diff --git a/pkg/storage/replica.go b/pkg/storage/replica.go
index a87af5089bab..9e2ca65a9c79 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/replica.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/replica.go
@@ -3341,11 +3341,16 @@ func isOnePhaseCommit(ba roachpb.BatchRequest) bool {
 // range of keys being written is empty. If so, then the run can be
 // set to put "blindly", meaning no iterator need be used to read
 // existing values during the MVCC write.
-func optimizePuts(batch engine.ReadWriter, reqs []roachpb.RequestUnion, distinctSpans bool) {
+// The caller should use the returned slice (which is either equal to
+// the input slice, or has been shallow-copied appropriately to avoid
+// mutating the original requests).
+func optimizePuts(
+	batch engine.ReadWriter, origReqs []roachpb.RequestUnion, distinctSpans bool,
+) []roachpb.RequestUnion {
 	var minKey, maxKey roachpb.Key
 	var unique map[string]struct{}
 	if !distinctSpans {
-		unique = make(map[string]struct{}, len(reqs))
+		unique = make(map[string]struct{}, len(origReqs))
 	}
 	// Returns false on occurrence of a duplicate key.
 	maybeAddPut := func(key roachpb.Key) bool {
@@ -3365,7 +3370,8 @@ func optimizePuts(batch engine.ReadWriter, reqs []roachpb.RequestUnion, distinct
 		return true
 	}
 
-	for i, r := range reqs {
+	firstUnoptimizedIndex := len(origReqs)
+	for i, r := range origReqs {
 		switch t := r.GetInner().(type) {
 		case *roachpb.PutRequest:
 			if maybeAddPut(t.Key) {
@@ -3376,12 +3382,12 @@ func optimizePuts(batch engine.ReadWriter, reqs []roachpb.RequestUnion, distinct
 				continue
 			}
 		}
-		reqs = reqs[:i]
+		firstUnoptimizedIndex = i
 		break
 	}
 
-	if len(reqs) < optimizePutThreshold { // don't bother if below this threshold
-		return
+	if firstUnoptimizedIndex < optimizePutThreshold { // don't bother if below this threshold
+		return origReqs
 	}
 	iter := batch.NewIterator(false /* total order iterator */)
 	defer iter.Close()
@@ -3397,21 +3403,27 @@ func optimizePuts(batch engine.ReadWriter, reqs []roachpb.RequestUnion, distinct
 	}
 	// Set the prefix of the run which is being written to virgin
 	// keyspace to "blindly" put values.
-	for _, r := range reqs {
-		if iterKey == nil || bytes.Compare(iterKey, r.GetInner().Header().Key) > 0 {
-			switch t := r.GetInner().(type) {
+	reqs := append([]roachpb.RequestUnion(nil), origReqs...)
+	for i := range reqs[:firstUnoptimizedIndex] {
+		inner := reqs[i].GetInner()
+		if iterKey == nil || bytes.Compare(iterKey, inner.Header().Key) > 0 {
+			switch t := inner.(type) {
 			case *roachpb.PutRequest:
-				t.Blind = true
+				shallow := *t
+				shallow.Blind = true
+				reqs[i].MustSetInner(&shallow)
 			case *roachpb.ConditionalPutRequest:
-				t.Blind = true
+				shallow := *t
+				shallow.Blind = true
+				reqs[i].MustSetInner(&shallow)
 			default:
 				log.Fatalf(context.TODO(), "unexpected non-put request: %s", t)
 			}
 		}
 	}
+	return reqs
 }
 
-// TODO(tschottdorf): Reliance on mutating `ba.Txn` should be dealt with.
 func (r *Replica) executeBatch(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	idKey storagebase.CmdIDKey,
@@ -3437,7 +3449,7 @@ func (r *Replica) executeBatch(
 
 	// Optimize any contiguous sequences of put and conditional put ops.
 	if len(ba.Requests) >= optimizePutThreshold {
-		optimizePuts(batch, ba.Requests, ba.Header.DistinctSpans)
+		ba.Requests = optimizePuts(batch, ba.Requests, ba.Header.DistinctSpans)
 	}
 
 	// Update the node clock with the serviced request. This maintains a high
@@ -3450,6 +3462,14 @@ func (r *Replica) executeBatch(
 		return nil, ProposalData{}, roachpb.NewErrorWithTxn(err, ba.Header.Txn)
 	}
 
+	// Create a shallow clone of the transaction. We only modify a few
+	// non-pointer fields (BatchIndex, WriteTooOld, Timestamp), so this saves
+	// a few allocs.
+	if ba.Txn != nil {
+		txnShallow := *ba.Txn
+		ba.Txn = &txnShallow
+	}
+
 	var pd ProposalData
 	for index, union := range ba.Requests {
 		// Execute the command.
diff --git a/pkg/storage/replica_test.go b/pkg/storage/replica_test.go
index 569b73b31ef2..5e3bc0b6305a 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/replica_test.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/replica_test.go
@@ -1501,7 +1501,24 @@ func TestOptimizePuts(t *testing.T) {
 		for _, r := range c.reqs {
 			batch.Add(r)
 		}
-		optimizePuts(tc.engine, batch.Requests, false)
+		// Make a deep clone of the requests slice. We need a deep clone
+		// because the regression which is prevented here changed data on the
+		// individual requests, and not the slice.
+		goldenRequests := append([]roachpb.RequestUnion(nil), batch.Requests...)
+		for i := range goldenRequests {
+			clone := protoutil.Clone(goldenRequests[i].GetInner()).(roachpb.Request)
+			goldenRequests[i].MustSetInner(clone)
+		}
+		// Save the original slice, allowing us to assert that it doesn't
+		// change when it is passed to optimizePuts.
+		oldRequests := batch.Requests
+		batch.Requests = optimizePuts(tc.engine, batch.Requests, false)
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(goldenRequests, oldRequests) {
+			t.Fatalf("%d: optimizePuts mutated the original request slice: %s",
+				i, pretty.Diff(goldenRequests, oldRequests),
+			)
+		}
+
 		blind := []bool{}
 		for _, r := range batch.Requests {
 			switch t := r.GetInner().(type) {
@@ -6301,3 +6318,37 @@ func TestReplicaTimestampCacheBumpNotLost(t *testing.T) {
 		)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestReplicaEvaluationNotTxnMutation(t *testing.T) {
+	defer leaktest.AfterTest(t)()
+
+	tc := testContext{}
+	tc.Start(t)
+	defer tc.Stop()
+
+	ctx := tc.rng.AnnotateCtx(context.TODO())
+	key := keys.LocalMax
+
+	txn := newTransaction("test", key, 1, enginepb.SERIALIZABLE, tc.Clock())
+	origTxn := txn.Clone()
+
+	var ba roachpb.BatchRequest
+	ba.Txn = txn
+	ba.Timestamp = txn.Timestamp
+	txnPut := putArgs(key, []byte("foo"))
+	// Add two puts (the second one gets BatchIndex 1, which was a failure mode
+	// observed when this test was written and the failure fixed). Originally
+	// observed in #10137, where this became relevant (before that, evaluation
+	// happened downstream of Raft, so a serialization pass always took place).
+	ba.Add(&txnPut)
+	ba.Add(&txnPut)
+
+	batch, _, _, _, pErr := tc.rng.executeWriteBatch(ctx, makeIDKey(), ba)
+	defer batch.Close()
+	if pErr != nil {
+		t.Fatal(pErr)
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(&origTxn, txn) {
+		t.Fatalf("transaction was mutated during evaluation: %s", pretty.Diff(&origTxn, txn))
+	}
+}