MLB trade deadline wrap: Cubs deal Bryant (Giants), Baez (Mets) and Kimbrel (White Sox); Braves reload

A World Series winner may not be crowned until November. But for clubs seeking to hoist the commissioner's trophy, precious minutes remain to find the players to get them there. 

The 2021 deadline passed at 4 p.m. ET on Friday with a flurry of moves:

Braves get Richard Rodriguez in last-minute deal

Having already revamped their outfield with trades Friday for Eddie Rosario and Adam Duvall, the Braves made last-minute deals for reliever Richard Rodriguez and outfielder Jorge Soler.

Rodriguez had a 2.82 ERA in 37 games with 14 saves for the Pirates this year and is under team control through 2023. The Braves have been using lefty Will Smith as their closer with others including Luke Jackson, Chris Martin and Tyler Matzek splitting the middle relief and setup duties.

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Soler, who has primarily been a designated hitter, hit 48 home runs in 2019 but has struggled this season – though he may be turning things around with seven homers in 21 July Games.

Deals come in after deadline

– Braves get RHP Richard Rodriguez from Pirates

– Braves get OF Jorge Soler from Royals

– Yankees getLHP Andrew Heaney from Angels

– Cardinals get LHP Jon Lester from Nationals

– Cardinals get LHP J.A. Happ from Twins

– Blue Jays get RHP Joakim Soria from Diamondbacks

– Cardinals get LHP Jon Lester from Nationals

– Red Sox get RHP Hansel Robles from Twins

– Red Sox get RHP Austin Davis from PIrates

– Padres get OF Jake Marisnick from Cubs

– Brewers get RHP John Curtiss from Marlins

– Phillies get infielder Freddy Galvis from Orioles

Giants win Kris Bryant sweepstakes

Beating the deadline by minutes while hoping to beat back a significant challenge from their biggest rival, the San Francisco Giants acquired Chicago Cubs legend and four-time All-Star Kris Bryant on Friday, the final major chess move in a National League West race that has been taut all season.

A's add Yan Gomes, Josh Harrison

The Oakland A's, holding the second wild-card slot in the AL, swooped in for the final pieces of the Washington Nationals' sale, acquiring catcher Yan Gomes and utilityman Josh Harrison. 

Washington, according to multiple reports, will receive three A's prospects: catcher Drew Millas and pitchers Richard Guasch and Seth Shuman. 

Gomes and Harrison have been among the Nationals' most productive players this season, and they join a deadline haul in Oakland that includes center fielder Starling Marte and reliever A

Phils get Kyle Gibson, Ian Kennedy

The eternally pitching-poor Phillies shored up their rotation and bullpen in one costly move, acquiring Kyle Gibson and closer Ian Kennedy from Texas in exchange for Spencer Howard, one of their most promising young pitchers, multiple outlets reported. 

Philadelphia entered play Friday 3 1/2 games behind the Mets in the NL East, and recently lost starter Zack Eflin to the injured list. Gibson, a 2021 All-Star, will join Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola to form a very solid front three for the rotation. 

Meanwhile, Kennedy has 16 saves and a 1.05 WHIP, and will be an immediate boost to a Phillies bullpen that's been an Achilles' heel the past several seasons. This year's version has a 4.57 ERA, 21st in baseball.

Javy Baez shipped to Mets 

For a team 11 1/2 games out of first place, the Chicago Cubs are having a huge impact on the playoff race. Their second huge deal in a matter of minutes shipped shortstop Javy Baez to the New York Mets, according to multiple reports. Baez will be reunited with fellow Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor, who like Baez was set to hit the free agent market this winter.

Instead, Lindor signed a $341 million deal after a trade to New York. Now, for two months, he'll be playing alongside Baez once he's activated from the injured list.

Baez may benefit from a change of scenery - he's slashing just .248/.292/.484 with Chicago, his 22 home runs coming with an NL-high 130 strikeouts.

The price was significant: The Cubs will receive outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, 19, who was the 19th overall pick in the 2020 draft. The Mets also received right-hander Trevor Williams, who will fold into the back end of their rotation.

Craig Kimbrel switches up in Chicago

If the White Sox get any semblance of starting pitching in October, they will be very hard to beat. The Southsiders ensured that much when they acquired Craig Kimbrel from the Cubs, sending the most dominant relief arm on the market from Wrigleyville to 35th and Shields.

The price was stiff - injured second baseman Nick Madrigal and reliever Codi Heuer - but the upside enormous: Good luck scoring after the fifth inning against All-Stars Kimbrel and Liam Hendriks, along with power arms Michael Kopech and Garrett Crochet and righty Ryan Tepera, acquired Thursday from the Cubs.

Brewers add Daniel Norris to bullpen

Milwaukee, boasting three outstanding starters and a shutdown closer in Josh Hader, added a versatile depth piece to its staff by acquiring lefty Daniel Norris from the Detroit Tigers. 

Norris has a 5.89 ERA for the Tigers but a 3.78 FIP, and may benefit from a better defensive group behind him in Milwaukee. He is a free agent after this season. 

Detroit received high Class A right-hander Reese Olson from Milwaukee.

Braves remake outfield with Rosario, Duvall trades

With Ronald Acuña Jr. out for the season with a knee injury but the Braves just four games out of first place in the NL East, Atlanta struck for a pair of short-term outfield fixes, acquiring Eddie Rosario from Cleveland and old friend Adam Duvall from Miami. 

The Braves dealt Pablo Sandoval to Cleveland and catcher Alex Jackson to Miami for Duvall, who hit 16 homers in 57 games for Atlanta in 2020. He's hit 22 more for the Marlins this season, albeit with a .229 batting average and league-average .755 OPS.

Who's on the clock? The Twins

Now that Max Scherzer is on his way to the Dodgers, one team holds a significant amount of cards for the remainder of this deadline – the Minnesota Twins. 

They played one early on, dealing Jose Berríos to the Toronto Blue Jays. for two significant prospects. And with Berríos off the market, teams may find themselves scrambling for a mid-range pitching prize: Michael Pineda. The former Yankee has recovered from a bout of elbow inflammation and has consistently pitched to a 1.18 WHIP over the course of his career. Several playoff contenders could do worse than anoint him their No. 2 starter.