The Trade Deadline is all about headline-grabbing deals involving bundles of talent, and more often than not, that means prospects are front and center. Even so, the swap the A's and Padres pulled off at the 2025 Deadline stood out for the type of prospect involved, specifically with the A's getting San Diego to part with top prospect Leo De Vries in the exchange for All-Star closer Mason Miller.
De Vries, ranked the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline, rightfully garnered attention because ... well, prospects of that caliber simply don't get traded at the Deadline. At least they didn't. Since MLB Pipeline began ranking prospects in 2004, only one player ranked higher than De Vries has ever been dealt, and De Vries is only the ninth player ranked in the top 10 to be included in a deal.
Here are all of them, the top-ranked prospects since 2004:
Yoán Moncada, SS, No. 1
December 6, 2016: Red Sox to White Sox in Chris Sale deal
Trading the game's top overall prospect was literally unprecedented at the time, and hasn't happened since. Moncada still stands alone as the only top overall prospect to be traded when they occupied that top spot. The infielder was sent as a 21-year-old to the White Sox as the centerpiece of a package meant to fortify their rebuild. The White Sox also received right-hander Michael Kopech, who was ranked baseball's No. 67 prospect at the time, as part of the deal for Sale, who'd headline Boston's rotation for the next few seasons before winning another Cy Young Award in Atlanta.
Leo De Vries, SS, No. 3
July 31, 2025: Padres to A's in Mason Miller deal
De Vries on Thursday became the highest-ranked prospect ever traded at the Deadline when the A's stunningly acquired the shortstop in a prospect package from the Padres in exchange for All-Star closer Mason Miller and J.P. Sears. It's been almost eight years since a prospect ranked as high as De Vries was traded in any deal, and it marked the first time a Top 10 prospect has been dealt at the Deadline since Eloy Jiménez in 2017. The top-ranked prospect in the 2024 international class, De Vries signed for $4.2 million and is performing well at High-A Fort Wayne as a 19-year-old this summer. He's a switch-hitting middle infielder with a broad range of tools and advanced plate discipline and represented the Padres in the '25 Futures Game in July.
Wil Myers, OF, No. 3
Dec. 9, 2012: Royals to Rays in Wade Davis/James Shields deal
The 2013 American League Rookie of the Year landed in Tampa Bay via a blockbuster deal the winter prior, when Kansas City sent Myers and two other Top 100 prospects -- Jake Odorizzi and Mike Montgomery -- to the Rays for All-Star starter James Shields and Wade Davis. Shields headlined the Royals' rotation as they rose to contention during the next two seasons, and Davis turned into an all-world closer by the time they won the 2015 World Series. Myers won the aforementioned rookie honors but spent only two seasons in Tampa Bay before the Rays shipped him to San Diego in another blockbuster deal.
Lucas Giolito, RHP, No. 3
Dec. 7, 2016: Nationals to White Sox in Adam Eaton deal
The day after landing Moncada, the White Sox went out and acquired two more Top 100 prospects in right-handers Giolito and Reynaldo López (No. 38 at the time) to kick their rebuild into even higher gear. Giolito was the highest-ranked pitching prospect in baseball at the time of the deal, and remains the highest-ranked hurler ever dealt in any trade.
Cameron Maybin, OF, No. 3
December 4, 2007: Tigers to Marlins in Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis deal
The low-budget Marlins were seeking a rebuild after their 2003 championship run and sent stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit for a package headlined by Maybin, who they hoped would be their center fielder of the future. Maybin was an enormous prospect at the time, the 10th overall pick in the 2005 Draft two years prior. Though he'd never develop into a superstar, Maybin played 15 big league seasons for 10 teams. Willis didn't work out in Detroit but the Tigers got a generational talent in Cabrera. They also included future All-Star lefty Andrew Miller in the deal, and he was ranked the game's No. 19 overall prospect at the time.
Trevor Bauer, RHP, No. 5
December 11, 2012: D-backs to Indians in 3-way Shin-Soo Choo/Didi Gregorius deal
Bauer was the third overall pick in the 2011 Draft and made his MLB debut the following summer during his first full pro season, before Arizona shipped him to Cleveland in a three-team, nine-player swap that also sent Choo to Cincinnati and landed Gregorius in the desert. This trade, which occurred two days after the Myers deal, made 2012 the only year in which multiple top five prospects were traded to different teams.
Eloy Jiménez, OF, No. 7
July 13, 2017: Cubs to White Sox in Jose Quintana deal
Seven months after the White Sox acquired Moncada, they continued their rebuilding efforts by dealing Quintana, their ace and an All-Star the season prior, in a crosstown deal with the Cubs. In return they got a four-prospect packaged headlined by Jiménez that also included another Top 100 prospect in right-hander Dylan Cease. Jiménez was the prize, though. He'd rank among the game's top four prospects by the following year and hit 31 homers as a rookie in 2019 before his production tailed off.
Scott Kazmir, LHP, No. 8
July 30, 2004: Mets to Devil Rays in Victor Zambrano deal
Kazmir was one of the game's top pitching prospects when he became the focus of one of the more regretted trades in Mets history. Seeking to jolt the big league club into contention at the '04 Trade Deadline, Mets GM Jim Duquette acquired veteran starters Kris Benson and Zambrano in two different deals. The Zambrano trade required parting with Kazmir, a prized prospect, and did little to help the Mets' chances that season as they faded down the stretch. Kazmir went on to pitch for seven teams in 13 big league seasons and made three All-Star appearances, two with Tampa Bay. Zambrano pitched to a 4.42 ERA over parts of three seasons in New York and made his last big league appearance in 2007.
Dansby Swanson, SS, No. 10
Dec. 8, 2015: D-backs to Braves in Shelby Miller deal
The top overall pick in the 2015 Draft six months prior, Swanson was one of the first draftees -- and the first No. 1 overall choice -- to be traded under a new rule that allowed teams to deal drafted players after the World Series in the year of their selection. He is also one of three first overall picks to be traded before debuting with the team that drafted him, and grew into a cornerstone of the Braves teams that won six straight division titles and the 2021 World Series championship. The D-backs found themselves on the wrong end of this famously lopsided deal, also giving up Ender Inciarte in the five-player deal for Miller, who pitched to a 6.35 ERA over the next three seasons.