Ranking Leo De Vries and the Top 10 MLB Prospects Traded at 2025 Deadline
The 2025 MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and while the big league veterans who joined new teams stole the headlines, the prospects involved in those swaps will determine who walks away as winners.
Ahead is a look at the 10 best prospects moved at this year's deadline, including where they ranked on Bleacher Report's most recent Top 100 prospect list, which was published immediately following the 2025 draft on July 17.
Only two players from our Top 100 prospect list changed teams, but several others from the "Next 100" honorable mentions list found new homes, and those are the players who could find their way into the Top 100 in the near future.
Let's start with a long list of notable prospects who didn't crack our Top 10 rankings.
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers)
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RHP Welington Aracena (NYM to BAL in Gregory Soto trade)
RHP Henry Baez (SD to ATH in Mason Miller/JP Sears trade)
LHP Boston Bateman (SD to BAL in O'Hearn/Laureano trade)
RHP Ryan Bergert (SD to KC in Freddy Fermin trade)
LHP Mitch Bratt (TEX to ARI in Merrill Kelly trade)
RHP Hunter Cranton (SEA to ARI in Eugenio Suárez trade)
LHP Carlos De La Rosa (NYY to SF in Camilo Doval trade)
RHP Nate Dohm (NYM to STL in Ryan Helsley trade)
LHP Kohl Drake (TEX to ARI in Merrill Kelly trade)
RHP Ryan Gallagher (CHC to MIN in Willi Castro trade)
RHP Josh Grosz (NYY to COL in Ryan McMahon trade)
RHP David Hagaman (TEX to ARI in Merrill Kelly trade)
LHP Griffin Herring (NYY to COL in Ryan McMahon trade)
LHP Garrett Horn (TEX to MIN in Danny Coulombe trade)
RHP Ashton Izzi (SEA to ARI in Josh Naylor trade)
RHP Sean Paul Liñan (LAD to WAS in Alex Call trade)
RHP Jeter Martinez (SEA to PIT in Caleb Ferguson trade)
LHP Mason Molina (TEX to STL in Phil Maton trade)
RHP Tyson Neighbors (SD to BAL in O'Hearn/Laureano trade)
RHP Anthony Nunez (NYM to BAL in Cedric Mullins trade)
RHP Josh Randall (DET to WAS in Kyle Finnegan trade)
LHP Kendry Rojas (TOR to MIN in Varland/France trade)
LHP Adam Serwinowski (CIN to LAD in Zack Littell trade)
RHP Eriq Swan (LAD to WAS in Alex Call trade)
RHP Blade Tidwell (NYM to SF in Tyler Rogers trade)
Honorable Mentions (Position Players)
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IF Jadher Areinamo (MIL to TB in Danny Jansen trade)
SS Ronny Cruz (CHC to WAS in Michael Soroka trade)
SS Wilfri De La Cruz (CHC to BAL in Andrew Kittredge trade)
OF Christian Franklin (CHC to WAS in Michael Soroka trade)
OF Drew Gilbert (NYM to SF in Tyler Rogers trade)
SS Cobb Hightower (SD to BAL in O'Hearn/Laureano trade)
IF Chase Jaworsky (HOU to MIA in Jesús Sánchez trade)
C Enrique Jimenez (DET to MIN in Chris Paddack trade)
1B/3B Blaze Jordan (BOS to STL in Steven Matz trade)
OF Hendry Mendez (PHI to MIN in Harrison Bader trade)
OF Everson Pereira (NYY to TB in Jose Caballero trade)
C/1B Edgleen Perez (NYY to PIT in David Bednar trade)
2B Roc Riggio (NYY to COL in Jake Bird trade)
SS Sammy Stafura (CIN to PIT in Ke'Bryan Hayes trade)
10. C Rafael Flores, Pittsburgh Pirates
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B/R Top 100 Rank: Unranked
Acquired: via New York Yankees in David Bednar trade
Have the Pittsburgh Pirates found their catcher of the future?
Rafael Flores was one of the better position players in a New York Yankees farm system that skews heavily toward the pitching side of things, and his production in the upper levels of the minors this season has him on the doorstep of the big leagues.
The 24-year-old is hitting .279/.351/.475 with 23 doubles, 16 home runs and 60 RBI in 97 games between Double-A and Triple-A, and his bat might already be big league ready at this point.
The question is his defensive profile, and similar to another former Yankees prospect Agustín Ramírez, he might end up serving as more of a part-time, bat-first backstop who also sees action at first base and designated hitter.
9. SS Jesus Baez, St. Louis Cardinals
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B/R Top 100 Rank: Unranked
Acquired: via New York Mets in Ryan Helsley trade
The New York Mets signed Jesus Baez for a modest $275,000 during the 2022 international signing window, but he quickly outperformed expectations with a strong showing in the Dominican Summer League in his pro debut.
The 20-year-old has continued to impress against older competition this season while splitting the year between Single-A and High-A, hitting .242/.334/.390 with 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 42 RBI and a solid 11.3 percent walk rate in 76 games.
With 60-grade raw power and a strong throwing arm, his future home will likely be third base, and he is a candidate to take a major step forward during the 2026 season as he continues to climb the minor league ladder.
8. 1B Tyler Locklear, Arizona Diamondbacks
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B/R Top 100 Rank: Unranked
Acquired: via Seattle Mariners in Eugenio Suárez trade
First baseman Tyler Locklear is on the older end of the prospect scale with his 25th birthday just a few months away, but he is a MLB-ready bat who has crushed Triple-A pitching this season.
A second-round pick in 2022, he is hitting .316/.401/.542 with 25 doubles, 19 home runs and 82 RBI in 98 games at the highest level of the minors this year, leaving him with little left to prove in the majors.
He struggled in his first taste of the big leagues a year ago, going 7-for-45 with 20 strikeouts in a 16-game cup of coffee, and there is always significant risk tied to a first-base-only prospect who provides limited value outside of what he does in the batter's box.
The D-backs should be able to give him his first extended look in the majors after first baseman Josh Naylor was sent to the Mariners in a separate deal.
7. RHP Braden Nett, Athletics
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B/R Top 100 Rank: Unranked
Acquired: via San Diego Padres in Mason Miller/JP Sears trade
Armed with a fastball that touches 99 mph and a plus slider as part of a four-pitch repertoire, Braden Nett had quietly emerged as arguably the top pitching prospect in the San Diego system after signing for $10,000 as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
The 23-year-old has dealt with some injury issues, which have limited him to 182.2 innings over four professional seasons, but he has the stuff to be an impact pitcher in some capacity at the next level.
He has a 3.39 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 74.1 innings at Double-A this season, and he has made strides with his command, trimming his walk rate from 14.0 to 10.4 percent.
6. RHP Juaron Watts-Brown, Baltimore Orioles
7 of 12B/R Top 100 Rank: Next 100
Acquired: via Toronto Blue Jays in Seranthony Domínguez trade
Despite a 5.03 ERA and 1.41 WHIP, right-hander Juaron Watts-Brown showed enough potential during the 2023 season at Oklahoma State to be a third-round pick in the 2023 draft.
He racked up 124 strikeouts in 82.1 innings during his final collegiate season, and that swing-and-miss stuff carried over to pro ball as he punched out 131 batters in 103 innings last year between Single-A and High-A.
The 23-year-old has continued to impress this season, logging a 3.54 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 115 strikeouts in 89 innings while splitting his time between High-A and Double-A, and he has slashed his walk rate from 13.2 to 10.1 percent to help raise his prospect profile.
5. OF James Tibbs III, Los Angeles Dodgers
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B/R Top 100 Rank: Next 100
Acquired: via Boston Red Sox in Dustin May trade
The No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 draft, James Tibbs III has now been traded twice this season after going from the San Francisco Giants to the Boston Red Sox in the Rafael Devers blockbuster earlier this year.
He hit .363/.488/.777 with 28 home runs and 95 RBI during his junior season at Florida State and was viewed as one of the more MLB-ready bats in the 2024 draft class, which he has backed up by reaching Double-A in his first full professional season.
The 22-year-old has a .763 OPS with 12 doubles, 13 home runs and 38 RBI in 86 games this season, and he has the potential to develop into a middle of the order run producer with a relatively high floor as an everyday player.
4. RHP Mick Abel, Minnesota Twins
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B/R Top 100 Rank: Next 100
Acquired: via Philadelphia Phillies in Jhoan Durán trade
Right-hander Mick Abel was a consensus Top 100 prospect prior to the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons after going No. 15 overall in the 2020 draft, but his stock took a major hit during a trying 2024 season where he struggled to a 6.46 ERA in 108.2 innings at Triple-A.
The 23-year-old has rebounded nicely this season back at the highest level of the minors, logging a 2.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 81 strikeouts in 74 innings.
He made his MLB debut with a spot start on May 18, and he was recalled in June for five more starts, going a combined 2-2 with a 5.04 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 21 strikeouts in 25 innings. He could step right into the rotation spot vacated by Chris Paddack when he was traded to the Tigers.
3. RHP Khal Stephen, Cleveland Guardians
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B/R Top 100 Rank: Next 100
Acquired: via Toronto Blue Jays in Shane Bieber trade
After two years at Purdue, right-hander Khal Stephen transferred to Mississippi State for his draft season and impressed against SEC competition, finishing 8-3 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 107 strikeouts in 96 innings.
The Toronto Blue Jays selected him with the No. 59 overall pick in the second round of the 2024 draft, and he has shined in his pro debut this year, posting a 2.06 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 99 strikeouts in 91.2 innings over three minor league levels.
The 22-year-old has a durable 6'4" frame, four quality pitches and good command, giving him an extremely high floor and making him a safe bet to develop into a back-of-the-rotation starter with potential for more.
2. C Eduardo Tait, Minnesota Twins
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B/R Top 100 Rank: No. 82
Acquired: via Philadelphia Phillies in Jhoan Durán trade
Signed for just $90,000 out of Panama in 2023, Eduardo Tait quickly emerged as one of the top catching prospects in baseball during his short time in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system.
The 18-year-old hit .302/.356/.486 with 18 doubles, 11 home runs and 73 RBI in 80 games between rookie ball and Single-A last season, and he has more than held his own this year as one of the youngest everyday catchers in full-season ball.
He logged a .759 OPS with 19 doubles, 11 home runs and 51 RBI in 75 games back at Single-A, and he was recently promoted to High-A, putting him well ahead of the usual developmental curve for a catcher.
Aside from his offensive upside, he has also thrown out 22 of 68 base stealers this year and should have no problem sticking behind the plate long-term. He immediately becomes the catcher of the future in Minnesota.
1. SS Leo De Vries, Athletics
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B/R Top 100 Rank: No. 8
Acquired: via San Diego Padres in Mason Miller/JP Sears trade
The San Diego Padres signed Leo De Vries for $4.2 million as the consensus top prospect in the 2024 international class, and they sent him straight to Single-A as a 17-year-old for his pro debut.
One of the youngest players in the California League, he more than held his own, hitting .237/.361/.441 with 22 doubles, 11 home runs, 38 RBI and 13 steals in 75 games while logging a healthy 13.9 percent walk rate.
His rapid ascent through the farm system has continued this year with an assignment to High-A Fort Wayne, where he is batting .245/.357/.410 with 31 extra-base hits in 82 games.
With five above-average tools, including a 60-grade hit tool and all the requisite skills to stick at shortstop, he is one of baseball's elite prospects and is still only scratching the surface of his long-term potential.
