The Giants have struggled since trading for Rafael Devers in June, and that put them in "soft sell" mode. They got a respectable return from the Mets for Tyler Rogers, and they sent closer Camilo Doval to the Yankees for four prospects. Then in a bit of a surprise they flipped outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to the Royals.

Three of the past 10 World Series MVPs — Jorge Soler, Steve Pearce, and Ben Zobrist — were midseason acquisitions. In the past 15 years, deals for Justin Verlander, Hunter Pence, Jake Peavy, Aroldis Chapman, and Jordan Montgomery were among those that helped propel teams to a championship.

When the dust settled after one of the busiest and dizziest trade deadlines of recent memory, both Brian Cashman and David Stearns emerged with significantly improved teams even if they were

Fortifying their bullpen for the stretch run, the New York Yankees acquired All-Star relievers David Bednar and Camilo Doval in separate deals as they made a flurry of moves Thursday just ahead of bas