5 Blockbuster Trades That Should Have Happened At 2026 MLB Trade Deadline
Some MLB teams have been hit hard by making trade deadline mistakes. And some important deals got done. However, here are five blockbuster trades that should have happened at the trade deadline.

Yes, it’s understood that there are behind-the-scenes reasons for deals falling through. Teams get cold feet, a key prospect doesn’t get added to the mix, long-term plans trump short-term ideas, and so forth.

But that doesn’t mean MLB teams are always right. And here are deals that should have been pushed through.

Rangers SP Jacob deGrom to the Braves
If you look at the reason for the trade not going through, it’s simple. deGrom nixed the deal, preferring to stay with the Rangers, according to Rangers Beat.

“I want to be here, I believe in this group,” deGrom said earlier this week. “Obviously, the last road trip didn’t go well, but I believe we can win. I signed here to help this team win a World Series. In 2023, the team was able to do that. I want to be a part of that in the future. I signed here to do that. I want to stay here and help this team compete.”

So this was deGrom’s mistake more than the Rangers or Braves. The trade made perfect sense for the Braves. They want to make a legitimate run at the Dodgers. And that rival loaded up its pitching staff with the acquisition of Tarik Skubal.

To have a shot at beating the Dodgers, the Braves need a bell-cow No. 2 starter. They can match Chris Sale against Skubal in a playoff series and have a shot at winning that game.

But you have to get four wins, not two. Sale could theoretically outpitch Skubal twice. No guarantee, but plausible. However, the Braves don’t have anyone to match up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, or Tyler Glasnow. Any way you slice it, the Braves lose the series.

deGrom could have given the Braves a chance to win Game 2 and Game 7, with Sale earning the other two wins.

With the Rangers just 1.5 games out of first place in the AL West, it’s hard to criticize deGrom for wanting to stick around in Texas. But the Rangers seem like no postseason threat while the Braves could make at least a hearty run at the Dodgers.

Giants 1B Rafael Devers to the Padres
The Padres lineup needed punch before the trade deadline. And they still need that punch, though the deadline has passed. They are No. 24 in MLB in batting average.

Making the moves for Casey Mize and Robbie Ray signalled a team determined to win in 2026. But they needed to add a bat like Devers.

Yes, Devers isn’t a defensive force by any stretch of the imagination. But his bat is still there. He has 23 homers and an on-base percentage of .322. Granted, he has dropped off this year from his career norm in the latter category. But 30-homer bats don’t grow on MLB trees.

The deal was on the table, according to The New York Post via Sports Illustrated.

“For example, multiple sources said that (Padres GM AJ) Preller has at least considered ways to acquire one of his long-time targets, Rafael Devers, though with seven years at $211 million left on his pact, he has one of the most unappealing remaining contracts in the majors,” Joel Sherman wrote.

It doesn’t make sense to trade prospects to strengthen the pitching staff for a postseason run and not answer the lineup with a thunder bat. It’s a failure of common sense in the Year of the Dodger three-peat.

Rockies C Hunter Goodman to the Rays
The American League is a different story than its NL cousin. There’s a path to the World Series, although the Dodgers are likely there and that’s where it ends.

It wasn’t out of the likelihood that the Rays could have landed Goodman, who has 33 home runs in 393 at-bats this season. The Rays were one of three teams on the Goodman hunt, according to The Athletic.

What knocked it down was the typical MLB stalling force.

“It’s the usual dance,” Ken Rosenthal wrote. “The Rockies expect the clubs interested in Goodman to increase their offers. The clubs interested in Goodman expect the Rockies to lower their price, and Colorado’s long-term choices are numerous: Sign him to an extension, trade him in a future window or ride it out.”

Goodman is only 26 years old. His power travels, as evidenced by 18 homers on the road. At the end of the day, the Rays weren’t willing to meet the Rockies’ asking price, which apparently centered on No. 1 prospect Theo Gillen. The 20-year-old outfielder is hitting .327 with 19 homers and 37 stolen bases across two minor-league levels this season.

It’s easy to see why the Rays wouldn’t want to send him to the Rockies. But Goodman would have made a significant lineup impact for the Rays