Each team's biggest question after Trade Deadline

With the Trade Deadline in the rearview mirror, questions about who's buying and who's selling have been answered. Now, as August gets underway, many other questions arise. Welcome to the stretch run.

How teams answer these latest questions could go a long way toward deciding not only how the rest of their 2024 season shakes out, but next season and beyond.

Here's a look at each team's biggest post-Deadline question, with help from all 30 MLB.com beat writers.

Jump to: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West

American League East

Blue Jays: Can the new guys raise Toronto’s ceiling in 2025?
The Blue Jays don’t just need players to fill time next year, they need players who can help turn this organization around. Outfielder Joey Loperfido will need to be at the forefront of that, along with right-hander Jake Bloss and outfielder Jonatan Clase. Given how much this offense has struggled in 2024, it would be significant if Loperfido and Clase could cover an outfield spot going forward, which would free up some money for the Blue Jays to add another high-end bat in the offseason. -- Keegan Matheson

Orioles: Can Craig Kimbrel be trusted down the stretch?
General manager Mike Elias expressed confidence in Kimbrel on Wednesday, despite the 36-year-old closer’s recent struggles. Before throwing a scoreless eighth inning in Wednesday’s 10-4 win over the Blue Jays, Kimbrel had a 13.50 ERA with two blown saves and a loss over his previous five appearances. The veteran struggled during the Phillies’ 2023 National League Championship Series appearance (a 12.00 ERA in four outings). Can he be trusted in the second half/postseason this year by the O’s? The club added righty Seranthony Domínguez and lefty Gregory Soto from Philadelphia at the Trade Deadline, bolstering the back end of a bullpen that could shift around roles if Kimbrel’s issues become prolonged. ​​-- Jake Rill

Rays: Can they hang around in the AL Wild Card race?
The Rays spent the first four months of the season hovering around .500, never more than three games over or five games under. The reality of their situation, combined with their small-market budget, led president of baseball operations Erik Neander to deal away a bunch of key players -- but not all of them -- to reconfigure Tampa Bay’s Major League roster and restock its Minor League system. They have filled a number of those spots from within, acquired Christopher Morel, Hunter Bigge and Dylan Carlson to contribute in the Majors and could add top prospect Junior Caminero to the mix soon. Their focus at the Deadline was on 2025 and beyond, but can they keep the rest of this season interesting by staying within striking distance of a Wild Card spot? -- Adam Berry

Red Sox: Will the rotation hold up enough to make the playoffs?
While the Sox did get one starting pitcher prior to the Trade Deadline in James Paxton, it’s legitimate to wonder whether the team’s mostly youthful starting rotation has enough left in the tank to guide the team to the postseason. Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford have looked fatigued in some of their recent starts and Brayan Bello -- the team’s Opening Day starter -- has been unable to get on a roll this season. For Boston to get to the playoffs, its current five-man rotation will have to mostly stay healthy. -- Ian Browne

Yankees: Will they regret not trading for a starter?
The Yankees wanted to do more at the Trade Deadline, with general manager Brian Cashman saying that they could not agree on value for right-hander Jack Flaherty, whom the Tigers traded instead to the Dodgers. That came as ace Gerrit Cole missed a scheduled start in Philadelphia because of general body fatigue; the reigning Cy Young Award winner has produced mixed results through six starts, including nine homers in 35 innings. Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes all hit rough patches during the club's summer slide, while Luis Gil has thrown a career high 112 2/3 innings. -- Bryan Hoch

AL Central

Guardians: Will Boyd and Cobb be effective?
The Guardians desperately needed starting pitching help and they were able to get it by signing free agent Matthew Boyd last month and trading for Alex Cobb on Tuesday. But neither of these hurlers has thrown a pitch in a big league game this year because of injury. Boyd is coming back from Tommy John surgery. Cobb had hip surgery during the offseason and battled right shoulder irritation as he tried to return. Both should be ready to join the rotation in August, but it’s impossible to predict how effective they will be in Major League action. If these two can deliver, the Guardians’ chances to be successful in a potential playoff run skyrocket. -- Mandy Bell

Royals: Can they sustain the playoff push?
Kansas City’s Deadline strategy was all about building for this year and the future, acquiring rental pieces and players who came with years of control. Now that they feel like they addressed some future questions, especially in the bullpen, the focus turns to these next two-plus months of the season and whether the Royals can hold onto their playoff spot and bring October baseball back to Kansas City for the first time since 2015. They’ll need to continue to pitch well, with the rotation still their strength. While the back-end of the bullpen has been fortified, the Royals will need to see performance follow. Offensively, the Royals will continue to rely on Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino in their top-heavy lineup, but others will need to step up to lengthen the lineup. -- Anne Rogers

Tigers: Who’s going to pitch?
The Tigers were already running out bullpen starts two out of every five days before trading Jack Flaherty. Now, their rotation is down to AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal and rookie Keider Montero, a rough look for a team that had hopes of a winning season and more going into the year. President of baseball operations Scott Harris said they’ll fill the openings internally, which could mean opportunities for No. 14 prospect Brant Hurter and/or No. 23 prospect Lael Lockhart. Casey Mize won’t return until the end of August after the Tigers moved him to the 60-day injured list. Matt Manning should have a chance to return down the stretch once he returns from his lat injury at Triple-A Toledo. -- Jason Beck

Twins: Will the rotation hold up?
The Twins could have really used a starting pitcher at the Deadline, but ultimately emerged empty-handed. The matter of a possible playoff rotation is one thing -- they have Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober as options behind Pablo López -- but they also need to get there first, and their depth is running thin. They’re already having to rely on two rookies to hold rotation spots in Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa, and with any injuries, they’ll have to either turn to Louie Varland (struggled and was demoted earlier this year) or likely Zebby Matthews (just promoted to Triple-A). Can this young group carry them to the finish line? -- Do-Hyoung Park

White Sox: What’s the future for Garrett Crochet?
The White Sox did not move one of the most dominant starting pitchers in baseball and his two years of contractual control via arbitration at the Trade Deadline, so now they have to figure out a plan for him pitching-wise for August and September. There’s no thought of shutting down the big left-hander and there’s no thought of moving him to the bullpen, but with Crochet sitting at 114 ⅓ innings this season compared with 73 for his career, the team will have to manage his workload. The White Sox also need to figure out whether he’s a talent to build around or look into trading once again in the offseason. -- Scott Merkin

AL West

Angels: How will they navigate future with or without Mike Trout?
Angels' general manager Perry Minasian announced on Thursday that Trout will miss the rest of the season after suffering another tear in his left meniscus. Having played just 29 games this season and missing significant time due to injury in recent years, there are real concerns about how much to expect from Trout in the future. Minasian sounded optimistic about Trout returning fully healthy in 2025, but the injury history is undeniable. It’s an unfortunate turn of events in the second half of Trout’s career, given that the Angels’ star had one of the best runs in baseball history from 2012-19. -- Brent Maguire

Astros: When will Kyle Tucker return?
The Astros added a much-needed veteran starting pitcher by trading with the Blue Jays for Yusei Kikuchi, with veteran Justin Verlander (neck) hoping to join the rotation later this month. They didn’t add a bat at the Trade Deadline, though. The best addition to their offense would be the return of All-Star slugger Kyle Tucker, who’s been out since June 3 with a shin contusion. Tucker’s slow progress has been surprising and he still doesn’t appear close to being able to play baseball. Tucker had 19 homers in the first two months of the season, so the offense has a huge hole without him. -- Brian McTaggart

Athletics: Can they generate momentum heading into 2025?
The A’s made a couple of Trade Deadline deals by sending Lucas Erceg to the Royals and Paul Blackburn to the Mets, but keeping top players who were heavily involved in trade rumors, such as Brent Rooker, Mason Miller and Miguel Andujar was a vote of confidence by the front office that it believes this rebuilding club is close to getting back to playoff contention as early as next season. Having compiled the best record of any American League team in July thanks to a potent offense, the A’s have a goal of finishing with a second-half record above .500. -- Martín Gallegos

Mariners: Did they do enough?
In a market where the biggest names floated in rumors didn't wind up moving -- Yandy Díaz, Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. among others -- it was clear that the Mariners intended to do more. Seattle still wound up acquiring two of the most impactful bats that were moved (Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner) and bolstered its bullpen with one of the top relievers available (Yimi García) and a nice depth piece (JT Chargois). At the very least, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto raised the floor of an offense that's been one of MLB's least productive. But time will tell whether their new additions can push them to the finish line to what would be their first division title since 2001. -- Daniel Kramer

Rangers: What’s the short-term solution for the rotation?
The Rangers added two players to the big league roster at the Deadline -- catcher Carson Kelly and lefty reliever Andrew Chafin. They also traded away Michael Lorenzen to the Royals for Minor League reliever Walter Pennington. With Jon Gray going on the injured list (groin injury), Texas has just three healthy starting pitchers: Nathan Eovaldi, Max Scherzer and Andrew Heaney, all of whom pitched this week against the Cardinals. General manager Chris Young said that the Lorenzen deal had already come together before Gray went down, but it's clear that the short-term outlook for the rotation is not pretty. Tyler Mahle is scheduled to make a rehab start with Round Rock on Wednesday, with an eye on a return to the big league mound late next homestand. Jacob deGrom will start facing hitters next week. There’s a ton of innings the Rangers will need to fill before those two return and the division race isn’t slowing down anytime soon. -- Kennedi Landry

National League East

Braves: Will the rotation stay healthy?
Max Fried is set to come off the injured list soon and Reynaldo López may not need an injured list stint. So, the Braves opted not to acquire a starting pitcher before the deadline. They will be legit World Series threats if they reach the playoffs with Chris Sale, Fried and López healthy. To get there, they will be careful with Spencer Schwellenbach, who has very limited experience as a starter above high school. They’ll also continue to give extra rest to López and Sale, who haven’t spent a full season as a big league starter since 2019. -- Mark Bowman

Marlins: Which Deadline acquisitions will arrive soon?
Of the 15 players Miami added to the system via eight trades, four of them already have made their big league debuts: infielders Connor Norby and Graham Pauley, right-hander Adam Mazur and outfielder Kyle Stowers, who started in left and batted third on Wednesday in his Marlins debut. First baseman Deyvison De Los Santos and catcher Agustin Ramirez could be next. The sluggers are off to fast starts at Triple-A Jacksonville. -- Christina De Nicola

Mets: Do they have enough starting pitching?
Vice president of baseball operations David Stearns did well to supplement his bench and bullpen, adding Jesse Winker and four relievers before the Deadline. But he acquired just one starter, a back-end type in Paul Blackburn. He’ll join a rotation mix that also includes Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, David Peterson, Tylor Megill … and not much other depth. Will it be enough to get the Mets through the regular season, with Kodai Senga (left calf strain) and Christian Scott (right UCL sprain) questionable to return? Will it be enough to get the Mets through the trials of the postseason? -- Anthony DiComo

Nationals: Who will help drive the offense?
The Nationals traded Lane Thomas and Jesse Winker, two of their top offensive sparks. As the No. 2 hitter, Thomas led the team in stolen bases and on-base percentage. Winker led the Nats in games played and had a .419 slugging percentage. Washington moved Juan Yepez up in the order to bat second, and Alex Call and Travis Blankenhorn were called up from Triple-A to fill out the roster. The Nationals will look for No. 2 overall prospect James Wood to continue his offensive growth in the early stages of his big league career. -- Jessica Camerato

Phillies: When will they snap out of their funk?
The Phillies not only had the best record in baseball when they beat the Mets in London on June 8, but they were on pace to win 113 games. They have struggled since then, but especially since sweeping the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park before the All-Star break. This is a team loaded with stars. They need to step up. Bryce Harper said as much after Sunday’s loss to the Guardians. “The superstars got to show up,” he said. -- Todd Zolecki

NL Central

Brewers: Are they good enough to advance in the postseason?
The Brewers are in good shape to make the postseason for the sixth time in seven years, an unprecedented run of regular-season success in franchise history and an impressive run for any team, much less the team in MLB’s smallest media market. But advancing in the postseason has been the problem. Since getting within one game of the World Series in 2018, they’ve been eliminated in the first round every time since (2019, ‘20, ‘21 and ‘23). GM Matt Arnold added starters Aaron Civale and Frankie Montas and reliever Nick Mears for depth prior to the Deadline, but opted to stand pat on the offensive side, even after losing Christian Yelich to a back injury. -- Adam McCalvy

Cardinals: Does the pitching staff have enough firepower for a playoff push?
While president of baseball operations John Mozeliak’s ability to turn an injured Tommy Edman into Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham seems to be a stroke of genius for the Cardinals, he had to try to do something to assist a starting staff that has been running on fumes for weeks. Staff ace Sonny Gray has been hit especially hard in July, posting a 6.75 ERA with five home runs allowed over his past four starts. Lance Lynn powered through a win over the Rangers on Tuesday, but he headed to the IL with inflammation in his right knee. Kyle Gibson and Miles Mikolas have been sporadic at best of late, while Andre Pallante and Michael McGreevy have saved the staff. The Cardinals still have hopes of running down the Brewers for the NL Central crown, but those might rest on the shoulders of Fedde, who reinvented himself as a pitcher by developing his sweeper and split-finger pitches. -- John Denton

Cubs: Can the offense turn things around?
In the wake of the Trade Deadline, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said he hoped to “see progress” from the lineup down the stretch. Chicago’s lineup — partly due to injury issues and some down years for key players — has fallen well below expectations in ‘24. That has been a driving factor behind the Cubs falling out of the postseason race in a year that was supposed to be defined by contending for the North Siders. Hoyer reeled in third baseman Isaac Paredes from the Rays before the Deadline, adding some power and a more consistent hitter overall at a position of need. The next two months will shape how the front office plans its offseason strategy. -- Jordan Bastian

Pirates: Will the offense get going?
The Pirates definitely deepened their lineup at the deadline, picking up Bryan De La Cruz and Isiah Kiner-Falefa for the Major League squad and Triple-A prospects Nick Yorke and Billy Cook in reserve. The only question is whether it’s enough? Their 447 runs entering play Wednesday were the ninth-fewest in baseball, and their .670 team OPS was the third-lowest. They added a couple of good bats, and it won’t take a Herculean offensive effort to win with this rotation and restocked bullpen in tow. But they have to prove they can take that leap. -- Alex Stumpf

Reds: When will the lineup start producing consistently?
The Reds are the only team in MLB with a losing record and a positive run differential. That's more of a credit to their pitching -- namely the rotation -- for keeping them in close games and giving the club a chance. Too often this season, the offense has been hit or miss and often makes self-inflicted mistakes on the bases by running into outs from being overaggressive or not smart. Those consequences especially show up in one-run games, in which Cincinnati has a 9-20 record. If they can figure out how to get multiple hitters hot at the same time, perhaps there is an outside shot that the Reds can get back into the postseason picture. -- Mark Sheldon

NL West

D-backs: How will their injured pitchers do down the stretch?
One of the reasons GM Mike Hazen didn’t pursue starting pitching at the deadline aside from the high asking prices was the belief that Eduardo Rodriguez and Merrill Kelly would return from injury to fortify the rotation in the season's final six weeks. Kelly has been out since April, while Rodriguez has not thrown a regular-season pitch for Arizona since signing a four-year free agent deal this winter. If the two are healthy and effective, their returns should fortify the Arizona rotation and make the D-backs a tough team to beat down the stretch. -- Steve Gilbert

Dodgers: Will they have enough impact starting pitching in October?
Getting an impact starter was the No. 1 goal for the Dodgers and they were able to accomplish it by acquiring right-hander Jack Flaherty from the Tigers right at the buzzer. Flaherty gives the Dodgers another potential starter in the postseason and provides even more insurance in case of an unforeseen injury over the next two months. There are still some questions surrounding Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller, and Tyler Glasnow is blowing past his career high in innings. But adding Flaherty gives the Dodgers some more room to breathe. -- Juan Toribio

Giants: Will they hit enough to support their rotation?
Among Blake Snell, Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong, the Giants have what they believe is “the best rotation in baseball.” The offense, however, is much more questionable, especially after the club traded slugger Jorge Soler to the Braves. Without Soler, the Giants will need veterans Michael Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade Jr., and youngsters Heliot Ramos, Tyler Fitzgerald and Marco Luciano to produce consistently and score enough runs to back their elite pitching down the stretch. -- Maria Guardado

Padres: Will the rotation hold up?
The Padres got the bullpen help they needed -- in a major way. Their lineup is one of the best in baseball and is expecting Fernando Tatis Jr. back for the stretch run. The rotation, meanwhile, has been solid lately. But question marks abound. Matt Waldron and Michael King have already surpassed their career highs in innings. Joe Musgrove hasn’t pitched since May because of right elbow inflammation. Neither has Yu Darvish, who is on the restricted list. The ceiling of this rotation remains high. But will it hold up? Stay tuned. -- AJ Cassavell

Rockies: How many prospects will be tested?
To get a start on 2025, it will help to get prospects some Major League playing time so newness won’t be a factor when next season starts. Outfielder Jordan Beck (MLB Pipeline No. 54 prospect/Rockies No. 3) and infielder Adael Amador (Pipeline No. 45/Rockies No. 2) have seen time already and are working past injuries. Beck is rehabbing at Triple-A Albuquerque and Amador has turned hot at Double-A Hartford. Catcher Drew Romo (Rockies No. 9) is at Albuquerque and knocking at the door. The Rockies on Wednesday moved lefty starter Carson Palmquist (Rockies No. 14), righty relievers Seth Halvorsen and Jaden Hill (Rockies No. 26) from Hartford to Albuquerque. The race is on to see who will get time with the big club this year. -- Thomas Harding