Waiver Trade Candidates: American League

It's a joke even putting Jeter on this list, in no way is he a waiver trade candidate. There are a few other ridiculous names on there as well but he is the most outrageous.

How does a NTC affect a waiver claim? For example, lets say Mora gets claimed and Os decide to just dump his contract, does Mora have to sign off on that first or does he have no say?

Why would teams that just traded to acquire players (Pudge, NYY; Griffey Jr., CHW; etc.) turn around and put them on waivers just days or weeks later? Griff I guess makes a little sense as there's a log jam in their OF, but Pudge ain't leaving. I'm not asking to be a dick, I'm actually not really sure about the answer. And if you have a few examples of when it's happened in the past that would be appreciated.

Two guys who could get claimed and traded in August: Alan Embree and Bobby Crosby. Both just valuable enough that a team might claim them, but bad/expensive enough that the A's won't want them. As for possible suitors: LAD and Philly?

Would anyone actually want Wells? I find it hard to believe with his contract and how he's producing anyone would touch him. Also Rolens shoulder is hurt, so I doubt anyone would consider him as well.

Most GMs view the waiver wire deals as a chance to prune the salary budget before the winter hot stove gets started, little more.

Here is an idea for an ambitious post from Tim or some other contributor, would require alot of work but would be really interesting. Top X waiver wire trades of recent years, in terms of the prospects the dealing team got in exchange.

For example, Jose Ceda was the player the Cubs received in a waiver wire trade for Todd "Disgusted Bat Flip" Walker--Ceda is now the Cubs' top relief pitcher prospect. Surely there are other even more interesting examples.

tdischino,

thanks for the redirect to the post, that is very helpful and i've seen it in the past, but actually, my lack of understanding isn't with how waiver trades work, but rather the mentality behind trading to acquire a player and then turning around and putting that player on waivers (especially guys of the caliber of a Pudge or Griff Jr.), as this post suggests could happen with Ivan Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. I thought that several recent examples could help out.

vignette: Agreed on Embree and Crosby. They make enough to be unwanted, but could be useful for a contending team. I could easily see Crosby going to the Dodgers.

I would be shocked to see a waiver deal be made for Eric Chavez, but it can happen.

derek jeter will never be traded

Just putting my energy into the universe: please let Huff clear waivers.

Let's see if that Secret crap works.

i know Chavez wouldnt get moved but now he is sittin out the rest of season

Wow, this post serves as a pretty good test of who can read and who can't.

Does anyone think Toronto's Scott Downs would clear waivers? He's owed about $7 million through the end of 2010. I'd love to see his left arm in the Phillies' pen.

embree and crosby to the redsox for lars anderson or lowrie. any chance. embree might have value in that he is a free agnet and will net picks. crosby gives the sox more pop and would be an upgrade from lugo and lowrie. I also wonder if beane would work some magic and get some top prospects in this deal by taking on lugo's contract.

In response to thegoods24:

Why in the world would the Sox trade their #2 & 4 prospects for a MARGINAL upgrade at SS and a guy they cut a few years ago. Embree is probably not an upgrade over Lopez, as much as that makes me want to puke. That deal is even more ridiculous than Scott Downs getting through waivers unclaimed.

Remember people-- you don't have to actually "clear" waivers to get dealt. A lot of these guys have value and would be claimed. The dumping team has the option to pull the player back, off waivers.

That's where deals can get done--a team claims a player, the original team calls them up and says we're pulling them back, but you can have them in exchange for X or Y or Z prospect...

The pecking order favors the player's native league. So I believe for an AL player, that the w-l records, worst to best, get first dibs. Then the same process starts for the National league. So for that AL player, say, the Angels would get higher priority than the worst NL team.

I'd love the Rays to trade Gomes for Winn. But the giants have no use for him -- he's awful in the field and isn't even a league-average hitter any more.

If the Mariners put Beltre on waivers, there should be a ton of teams that claim him. $12MM is actually a good deal for him these days.