The San Diego Padres added hard-throwing closer Mason Miller, the New York Yankees grabbed two-time All-Star reliever David Bednar and the Toronto Blue Jays dealt for former Cy Young award winner Shane Bieber in a flurry of moves before Major League Baseball's trade deadline on Thursday.
The recent swaps are on top of several deals over the past few days — including the Mariners landing slugger Eugenio Suarez — but multiple big names could still be on the move, including Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch
Keller, Cleveland’s Steven Kwan and Arizona pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.
MLB’s trade deadline is at 6 p.m. EDT. on Thursday.
The 26-year-old Miller is one of the game's top relievers and has a fastball that averages more than 101 mph. The 2024 All-Star has 20 saves in 23 opportunities, a 3.76 ERA and 59 strikeouts this season. He's under team control through 2029.
The Padres also added JP Sears, a lefty who has a 7-9 record and 4.95 ERA this season, striking out 95 batters over 22 starts.
San Diego sent the A’s a package of prospects, including highly-regarded shortstop Leo De Vries and right-handed pitchers Henry Baez, Braden Nett and Eduarniel Nunez.
The Padres also acquired catcher Freddy Fermin from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for right-handers Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert.
Looking to fortify their bullpen for the stretch run, the Yankees agreed to acquire Bednar from Pittsburgh.
New York was set to send catcher/first base prospect Rafael Flores, catcher Edgleen Perez and outfielder Brian Sanchez to the Pirates in exchange for Bednar, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a review of medical information and had not been announced.
The 30-year-old Bednar struggled early in the season and spent some time in the minors but has been dominant since his return. He had a streak of 23 straight appearances without allowing an earned run end in San Francisco on Monday, though he held on to pick up his 17th save.
Bednar has a 2.37 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 38 innings this year. He joins a bullpen that already has Luke Weaver and Devin Williams.
It was the fourth trade made by the Yankees since last Friday. They obtained third baseman Ryan McMahon from Colorado on Friday, reserve infielder Amed Rosario from Washington on Saturday and reserve outfielder Austin Slater from the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.
Bieber is headed to the AL East-leading Blue Jays in a deal with the rebuilding Cleveland Guardians.
Bieber, who is working his way back from April 2024 Tommy John surgery, has made five rehab starts. His most recent outing was Tuesday for Double-A Akron, in which he allowed one run on three hits and struck out seven in four innings. His next rehab start was scheduled for Sunday.
The Guardians are getting right-hander Khal Stephen from the Blue Jays.
Bieber had spent his entire career in Cleveland, including winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2020. He has a career record of 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA and 958 strikeouts in 136 games, with 134 starts since his debut in 2018.
He agreed to a one-year, $14 million contract last fall with a $16 million player option for 2026.
The Phillies got outfielder Harrison Bader in exchange for two minor leaguers, a person with direct knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press. The person confirmed the swap on condition of anonymity because it was pending a review of medical records.
It is the team’s second deal with the Minnesota Twins in two days after landing closer Jhoan Duran.
The 31-year-old Bader, a 2021 Gold Glove winner, remains a strong defender at all three outfield spots and has 12 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .778 OPS in 96 games. He also has postseason experience, playing in five playoff series with the Cardinals, Yankees and Mets with a .809 OPS and five career homers.
The Phillies are sending minor league outfielder Hendry Mendez and right-hander Geremy Villoria to the Twins for Bader.
AL Central-leading Detroit acquired Kyle Finnegan from Washington for two prospects, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade wasn't announced.
The 33-year-old Finnegan was an All-Star in 2024 but his velocity has been down this season. He has 20 saves with a 4.38 ERA in 2025.
The Nats received minor league pitchers Josh Randall and R.J. Sales, Detroit's third and 10th round draft picks from 2024, respectively.
The Tigers also added right-hander Paul Sewald in a deal with the Guardians and minor-league righty Codi Heuer in a trade with the Rangers.
The 35-year-old Sewald is eligible to return from the injured list on Sunday after being shut down with a strained right shoulder. He is 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA in 18 games this season, averaging more than one strikeout each inning.
The Cubs continued seek help on the mound, adding right-hander Andrew Kittredge from the Baltimore Orioles one day after agreeing to a deal with the Washington Nationals for righty Michael Soroka.
The 35-year-old Kittredge was an All-Star in 2021 and has a 3.44 ERA over nine seasons. The reliever has a 3.45 ERA in 31 games this season. He signed a $9 million, one-year deal with Baltimore last offseason that includes a $9 million club option for 2026 with a $1 million buyout.
— The Tampa Bay Rays acquired catcher Hunter Feduccia from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Paul Gervase, catcher Ben Rortvedt and left-handed pitcher Adam Serwinowski.
— Baltimore put right-hander Zach Eflin on the injured list with lower back discomfort Thursday. Eflin was a potential trade target, but has made only 14 starts this year and is on an expiring contract.
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AP Baseball Writer Noah Trister and AP Sports Writers Howard Fendrich, Will Graves, Greg Beacham, Dan Gelston and Joe Reedy contributed to this story.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
