Who were the MLB baseball trade deadline fantasy losers? Did Fantasy Managers anticipate the closer shuffle to balance out the saves and holds categories? Which starting infielders and outfielders have ended up on the bench? Let’s take a look at a few fantasy players most affected by the MLB deadline trades.
MLB Trade Deadline Fantasy Losers
Dennis Santana, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Dennis Santana, the setup man for the Pirates, has been a reliable source for holds (13). But the trade deadline move of closer David Bednar to the New York Yankees has once again thrown Santana into the fantasy closer role. Solely as a closer, he becomes a potential trade deadline loser for fantasy teams.
Santana has surrendered seven earned runs and taken two losses since retaking the closer role. Although he earned the save in the 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning on August 8th. On the season, he’s 7-for-9 in save opportunities.
This is the second time the 29-year-old Santana has taken over the closer spot from Bednar. Before being traded, the Pirates posted a 1.70 ERA with 16 saves and 50 K’s over his final 39 innings. This is a huge loss for managers who had a reliable source in holds, Santana, and saves, Bednar.
Cam Smith, OF, Houston Astros
Another trade deadline loser was the Houston Astros’ outfielder Cam Smith. The rookie outfielder has had a solid 2025 season. But the Astros became concerned about his workload going forward. Smith has struggled greatly since the All-Star break, recording just six hits in 53 at-bats (.113 batting average). The struggle continued over the last month, Smith hit just .143, including a 30.4 percent strikeout rate in 23 games.
The pickup of outfielder Jesus Sánchez, OF, Miami Marlins, will impact Smith’s playing time. The result is that Smith will lose playing time and slide into a platoon situation. Sanchez will split time in left field with Jose Altuve and with Smith in right field.
In reality, the Astros’ addition of Sanchez removes two full-time players from fantasy lineups. Sanchez held a regular starting job with the Marlins. This is a double whammy and a big loss for fantasy teams.
New York Yankees Saves and Holds
The biggest losers of the 2025 trade deadline may be any fantasy baseball team with New York Yankees relief pitchers. If your fantasy pitching staff has any combination of the old or new relievers, you will be adversely affected by the loss of saves and holds. Let’s take a “closer” look.
The bottom line for fantasy managers is that 58 saves and 32 holds were spread out over five relievers on four different teams. Now these relief specialists are competing for the same opportunities on one team. Once, automatic winning fantasy categories have turned into a crapshoot. Certainly, these fantasy trade deadline losses will affect many fantasy teams in the playoff hunt.
The Yankees already had the makings of a lockdown bullpen heading into the trade deadline, with Devin Williams (17 saves) and Luke Weaver (8 saves) sharing the duties to close out games. Equally, the three new Yankee relievers, David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird, all have closer and setup experience. However, Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said Devin Williams will stay in the closer’s role, with the new trio filling in around him. A loss for owners of the new Yankee relievers
The former Pirates closer, David Bednar, has an impressive relief resume with 18 saves. On the whole, Bednar struggled in 2024. The Pirates sent the closer to Triple-A earlier in the 2025 season to work out some kinks. Notably, he permitted just one earned run with a 29:5 K: BB over 23.1 innings covering his last 24 appearances for his former team.
Camilo Doval had been the San Francisco Giants‘ closer (15 saves) for the past couple of months. But he has struggled quite a bit recently and hasn’t recorded a save since July 11th. So, certainly, his fantasy stock has dropped even before his trade to New York. Doval will likely compete for hold opportunities with Luke Weaver in the seventh and eighth innings.
The Yankees optioned Jake Bird, formerly of the Colorado Rockies, to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Bird yielded seven runs (six earned) over two innings in three appearances since being acquired at the trade deadline. It is expected he will return and join the relief corps later in the season.
Let us know your trade deadline losers over at The Fantasy Advice Network.
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