Look back at the 2026 MLB trade deadline a few years from now and it’s very likely that what will be remembered most is the blockbuster Tarik Skubal trade. Or maybe it’s the monster Adley Rutschman deal, in which the Red Sox shipped out three top-five prospects for the All-Star catcher. The point is, most will remember the headliners in these deals, and rightfully so. But there’s a chance that the teams on the other side of these deals end up finding equal amounts of success in the long run, given the replenishment of their respective farm systems. While we didn’t see anything that resembled a full-scale teardown, we did see several teams sell off key pieces from their rosters in the search of high-end prospect talent. Here are six teams who leveled up their farm systems the most at this year’s trade deadline. Angels Total number of prospects added: 7Top 30 prospects added: 4Top 10 prospects added: 1The Angels committing wholeheartedly to one course of action happens about as often as a solar eclipse, but darned if it didn’t happen on Monday. Los Angeles dealt a mix of club-controlled players, such as Jose Soriano and Ryan Zeferjahn, as well as pending free agents like Kirby Yates, bringing back an intriguing MLB-ready bat in Moises Ballesteros. But the real headliner was the group promising prospects the Angels imported to revitalize their barren farm system, none bigger than shortstop Arjun Nimmala, who gives the club a much-needed top-100 prospect with star potential. Mets Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns imported eight top-30 prospects at the trade deadline. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectTotal number of prospects added: 11Top 30 prospects added: 8Top 10 prospects added: 1Mets fans aren’t going to be excited by a sell-off, but president of baseball operations David Stearns found a way to make chicken salad out of a chicken you-know-what situation. Stearns didn’t have too many enticing pieces to sell, given the Mets’ underachieving ways, but managed to bring back as many as eight top-30 guys. There’s high-end talent—a new No. 1 prospect in Jefferson Rojas, as well as a promising power-speed threat in Sammy Stafura—and there’s strength in depth numbers, with prospects such as Aidan Smith, Emilien Pitre and Gary Gill Hill. Having large quantities of prospects doesn’t guarantee you anything (just ask the Orioles). What it does give you is multiple bites at the success apple, as well as maneuverability in future trade deadlines. Things are looking just a little brighter in the Big Apple, even if it doesn’t feel like it.Cardinals Total number of prospects added: 4Top 30 prospects added: 4Top 10 prospects added: 2Sometimes less is more, and that’s the approach Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom went with here. The Cardinals only made three trades, one of which yielded international bonus money, but brought back four prospects in the top-25, including a pair of top-10 guys in outfielders Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale. If the Cardinals' farm system needed something, it was position player talent at the top, and Frias, who flat-out crushes the ball and has a cannon for an arm, could one day blossom into the top prospect in this system. Tack in a potential future No. 5 starter in Daniel Eagen and a future bullpen arm in Sandro Santana, and this was a job well done by the Cardinals. GiantsGiants president of baseball operations Buster Posey had no choice but to sell at the trade deadline and made the best of it. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectTotal number of prospects added: 6Top 30 prospects added: 5Top 10 prospects added: 2The Giants weren’t able to offload any of their bad contracts, but to knock them on that tall task would be to ignore the good work that was done here. Not only did Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey deal away one of the top hitters available in Luis Arraez, but he also took advantage of the fruitful starting pitcher and outfield markets, offloading the valuable-but-expendable Heliot Ramos and pending free agent Robbie Ray.The Giants’ system was starving for high-end pitching prospects and got a couple of potential future starters in Henry Lalane and Ramon Marquez, plus a potential reliever in Miguel Mendez. There’s a talented athlete in Joniel Hernandez, as well as a fun story in Kaeden Kent, son of Hall of Famer Jeff Kent. San Francisco’s already-promising farm system looks even better after the deadline. Tigers Total number of prospects added: 6Top 30 prospects added: 4Top 10 prospects added: 3Could the Tigers have gotten more for Tarik Skubal? Maybe. But what they did get are two top-10 prospects in Zyhir Hope (23 homers, 18 stolen bases in Double A) and River Ryan—who can touch 100 with his fastball and looked nasty before Tommy John surgery cost him the 2025 season—who may be able to contribute as soon as next season. Throw in another top-10 prospect with starter upside in Kash Mayfield, acquired in the Casey Mize deal, and this is a boon to one of the better farm systems in the game. OriolesThe Adley Rutschman trade netted the Orioles three top-10 prospects. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectTotal number of prospects added: 8Top 30 prospects added: 5Top 10 prospects added: 4If Detroit stole the spotlight in dealing Skubal to the Dodgers, the Orioles did the same in shipping Rutschman up to Boston. It certainly stings the Orioles to watch the once-hyped Rutschman era end with little to show for it, but the outlook is brightened a bit by the absolute haul Baltimore got from the Red Sox. There’s a new No. 1 in town in pitcher Anthony Eyanson, who has dominated both High A and Double A hitters this season with a three-pitch mix, headlined by a wicked slider. On top of that, Baltimore imported a potential future frontline starter in Kyson Witherspoon and an outfielder in Enddy Azocar who has posted a .885 OPS against High A pitching. The Orioles then flipped solid reliever Tyler Wells to the Rays to re-acquire pitching prospect Michael Forret. Baltimore desperately needed more high-end pitching at the top of the farm and they got that in bunches. More MLB from Sports IllustratedAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow