MLB Trade Deadline 2023: Twitter Reacts to Trades, Fails, Surprises and Non-Deals

The non-waiver MLB trade deadline has officially passed, and there was no shortage of storylines based on transactions that happened (and those that didn't) in the hours leading to 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Three that stood out in particular were the Houston Astros' acquisition of New York Mets' starting pitcher Justin Verlander, the Mets' completion of a fire sale to signal the waving of a white flag amid a disappointing year, and the New York Yankees doing nearly nothing despite sitting in last place in the AL East.

For starters, here are the terms of the Verlander deal, as reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Verlander inked a two-year, $86.66 million contract in New York in free agency, but at 50-55, the Mets are in fourth place in the NL East and have little hope for the playoffs.

From the Astros' perspective, they're getting back a great pitcher on the road back to the postseason. The defending World Series champions sit just a half-game behind the Texas Rangers for first in the AL West, and now they're even more built for a World Series run.

People seemed to like the move.

As for the Mets, the rebuild is in full effect after the push to go for it all this year did not come to fruition. Analysts and fans seemed to like what general manager Billy Eppler brought back in various deals, which included trading Verlander, Max Scherzer, Tommy Pham, Mark Canha, David Robertson and Dominic Leone.

That all being said, this year was a clear loss after the team entered the season with World Series expectations, and Eppler's recent comments post-Scherzer trade about the team not undergoing a fire sale don't appear to entirely be accurate.

The Yankees did the exact opposite prior to the deadline and all but stood pat despite sitting in last place in the American League East. They did add relief pitchers Kenyan Middleton and Spencer Howard in separate deals, but neither will help a disappointing, strikeout-heavy lineup or a starting rotation that's underperformed outside ace Gerrit Cole.

Needless to say, fans and analysts questioned general manager Brian Cashman's thought process.

There was plenty of other news, such as the Cardinals completing their seller stage by dealing pitcher Jack Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles and infielder Paul DeJong to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Unlike the Mets, the similarly disappointing San Diego Padres refused to give up on their season and added plenty of help, including Kansas City Royals closer Scott Barlow.

San Diego also notably hung onto frequent trade rumor targets and impending free agents Blake Snell and Josh Hader.

Now the stretch run begins for MLB teams with two months remaining in the regular season. Playoffs are set to begin on Oct. 3.