With Randy Arozarena recently being traded from the Rays to the Mariners and the trade deadline rapidly approaching, now is the time to look back on the five most successful MLB trades involving international players over the last five years.
In 2021, the Toronto Blue Jays made a big trade during that year’s deadline, trading for Puerto Rican pitcher Jose Berrios from the Minnesota Twins for Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson.
Berrios has been good with the Blue Jays, especially in 2021 and 2023, where he had an ERA below 4. He also won a Gold Glove in 2023 with the Blue Jays. In 2024, Berrios has a 4.08 ERA, which provided excellent value for the Blue Jays. Martin has –0.6 WAR this year, but Woods Richardson was a fantastic return for the Twins, putting up a 3.27 ERA in 17 games.
During the 2022 trade deadline, the Atlanta Braves made a great trade by acquiring the Cuban closer Raisel Iglesias from the Los Angeles Angels and sending Jesse Chavez and Tucker Davidson to the Angels.
Iglesias was incredible after being traded to the Braves in 2022, having a 0.34 ERA throughout the rest of that season. In 28 games, he struck out 30 and only allowed two runs for them. 2023 was also solid for Iglesias, having a 2.75 ERA in 58 games, striking out 68 for the Braves.
Iglesias has returned to that 2022 form in this season, having a 1.91 ERA in 38 games with 34 strikeouts. Jesse Chavez, the main piece of the deal for the Angels, is currently back with the Atlanta Braves. This season alone, Chavez has a 1.79 ERA in 33 Games for the Braves compared to a 7.59 ERA with the Angels in 2022. Tucker Davidson last made an MLB appearance for the Kansas City Royals in 2023 and had a 5.03 ERA in 20 games.
The 2022 Trade Deadline also featured Luis Castillo being traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the Seattle Mariners. This trade is ending up great for the Mariners because of what they have gotten out of Castillo. He has had an ERA below 4 in each season he has played with the Mariners. In 2022, after he was traded, Castillo had a 3.17 ERA in 11 games, striking out 77 and leading the Mariners to the playoffs. Castillo was an All-Star in 2023, with a 3.34 ERA in 33 games, striking out 219. Finally, in 2024, Castillo has a 3.38 ERA in 22 games, striking out 126 to provide much value for Seattle.
However, Seattle gave up some excellent prospects as the return was Noelvi Marte, the Mariners No. one prospect at that time; Edwin Arroyo, the No. three prospect; Levi Stoudt, the No. five prospect; and Andrew Moore. Marte has made appearances for the Reds but was suspended, so we have yet to see enough of him. Arroyo is still in the minor leagues with the Reds. Stoudt made four appearances for the Reds in 2023 and had a 9.58 ERA. Moore has not appeared for the Reds either, staying in the minor leagues.
The Padres received Dominican star outfielder Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals at the 2022 Deadline and first baseman Josh Bell. Soto was impactful during his two seasons with San Diego, having a .236 batting average with a .778 OPS for the remainder of the 2022 season while hitting six home runs. During the 2023 season, Soto became a great player for the Padres even after trading him to the New York Yankees in the following offseason. Soto had a .275 batting average with a .930 OPS with 35 home runs in 162 games. Josh Bell would have a .192 batting average with a .587 OPS in 53 games, but this deal is #2 because of what the Padres gave up getting Soto.
The return included shortstop C.J. Abrams, the No. one prospect for the Padres in 2022 and the No. nine overall prospect in baseball, and would only improve once he joined the Nationals. They would also receive left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, the No. four prospect at that time for the Padres; Robert Hassell III, the No. 21 overall prospect at the time; James Wood, who recently made his MLB Debut for the Nationals; Jarlin Susana, San Diego’s 14th overall prospect, and Luke Voit who is currently playing in Liga Mexicana de Beisbol. This trade made it well worth it for Washington, with Abrams, Gore, and Wood currently on the major league roster, providing a significant impact for the future.
At the 2021 MLB trade deadline, the Atlanta Braves were looking to push towards a World Series, and they found a suitable partner with the Kansas City Royals, who were looking to trade Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler. Soler’s impact on the 2021 Braves was incredible. In 55 regular season games with the Braves, Soler had a .269 batting average with a .882 OPS and 14 home runs more than in the first half of the season with Kansas City. But in the playoffs, Soler became a postseason legend.
During the World Series against the Houston Astros, Soler had a .300 batting average with a 1.191 OPS in 6 games and hit three home runs, which were important in Atlanta’s capturing the World Series. Atlanta had only given up Kasey Kalich, who has yet to be above Double-A, which made it an absolute steal and deserving of the #1 spot.
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WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo Credit: Jorge Soler #12 of the Atlanta Braves Willie Mays World Series MVP trophy after the Braves defeated the Houston Astros in Game 6 to clinch the 2021 World Series at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
