Teams can still deal after the July 31st trade deadline passes. This MLBTR Glossary entry explains how trading in August works:
- Teams have to pass players through revocable waivers to trade them after the July 31st deadline.
- Players acquired after August 31st can't play in the postseason.
- Teams will often put most of their players on waivers to determine interest, since they don't have to give up every player who's claimed.
- Unclaimed players can be traded to any club in August (or even September).
- Teams don't have to trade players who are claimed. They can hand the player and his salary over for nothing.
- If a team places a player on waivers after he is claimed, but not traded, the team loses the right to pull its player back. In other words, the waivers are revocable at first, but not revocable afterwards.
- Clubs have two days (48.5 hours) to deal claimed players, but they can only negotiate a trade with one team. Teams have two days to complete a deal regardless of which day of the week the claim takes place on.
- If only one team claims a player, he can only be dealt to that team.
- If more than one team claims a player, he can only be traded to the claiming team in his league with the worst record.
- If a player's only claimed by teams in the other league, he can only be dealt to the claiming team with the worst record.
- Teams cannot pass players on the disabled list through waivers.
Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts and this article by ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. This post was first published on June 25th, 2009.
What about minor league players? Can they still be traded if no mlb players are involved?
You have to be on the 40 man roster to be subject to waivers.
So say if the braves wanted to swap some prospects at double a with just say the a’s for some prospects at double a they can?
If they are not on the 40-man roster.
You can but the clubs label them as PTBNL (Player to be named later). The two clubs can agree on the player then not announce who the player is until after the World Series when normal trading is allowed again.
It would be funny to see the Astros claiming every player… Trolls!
They’d end up with a $300M payroll of bad contracts. Soriano, Bay, Beckett, Crawford, Wells, etc.
Ben, can you give a scenario where a team would do what your 5th bullet says – giving a player up for nothing? Would that just be a salary dump type thing? I would think they always would get SOMETHING, even in a straight dump (for say, Barry Zito or Vernon Wells).
If I remember correctly, Rod Barajas was given to the Dodgers from the Mets a couple of years ago for nothing. Maybe cash considerations, but I’m not sure. Definitely nothing more than that.
Alex Rios to the White Sox same case.
Here’s a question: If a player has a no-trade clause in his contract or has achieved 10-and-5 status, can he be claimed on waivers and be given outright to the claiming team (like when the Yankees got stuck with Canseco and his contract)?
I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. I’ve been looking and looking and can’t find any mention of it anywhere.
Some “gems” can be found! Cody Ross in 2010 for example.
mr. nicholson-smith,
i have read many, many explanations of this process and there always something missing, something not clear, or something ambiguous in the explanation. this, by far, is the best and clearest and most detailed explanation of the post-july trade process. very well done and thank you
Is there some online site or board that GM’s and offices use to see just “who’s on waivers?”
Yes….its an online system, basicly like the ones we use in fantasy sports
This should give the Phillies another chance to dump Cliff Lee and his $80 something million on the Rangers and Yankees. Lesson to be learned by both Ruben Amaro and Cliff Lee…dont get involved in a bidding war with the Yankees and dont take less money when other teams are offering over $50 milionmore than the team who traded you away and now is placing you on waivers. Ahhh the poison pill comes back to regurgitate the same old names again.
I think its actully over 100 million owed to him over the next 3years. LA wanted to claim him and PHI revoked the waivers
If I were The SF Giants I would be working the phones to acquire Cody Ross and or Carlos Lee, Their offense is absolutely horrible. I would sign Mike Fontenot as a shortstop and ship Brandon Crawford to Fresno (PCL). They need a bull-pen guy and I would acquire Francisco Rodriguez as well as take a shot on Catcher Yorvit Torrealba.
I think that The SF Giants will go after Carlos Lee who can slam the ball and bring in Melky Cabrera, Marco Scutaro, Hunter Pence