5 largest deals made before the trade deadline in MLB history ft. Curt Schilling to Diamondbacks

This year's MLB trade deadline is set for July 30, as teams clear their intentions on how they hope to navigate their future direction. This deadline gives an opportunity for good teams to bolster their roster with major upgrades where they are weak, while those with a bad record and not expected to make the postseason generally trade their star players to secure their future.

Over the years, MLB has seen major players changing hands, culminating in a World Series or a perfect dividend over a long horizon. Let's take a look at five such blockbuster trades.

5 blockbuster trades ahead of trade deadline in MLB history

#5 David Price: From Tigers to Blue Jays (2015)

MLB: ALCS-Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals. Credit: IMAGN

Before the trade deadline of the 2015 season, the Detroit Tigers traded away their star ace David Price to the Toronto Blue Jays for Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Jairo Labourt. In the Blue Jays uniform, Price went 9-1 with an ERA of 2.30 and 87 strikeouts in 11 appearances.

On the back of Price's performance and a rejuvenated bullpen after the deadline, the Blue Jays went 41-18 after the trade. They also made the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

However, Price wasn't as effective in the playoffs, as the Blue Jays dropped the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals.

#4 Randy Johnson: From Mariners to the Astros (1998)

Randy Johnson Credit: IMAGN

This trade can well be regarded as a balanced one, with both teams getting what they wanted.

Ahead of the trade deadline, the Seattle Mariners traded their "Big Unit" to the Houston Astros for future stars Freddy García, Carlos Guillén and John Halama. All three contributed heavily to the Mariners, as they combined for 33.3 WAR.

On the other hand, Johnson did everything he could with the Astros, going 10-1 with a 1.28 ERA in 11 starts with 26 walks and 116 strikeouts in 84.1 innings. He followed it up with another exceptional postseason, allowing just three runs and 17 strikeouts in 14.0 innings across two starts. However, the Astros lost both of his starts due to them only being able to add two runs.

#3 Trea Turner, Max Scherzer: From Nationals to Dodgers (2021)

MLB: Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves Credit: IMAGN

This would top our list only if the LA Dodgers could have delivered postseason glory. That was not the case, but still, it had two blockbuster names on it.

Ahead of the 2021 MLB trade deadline, the Washington Nationals had enough of retaining their stars and ended up trading Trea Turner and Max Scherzer to the NL West giants, the Dodgers, who wanted to win back-to-back World Series titles. In exchange, LA gave up Josiah Gray, Keibert Ruiz, Gerardo Carrillo and Donovan Casey.

Frankly speaking, the Nationals came out as the eventual winners of this trade.

The Dodgers, for their part, outdueled the San Francisco Giants by the slightest of margins in the 2021 NLDS but could not overcome the challenge of the eventual champions, the Atlanta Braves.

On the other hand, the Nationals received Josiah Grey, who later went on to become an All-Star.

#2 Mark Teixeira: From Braves to the Angels (2008)

MLB: ALDS-Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees. Credit: IMAGN

On July 29, 2008, the Atlanta Braves gave up Mark Teixeira to the LA Angels in exchange for Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek. The rewards of this trade are still booming, in the form of Mike Trout. But how?

Teixeira hit .358 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs to help the Angels reach their first 100-win season in franchise history. However, the club was outdueled by the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS.

Teixeira signed with the Yankees on an eight-year, $180 million deal in the offseason. This resulted in the Yankees having to compensate the Angels with a draft pick. It was the 25th overall pick in the 2009 draft, which the Anaheim club used to draft Trout, who went on to become baseball's best hitter over the next 15 years.

#1 Curt Schilling: From Phillies to Diamondbacks (2000)

Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. Credit: IMAGN

The Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series in 2001, and many attribute this trade to being the reason.

On July 26, 2000, the D-backs traded for Curt Schilling to bolster their starting rotation and, in exchange, gave up first baseman Travis Lee and pitchers Vicente Padilla, Omar Daal and Nelson Figueroa.

Next year, Schilling went 22-6 with a 2.98 ERA, with the D-backs leading the MLB in wins and innings pitched. In the postseason, he went 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA. Schilling shared 2001 World Series MVP honors alongside Randy Johnson as the duo took down the mighty Yankees.