We’ve never seen a player like Eugenio Suárez traded during the middle of a season.
The D-backs third baseman was dealt to the Mariners on Wednesday for a package of three prospects, sources told MLB.com. Suárez was the most sought-after bat on the trade market, with a bevy of teams vying to add his top-tier pop to their lineup. Suárez hit 36 home runs in 106 games with Arizona, and it is that homer total that makes him unique. That is the most home runs by any player who was traded in the season.
Suárez, of course, is far from the first power hitter involved in a summer swap, so let’s take a look at the hitters who tallied the most homers prior to a midseason trade and how they performed for their acquiring clubs.
1. Eugenio Suárez, 36 home runs in 2025
Traded by D-backs to Mariners for INF Tyler Locklear, RHP Hunter Cranton and RHP Juan Burgos (per sources)
This trade involved multiple reunions. Suárez spent 2022 and ’23 with Seattle, hit a combined 53 homers and was a fan favorite over those two years. The deal also reunited him with infielder Josh Naylor, whom the Mariners acquired from the D-backs about a week earlier. At the time of the trade, Suárez’s 36 homers ranked fifth in the Majors.
The three players Arizona got in return were all among the Mariners’ top 20 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Locklear, who had a .943 OPS at Triple-A Tacoma in 2025, was the headliner as the club’s No. 9 prospect. He made his big league debut with Seattle in 2024, appearing in 16 games.
2. Mark McGwire, 34 home runs in 1997
Traded by Athletics to Cardinals for RHPs T.J. Mathews, Eric Ludwick and Blake Stein on July 31
The Cardinals, at 51-55 and seven games back of the NL Central-leading Astros, were far from contenders when they acquired the A’s franchise leader in home runs at the Deadline. McGwire wasn’t a panacea either as the Cards finished this season 16 games under .500. But Big Mac did his part, bashing 24 homers in 51 games to end the year with an MLB-best 58. This opening act set the stage for McGwire’s legendary 70-homer campaign in 1998.
Mathews was the productive player in the Athletics’ subpar return. The middle reliever appeared in 210 games over five seasons with the club and recorded a 4.78 ERA.
3. Adam Dunn, 32 home runs in 2008
Traded by Reds to D-backs for RHP Dallas Buck and two players to be named later (RHP Micah Owings and OF Wilkin Castillo) on Aug. 11
The D-backs acquired Dunn 12 days after the Dodgers traded for their own difference-making slugger: Manny Ramirez. The two clubs were locked in a top battle at the top of the NL West, with Arizona holding a 1 1/2-game lead when the Dunn deal went down. “The Big Donkey” hit eight dingers and posted a .417 on-base percentage in 44 games with the D-backs, but the Dodgers wound up with the division crown as Ramirez starred for L.A. and turned Dodger Stadium into “Mannywood.”
Owings was a solid hitter for a pitcher and did homer four times in 72 at-bats with Cincinnati. However, he contributed a 5.35 ERA and minus-0.9 bWAR in 48 appearances on the mound. Buck never advanced past Double-A.
4. Greg Vaughn, 31 home runs in 1996
Traded by Brewers with player to be named later (INF/OF Jerry Parent) to Padres for LHP Ron Villone, RHP Bryce Florie and OF Marc Newfield on July 31
Vaughn batted .280 with a .949 OPS for the ’96 Brewers en route to his second All-Star selection. His introduction in San Diego was a little underwhelming (.206 average, .783 OPS in 43 games), but the Padres did clinch their first division title since 1984. Vaughn would make a much larger impact two years later as he launched 50 homers and finished fourth in the National League MVP voting for the 98-win Padres, who captured the pennant.
No one in Milwaukee’s return played more than three seasons with the club. Villone registered a 3.38 ERA over 73 games in relief before he was shipped to Cleveland following the ’97 season.
5. Jay Bruce, 29 home runs in 2017
Traded by Mets to Cleveland for RHP Ryder Ryan on Aug. 9
About a year after he was traded at the Deadline to the defending NL champion Mets (more on that in a bit), Bruce was shipped off to Cleveland to play for the defending AL champs. He produced seven home runs and an .808 OPS for a club that eventually won 102 games, and he had a 1.000 OPS across 21 plate appearances that October. Alas, Cleveland fell well short of its goal as it was upset in the ALDS by the Yankees. Bruce rejoined the Mets as a free agent that offseason.
Ryan toiled in New York’s system for a few years before he was dealt to the Rangers in 2020. He made his MLB debut with the Mariners in ’23.
T-6. Justin Upton, 28 home runs in 2017
Traded by Tigers to Angels for RHP Grayson Long and player to be named later (RHP Elvin Rodriguez) on Aug. 31
Upton hit 11 of his 28 homers for the 2017 Tigers in August, increasing his value as a trade candidate. Detroit moved Upton to the Angels hours before the “waiver Trade Deadline” and only about 19 months after it signed the slugger to a six-year, $132.75 million contract.
The Halos were just 1 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot at the time of their marquee addition, but they went 11-17 the rest of the way to fall well off the pace. Upton hit seven dingers and had a .531 slugging percentage during that span. He could have opted out of his existing contract during the offseason. Instead, he and the Angels came to terms on a reworked five-year pact worth $106 million.
Long’s pro career didn’t advance past Double-A, and Rodríguez appeared in seven games for the Tigers in 2022.
T-6. Carlos Lee, 28 home runs in 2006
Traded by the Brewers with OF Nelson Cruz to Rangers for OFs Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix, RHP Francisco Cordero and LHP Julian Cordero on July 28
The Rangers definitely won this trade — just not because of the deal’s headline player. Lee was stellar for Texas, slashing .322/.369/.525 in 59 games. But it ultimately didn’t mean much since the club couldn’t keep up with the red-hot A’s and ended the season below .500. While Lee moved on to the Astros after the season, the Rangers found out that they had a future star in Cruz, who had just seven MLB plate appearances when Milwaukee put him in this swap. Cruz and his “Boomstick” were critical to the Rangers’ pennant-winning squads in 2011 and ’12. He finished his career with 464 home runs through 19 seasons.
Cordero, an All-Star closer for Texas in 2004, made it back to the Midsummer Classic with Milwaukee in 2007. He saved 44 games that year, which was then the franchise record. He departed for Cincinnati as a free agent following that season, and Mench and Nix provided negligible value.
8. Franmil Reyes, 27 home runs in 2019
Traded by Padres with LHP Logan Allen and INF/OF Victor Nava to Cleveland as part of a three-team deal on July 31. Reds traded OF Yasiel Puig and LHP Scott Moss to Cleveland as well as Taylor Trammell to Padres. Cleveland traded RHP Trevor Bauer to Reds
Cleveland hauled in not one but two big boppers before the 2019 Deadline. Besides Reyes, Puig was coming off of three consecutive seasons with at least 20 homers and had 22 clouts when the Reds traded him to their in-state rival. He hit just two more home runs in 49 games that season, his last in the Majors. Reyes, meanwhile, became a lineup fixture for Cleveland over the next couple of years and socked 30 homers in 2021.
Trammell, the only player that San Diego got back in the three-team deal, never played for the Padres. Instead, he was traded the following year to the Mariners, along with future All-Star first baseman Ty France and future All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz.
9. Cecil Fielder, 26 home runs in 1996
Traded by Tigers to Yankees for OF Ruben Sierra and RHP Matt Drews on July 31
One of the top power hitters of his time, Fielder instantly became the Yankees’ home run leader when they landed him in ’96. His 26 homers at the time of the trade were six more than anyone else on the squad. He then smashed 13 more home runs in 53 regular-season games and stepped up during the playoffs with three dingers and a .308/.390/.519 slash line. He picked up three hits and the only RBI in a pivotal World Series Game 5 against the Braves. Two nights later, he and the rest of the Yanks celebrated the franchise’s first championship since 1978.
The veteran Sierra had a .616 OPS over 46 games as a Tiger. Drews, the No. 13 overall pick in the 1993 Draft, never reached the Majors.
T-10. Jake Burger, 25 home runs in 2023
Traded by White Sox to Marlins for LHP Jake Eder on Aug. 1
Miami beefed up its lineup with Burger while it was in the thick of a Wild Card hunt. Burger smashed nine homers and recorded an .860 OPS for the Marlins, who did earn a postseason berth but were quickly dispatched by the Phillies. Burger added 29 more homers in 2024 before the Marlins traded him to the Rangers during that year’s Winter Meetings.
Eder, Miami’s No. 4 prospect at the time of the deal, per MLB Pipeline, threw two innings of relief in his Major League debut on Sept. 17, 2024. That would be his lone MLB game with the White Sox, who traded him to the Angels for cash considerations the following March.
T-10. Kyle Schwarber, 25 home runs in 2021
Traded by Nationals to Red Sox for RHP Aldo Ramirez on July 29
Schwarber went on a monster tear in June 2021 for the Nationals, belting 16 home runs in his final 19 games that month. Although he was sidelined with a right hamstring strain by early July, the Red Sox were confident his bat would eventually help them down the stretch and into October. That proved true.
Once Schwarber returned from the injured list on Aug. 13, he put up a .291/.435/.522 slash line with seven dingers in 41 regular-season games. He also homered during each of Boston’s three playoff series, including a grand slam versus Houston in ALCS Game 3.
Ramirez’s time in the Nationals’ system was sidetracked once he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022. He pitched in Rookie ball in ’24.
T-10. Joey Gallo, 25 home runs in 2021
Traded by Rangers with LHP Joely Rodríguez to Yankees for INFs Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran, RHP Glenn Otto and INF/OF Trevor Hauver on July 29
Gallo and the Yankees seemed like a dream match: A 27-year-old outfielder with multiple Gold Gloves and All-Star selections under his belt as well as massive power and a lefty swing that could take advantage of his new home stadium’s short right-field porch. Yes, he would strike out often, but he would offset those empty plate appearances with plenty of walks.
The results were ultimately nightmarish. In 140 games with the Bronx Bombers, Gallo slashed .159/.291/.368 with 25 home runs and 194 K’s in 421 at-bats. The Yankees dealt him to the Dodgers just ahead of the 2022 Deadline.
Smith, Duran and Otto were all members of the Rangers’ 2023 World Series title team, although only Smith played in the postseason. The following season, he won a Silver Slugger as a utility player.
T-10. Jay Bruce, 25 home runs in 2016
Traded by Reds to Mets for INF Dilson Herrera and LHP Max Wotell on Aug. 1
Bruce was the NL leader with 80 RBIs when the Mets obtained him from the Reds in 2016. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the first player to be traded while leading the league in RBIs since that became an official statistic in 1920. His run production fell when he arrived in Queens, however. He batted .219 with a .685 OPS and 19 RBIs in his first 50 games with New York. The Mets did record the third-best record in the Senior Circuit following the trade (33-24), enabling them to nab a playoff berth. But they were shut out by Madison Bumgarner and the Giants in the NL Wild Card Game.
Herrera played 53 games with Cincinnati and only 105 games over four MLB seasons. Wotell was out of pro ball after 2018, never making it past Single-A.
