eight steals. The switch-hitting prodigy is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential, with more long balls to come as he fills out and matures. De Vries' frequent comparison is Francisco Lindor, so even reaching 75 percent of that would make him a special player. And with a strong push, he could debut as early as late 2026.
Kendry Rojas, P, MIN – The Twins moved out a staggering 38 percent of their big league roster at the deadline as the rebuild is clearly in full swing. Rojas spent the first two months on the Injured List due to a midseason injury, but returned with a vengeance as he posted a 30:2 K:BB across 18.2 innings at Double-A. Following the move to Minnesota, the 22-year-old southpaw was sent to Triple-A. Rojas could join a young core of starters in the bigs as soon as next season.
Kohl Drake, P, AZ – The Diamondbacks had a selloff of their own, including dealing Merrill Kelly to the Rangers for a trio of prospects where Drake was the most highly touted of the group. He started the campaign at Double-A and compiled a 2.44 ERA and 70:22 K:BB through 55.1 innings, resulting in a move up to Triple-A. That led to five subpar outings, though an adjustment to the hitter-friendly confines of the Pacific Coast League is worth noting. At 25, Drake will be a candidate for regular ML starts during 2026.
Ryan Sloan, P, SEA – Sloan wasn't among the prospects moved by the Mariners to acquire Eugenio Suarez, and a scorching July at Low-A - 1.13 ERA and 20:3 K:BB over 16 innings - likely led to the organization refusing his inclusion in any deal. The 55th overall pick in 2024, he offers three pitches and ideal size to be a frontline rotation anchor. With Sloan's ability to throw strikes, he could be a fast riser.
CHECK STATUS
Drew Gilbert, OF, SF – The Mets were aggressive in including Gilbert as part of a trade to acquire reliever Tyler Rogers, but the truth is his prospect significantly diminished the last year or so. Perhaps a change of scenery will provide a jolt, and the fading Giants haven't gotten much production from right field or DH at least since Rafael Devers decided he could play first. The 24-year old Gilbert is ready to contribute now, and went 4-for-7 with a stolen base during his first two Triple-A contests. He's isn't quite the phenom he once was, yet still could get to the big leagues in September - especially with San Fran six games out of the final Wildcard.
Wellington Aracena, P, BAL – The Orioles held something of a fire sale at the deadline as they dealt a bunch of MLB talent for a restock of the farm system. Aracena was part of the package received from the Mets for Gregory Soto, and he was in the midst of a breakout season at Low-A having recorded a 2.38 ERA and 84:35 K:BB through 64.1 innings. He was assigned to Baltimore's Low-A affiliate, where he promptly fanned six batters over 4.2 innings while only allowing one hit that resulted in an immediate move up to High-A. Aracena has previously battled command issues, though was virtually unhittable at Low-A with opposing batters going .166 against. He may eventually end up in the bullpen with his fastball/cutter combo, but for now his control has improved enough for the O's to leave him as a starter.
Jared Thomas, OF, COL – Thomas wasn't traded last week, but has been scorching batting .333 with three home runs and five steals across 14 appearances since being promoted to Double-A. The 22-year-old lefty also impressed at High-A slashing .330/.427/.495 with 11 homers, 45 RBI and 22 stolen bases from 73 outings. A second-round pick in 2024 out of the University of Texas, Thomas is forcing himself into the Rockies' future plans, where perhaps he can get to the bigs as early as next season despite their glut of outfield prospects.
Leonardo Bernal, C, STL – Bernal is another neophyte who stayed put while also deserving some publicity. The switch-hitting backstop is only 21, but is already at Double-A where he's produced a .271/.351/.450 line with career-highs of 12 home runs, 53 RBI and 10 steals. Bernal will face significant competition at the position, even with Willson Contreras and Ivan Herrera trying out other positions. Jimmy Crooks plays in Triple-A while uber-prospect Rainiel Rodriguez is currently at Low-A. It's an excellent problem for the Cards to have, though does cast some doubt as to Bernal's future place and/or role.
DOWNGRADE
Aroon Escobar, 2B, PHI – Unlike some teammates, Escobar wasn't dealt and has unfortunately been slumping since getting to High-A. The sample size is small, yet he's only gone .227/.302/.320 through 20 contests. He's swiped five bigs during that stretch, though his strikeout rate has gone up and has yet to go deep at the new level. And in not being traded to a rebuilding team, Escobar is naturally going to see less short-term opportunity with a contending club. That is not to he's anywhere close to being big-league ready, even as the Phillies have struggled to get consistent production out of both second and third. The organization probably won't let many prospects get a taste of the Majors, possibly leaving Escobar (and others) toiling in the minors longer than they should. Aidan Miller is also considered a better middle infield prospect, so Escobar may need a trade to improve his situation.
Yohendrick Pinango, OF, TOR – The Jays are in first and going for it, as evidenced by dealing the aforementioned Rojas on top of Khal Stephen, Juaron Watts-Brown and Alan Roden. Though the system doesn't have a lot left in the way of outfield up-and-comers like Pinango, the 23-year-old acquired from the Cubs last year doesn't seem to be a part of any 2025 plans. Even with George Springer's injury, Toronto also acquired Ty France while Daulton Varsho recently returned. Pinango hasn't exactly been tearing the cover off the ball since moving to Triple-A as he's slashed .234/.328/.407 with six home runs and 30 RBI over 45 outings. He remains one of the better outfield phenoms, but part of that involves the lack of other options compared to other organizations while the Jays certainly won't offer many late-season debuts before the postseason.
