The 2025 trade deadline will be on Thursday, July 31st at 6pm Eastern/5pm Central. Joel Sherman of The New York Post was among those to relay the decision. That’s a slight change from last year’s deadline, which was July 30.
Traditionally, the trade deadline had always been on July 31. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, the commissioner can choose a date between July 28 and August 3 for the deadline. This is mostly so that the league can avoid having the deadline occur when games are going on and players have to be removed in a “hug watch” scenario. If the deadline were to fall on a weekend, when there are many games all throughout the day, the chances of a player being dealt during an ongoing game would be higher.
The league has usually opted for a weekday with a lighter schedule. It was on August 1st in 2023 and July 30 last year, both of those dates being Tuesdays. This year, as mentioned, July 31st is a Thursday. There are only three games on the schedule for that date.
Ok
*Blog devoted to covering trade rumors announces official date when the most trade rumors will be flying*
– Voluntary readers of that blog: “Booooo what is this?”
Ok
Ok
Odd. A Thursday is going to have day games. Make it that Friday.
6 teams play Thursday, all 30 on Friday. They don’t want a “hug watch” type thing
It specifically pointed out the day games. The deadline is 6 PM ET. No one is playing at that time on a Friday.
There are 2 day games scheduled on Friday and only 1 day game on Thursday.
There is a single day game on that Thursday, which incidentally enough, is actually fewer than there are on that Friday
I always assume it’s going to be around that time, so not really a shocker.
When are we going to allow draft picks to be traded? I’m not as concerned about one day as about that long overdue change.
Draft picks have never needed to be traded, since almost all draft picks take over a year at minimum to reach the Majors.
Because with no salary cap, MLB is concerned teams like the As would always trade their pick to the Yankees and Dodgers instead of re-rebuilding. Of course, it could work the other way as well.
That’s pretty easy to prevent though. MLB could allow draft picks to be traded but with conditions. Such as: Back to back rounds can’t be traded. The same round can’t be traded in back to back years.
This way, a team can’t trade 2025 first and second round picks. They have to use one. A team also couldn’t trade 2025 and 2026 first round picks.
Trading picks makes trading players easier. MLB is stuck in the mud about it.
agreed- there are solutions to make the process better. I was only reiterating the current reasoning.
MLB owners have been adamant about this rule. I believe it’s only been amending 2 or 3 times in 60 years of the rule. Now you can trade competitive balance picks, and you now can trade a pick after the WS.
I always like the “hug watch”.
I do too. One of the more memorable games of the past decade that I watched was a random Tigers/White Sox game I saw on WGN in 2014. That day was the day David Price was traded from the Rays to the Tigers. Part of the outgoing package was Austin Jackson going to the Mariners in a 3 way. I still remember him coming off the field and receiving the ovation from the crowd that knew he was leaving. I am not a Tigers fan, but I am not ashamed to admit that game left me a little bit misty.
Why would anyone want to take that away?
Or the Bauer trade from the Reds where we were still hearing different pieces involved in the trade and a brawl broke out and everyone was trying to figure out who was traded, who was suspended and if anyone was hurt.
hiflew: I agree that it’s fun for the fans, but it’s better for players to deal with their trade however they want to in private, without hundreds of thousands of people at the stadium + TV watching them saying final goodbyes
I get that, but honestly the game I described was probably one of the biggest ovations Austin Jackson ever received in his career. He was a good player, but not really a superstar. He looked really touched. I just don’t see how getting a nice send off is bad for anyone.
Even better, when the team they are traded to is in the opposing dugout.
In 2019 when Jazz was traded from Arizona to Miami or from Jackson to Jacksonville he wasn’t traded from 1 dugout to the other, he actually stayed in the same dugout. The day he got traded Jackson was playing in Biloxi and the next day Jacksonville started a series at Biloxi.
Sucks for the players, but Hug Watch was always pretty captivating for the viewers..
One of the few good decisions from Manfred!
Just like the swallows returning is an annual holiday in Capistrano, here in Pittsburgh, well, trade deadline day is an annual tradition to see just how many Pirates can be shipped off. Cookouts and fireworks. Thanks MLB, for the advanced notice
Could be worse. At least you get to imagine the future with the prospects you acquire that day. We Rockies fans just get to wonder why losing a guy for nothing in November is better than losing him for prospects in July.
The Pirates were buyers at last year’s trade deadline.
Makes sense as every team plays Friday through Sunday. Guys will have time to join their new teams in time for the weekend.
Get rid of the deadline and if we need a deadline, it should be near the middle of September. This would better reflect real competitive conditions, allowing smart front offices to adjust without the artificial pressure of a single, arbitrary date.
More expected nonsense from Old York.
@MLB Fanatic
“Old York” or not, let’s talk economics and game theory. A September trade deadline isn’t just about ‘helping contenders’—it’s about unlocking real asset value that the current deadline artificially suppresses.
Right now, the trade deadline forces teams to make decisions with incomplete information. On July 31, teams think they’re contenders or sellers, but by mid-September, reality hits—some “buyers” crash, some “sellers” unexpectedly surge, and injuries create new market demands. A later deadline would:
Increase asset liquidity—more teams would participate because they know their true standing.
Prevent sunk-cost fallacy—teams wouldn’t overcommit in July only to realize by September they made the wrong bet.
Enhance competitive integrity—weaker teams wouldn’t be stuck playing out the string with no way to improve long-term.
Boost MLB’s engagement metrics—imagine the playoff race plus an active trade market in September. The league wins financially.
The current deadline is an arbitrary vestige of the past. Moving it later better reflects real competition and asset valuation, which any smart front office (or investor) should want.
Trade deadlines need to be roughly half way before season ends so some team can’t load up before playoffs. A September trade deadline is ridiculous. You prob are in a fantasy football league that allows trades a week before the Super Bowl.
No. It’s strips away competitive balance.
What’s to prevent a team like the Dodgers, Yankees, or Mets from acquiring in the last weeks in September a Kyle Tucker, Schwarber, Realmuto, Guerrero, Jr., Bregman, Cease, etc. once their respective teams drop out of the Wild Card race? How is that fair to lesser market teams intending to compete in the playoffs which don’t have the payroll room and want to retain their prospects and international pool money?
I do not follow your logic as that would be terrible for the game.
Seriously? Did you read my comment?? If you can trade players in September it would be a joke. Imagine the Yankees trading Judge in September to the Phillies in a crazy trade cause they want to dump salary cause they lost their last 10 game and won’t make the playoffs. You can’t load up your roster at the end of the season. That’s why every league has a trade deadline. Not a “let’s make trades right before season ends to help our playoff odds” with a handful of games left.
Agree, but I’d make it Sept 1.
I was always a fan of the trade waiver deadline of August 31. It was strategic moves and the waiver wire could block trades in a competitor nature. Every GM was forced to make calculated moves in player, contracts and potential playoff run.
It was a bad move to delete the waiver deadline. Always a gamble to try and sneak a player through hoping he wouldn’t be claimed to trade him. Waiver deadline needs to be brought back.
Failing that, the trade deadline should be moved to August. Last Thursday of August perhaps? Gives teams most of the season to really know where they are for the final 30-40 game push.
Always thought it should be August 31 personally. The day you have to be on a team to be eligible for the offseason roster.
OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS HUGE OH MY!!!
$20 4-legged parlay who wants it?
1 – Qwerky OVER 12.5 page refreshes 7/31
2 – Qwerky OVER 1.5 comments 7/31
3 – Qwerky UNDER 0.5 sarcastic comments 7/31
Literally a blog about MLB trades and people are upset that they post when most of those trades are going to happen!
It’s a joke bro
I wonder if they’ll be a front news trade.
This helps me pace my angst at Twins for doing nothing
It should always be on July 31.
Deadline games include:
Tampa at Yankees
Atlanta at Cincinnati
Texas at Seattle
Could all be buyers and, if anyone do sell, they’ll have big pieces available. But Tampa vs NYY is the only one before the deadline is officially up.
Yeah, but those games will all likely be scheduled for after the 6PM deadline, So it may be the same day, but it won’t be during the game.
The Rays/Yankees game is currently scheduled for 2pm Eastern time on deadline day
They will probably change the time now that the deadline is official.