5 Sneaky-Good 2026 MLB Trade Deadline Pickups

The 2008 MLB trade deadline featured two of the greatest midseason pickups ever: CC Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers and Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sabathia went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts with the Brewers, tossing seven complete games and helping Milwaukee reach the postseason for the first time since 1982.

Meanwhile, Ramirez came over from the Boston Red Sox and hit a crisp .396 with 17 homers, 53 RBI and an otherworldly 1.232 OPS.

Both helped their teams to reach the postseason, but were knocked out by the eventual World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies, who opted for a more modest trade deadline addition in Joe Blanton.

The point is, sometimes the under-the-radar moves are the ones that put you on a parade float. With that in mind, let's take a look at some sneaky-good 2026 trade deadline pickups.

Tyrone Taylor, Chicago Cubs

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Clay Holmes was the big-ticket item in the trade the Cubs made with the New York Mets, but Chicago also acquired outfielder Tyrone Taylor in the deal.

Legendary Mets radio voice Howie Rose took to social media to discuss how much he'll miss Taylor's presence around the team:

In addition to having a great personal reputation, Taylor has 38 career defensive runs saved in the outfield and is batting .301 with a .900 OPS against left-handed pitching this year. He should give the Mets a strong right field option when facing southpaws.

Tyler Mahle, Atlanta Braves

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Tyler Mahle allowed five earned runs over 5.2 innings during what proved to be his final start with the Giants. In total, he finished his San Francisco career with a 3-9 record and 5.13 ERA across 18 outings, a very disappointing return on a one-year, $10 million investment.

So why are we bullish on the Braves picking Mahle up? He actually pitched pretty well in July, posting a 2.82 ERA across four starts. Plus, he's just a year removed from posting a 2.18 ERA over 16 outings for the Texas Rangers.

The biggest issue for the 31-year-old righty throughout the course of his career has been staying healthy. But if Mahle can stay on the mound, he'll be very helpful to Walt Weiss' rotation, which has been hit hard by injuries in 2026.

Marcelo Mayer, San Francisco Giants

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Entering the 2025 season, Marcelo Mayer was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 12 prospect in baseball, with the following scouting report:

"Bigger than most shortstops, Mayer has below-average speed but his quick first step and instincts help him compensate. He can pick his spots to steal bases, going 46-for-54 (85 percent) in 272 games over his first four years as a pro, and he plays a solid shortstop with plus arm strength. Some evaluators like him better at third base, where they believe he could be a plus defender with profile power."

Granted, Mayer has since hit just .223 with a .625 OPS across his first 114 MLB games. There are plenty of examples over the years of prospects that were even more highly-touted than Mayer who ended up as busts. Perhaps he's headed down that road.

But it felt quick for the Red Sox to give up on him. Erik Miller is a nice left-handed reliever who has three remaining arbitration years. Still, the idea of trading Mayer for Miller a year ago would have been comical.

Again, evaluations change as you get more evidence. Maybe Mayer just isn't that good. But there are worse players to take a chance on than a 23-year-old former No. 4 overall pick.

Brooks Raley, Philadelphia Phillies

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Luis Arráez was the most notable addition by the Phillies, and paid immediate dividends in his debut for the team Tuesday night.

However, Brooks Raley was a pretty big get for a team that has had questionable bullpen performance outside of All-Star closer Jhoan Duran.

Raley had a 1.96 ERA across 45 outings for the division-rival Mets before the trade, and he had success getting outs against both left- and right-handed hitters.

Perhaps the only concern with Raley is he's 38 years old, and you never know if older pitchers will wear down in September and October. As is, though, he immediately leapfrogs Orion Kerkering and José Alvarado, joining Jonathan Bowlan as the most trusted setup options for Don Mattingly.

Nathaniel Lowe, Cleveland Guardians

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Nathaniel Lowe revived his career this season with the Cincinnati Reds, homering 12 times and posting an .820 OPS. He pretty much only plays against right-handed pitching, but if he's going to mash that much when he's in the lineup, you see why the Guardians were interested in him.

In case you're wondering, Lowe did benefit from playing his home games at Great American Ball Park, where he had an .894 OPS. However, he still had a .753 OPS on the road, so it's not as though he can't be productive playing his home games at Ohio's other MLB stadium.

Lowe is a clear upgrade from Kyle Manzardo, who has been optioned to Triple-A after posting a .684 OPS in 102 games this season. If the Guards can get anything out of Rhys Hoskins, they'll have quite the first base platoon with him and Lowe.