Jon Heyman Dodgers stand above rest as one seller nails it, Yankees flop in trade deadline fallout By Jon Heyman Published Aug. 3, 2026, 9:25 p.m. ET Tarik Skubal of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws on the field prior to a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday, August 3, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. (2026 Getty Images) Getty Images A lot happened on deadline day, but nothing to knock the perennially superb Dodgers off the top spot of our annual winners list. And if form holds, that’s the way this season and World Series may play out, too.
The Dodgers do a brilliant job of drafting and developing, and some say they also do an equally terrific job of marketing their prospects, which might be the secret sauce in their stellar trading record. Their deal Friday for superstar starter Tarik Skubal solidified their reputation as baseball’s best organization a couple days before the deadline.
1. Dodgers. The acquisition of Skubal gives them arguably baseball’s two best pitchers (with Yoshinobu Yamamoto) and one of the best and deepest rotations of all time. They also enhanced their chances to keep Skubal long-term. It’s normally all about the money, but the Dodgers have a way of convincing baseball’s best players to play there for less, too.
