The Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone, with a number of notable names changing places as teams look to position themselves for a postseason run.The biggest move, of course, happened on Saturday evening when the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired superstar starter and two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers.The Dodgers' trade set off a firestorm of criticism and anger from opposing fans, though LA gave up two very good prospects for just nine to 10 starts from Skubal the rest of the regular season.Well, there were several other big-name prospects who moved teams, including in one of the most surprising trades of the day involving former first overall draft pick, Adley Rutschman.DODGERS REPORTEDLY ACQUIRE ACE TARIK SKUBAL FROM TIGERS IN TRADE THAT STIRS UP MLB WORLDAdley Rutschman #35 of the Baltimore Orioles catches against the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 11, 2026, in Baltimore, Md.
(Getty Images)Rutschman was once considered one of the top prospects in baseball himself, and mostly lived up to the hype over his first few years in the big leagues.In 2022 and 2023, Rutschman put up a combined 11.1 wins above replacement.
He hit 33 home runs and a .268/.369/.439 batting line with a 13.6% walk rate against just a 16.2% strikeout rate.Along with Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday, he was widely seen as a big part of the Orioles' impressive young core.But his 2024 was a bit underwhelming, and he's battled injuries the last two seasons, playing in just 157 combined games thus far.
Still, his 2026 has been much closer to his old self, with positive defensive contributions and offensive stats more in line with his career averages.And Baltimore, 11.5 games back in the American League East and apparently willing to concede in the race for a Wild Card spot, took advantage.Rutschman was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Carlos Narvaez, Enddy Azocar and a pla...