How To Acquire Players After The MLB Trade Deadline

It still wasn’t that long ago that MLBTR kicked off by reminding longtime MLB fans (or explaining to new fans) how the dizzying rules regarding August trade waivers worked. It was a convoluted process — one that saw nearly every player in the league placed on revocable trade waivers at some point (heavy emphasis on “revocable”) — but one that front offices increasingly used as creative means to pull off significant acquisitions after the supposed “deadline.”

In reality, under the old rules, the first “trade deadline” was never the actual deadline — it just wasn’t as catchy to use the full term, “non-waiver trade deadline.” As time progressed, the month of August increasingly served as a means of swapping out higher-priced talents in waiver trades that were still quite noteworthy. If you’re seeing Justin Verlander, Andrew McCutchen, Josh Donaldson and others change hands in late August, just before the deadline for postseason eligibility — was the non-waiver deadline really a trade “deadline” at all? Not so much.

Back in 2019, Major League Baseball opted to quash the ever-growing process of August roster reconstruction. The league put an end to waiver trades that often served as a means of teams hitting the “eject” button on notable contracts and saw larger-payroll clubs take on those deals simply because they possessed the financial wherewithal to do so. MLB implemented a more concrete “true” trade deadline that prohibited players on Major League contracts — or any who were on a Major League contract but had been outrighted — from being traded after the deadline.

Does that mean teams can no longer acquire new players or address injuries as they arise? No, but their avenues to do so are substantially narrower. Here’s a look at how Major League front offices can still augment their roster now that the “true” trade deadline has passed:

1. Trades!

Wait, what? I thought we just–

Yes, we did. But it turns out that the “true” trade deadline is really only the “true” trade deadline for Major League players! Fun how that works, right? In all likelihood, you’ll still see several players change hands this month, they just won’t be very exciting. But, veterans who’ve been playing the entire season on a minor league contract and haven’t at any point had that contract selected to the 40-man roster or been on the Major League injured list are still fair game to be traded.

Will you see any huge, blockbuster names flipped? Of course not — but there are still some recognizable names eligible to be traded. Among the position players in Triple-A who have been enjoying above-average production are Christian Arroyo (Phillies), Ben Gamel (Angels), Yonny Hernandez (Mets) and Trey Mancini (D-backs) — just to name a few. It’s obviously not a star-studded collection of talent, but it’s feasible enough that a team could get some big league value from someone in this group (or from one of the numerous other former big leaguers who has yet to appear on a 40-man roster).

Those are just some of the former big leaguers who are eligible to be traded, so long as any player(s) going back the other way have also not been on a 40-man roster or Major League injured list. It’s common for August deals to be simple cash swaps, as well.

There were a handful of post-deadline swaps in 2024, though the majority of them involved minor leaguers who didn’t reach the majors. That wasn’t true across the board, however. Right-hander David Buchanan went from the Phillies to the Reds in exchange for cash. He wound up pitching a tiny sample of 3 1/3 innings in Cincinnati. On Aug. 31, the Braves traded Yuli Gurriel to the Royals, who immediately selected his contract and plugged him onto the roster. Gurriel appeared in 18 games for K.C. and slashed .241/.338/.296 in 65 regular season plate appearances; he made their playoff roster.

The most interesting post-deadline deal in 2024 actually came even beyond August. The Braves acquired utilityman Cavan Biggio from the Giants in exchange for cash. It was a surprising move, if only because Biggio actually had appeared in the majors that season. While many — MLBTR included — were of the belief that under the current rule setup, that prevented him from being traded, that wasn’t technically the case.

Biggio had been on a 40-man roster but had been designated for assignment by the Dodgers and released. Upon clearing release waivers, he signed a new minor league deal with San Francisco. Since that new minor league contract had not been selected to the roster at any point in the season — and was not a major league contract that had been passed through waivers and then assigned outright to a minor league affiliate — he again met the criteria to be traded. In theory, that makes any player who is released and signed to a minor league deal with a new organization eligible to be traded post-deadline.

Just to speculate a bit — and we haven’t seen this in the past, but it’s technically possible  — teams can engineer minor league trades, so long as the players involved have not been on the 40-man roster at any point in a given season. It’s doubtful we’ll see any top prospects change hands in this regard, but it’s not expressly forbidden, either.

And, just to rain on your parade, no — teams cannot game the system using players to be named later. The rules pertaining to the “true” trade deadline made sure to include the following language:

“The Commissioner’s Office will prohibit any transaction (or series of transactions) that, in the judgment of the Commissioner’s Office, appears (or appear) designed to circumvent the prohibitions of Rule 9(b).”

Nice try, folks, but don’t get your hopes up.

Just remember, anyone acquired after Aug. 31 isn’t postseason-eligible with his new club, so minor swaps of any relative note will likely take place before the calendar flips to September.

It won’t lead to any exciting trades, but we’ll likely still see some trades this month. You’ll just have to wait until the offseason for the chatter on Sandy Alcantara, Mitch Keller, Joe Ryan, Pete Fairbanks, Jarren Duran and others.

2. Outright and Release Waivers

Revocable trade waivers are no longer a thing, but regular old outright waivers and release waivers are alive and well. Any time a player is designated for assignment now, the team’s only recourse will be to place him on outright waivers or release waivers. At that point, the other 29 teams will have the opportunity to claim that player … and the entirety of his remaining contract.

Of course, a team doesn’t need to announce a DFA or even announce that a player has been put on waivers. It’s fairly common for a team to just announce that a player cleared waivers and was outrighted to a minor league affiliate without ever publicly declaring a DFA. Players who are placed on outright waivers without being designated for assignment can continue to play in their team’s games. And, if a player clears waivers, he does not necessarily need to be assigned outright to a minor league affiliate. He can return to the active roster. In that sense, teams can use outright waivers as a means to try to jettison some unwanted money without necessarily committing to cutting the player if no other club bites. The 2021 Pirates did this with Gregory Polanco (granted, before simply designating him for assignment and releasing him a few days later).

An important reminder on waivers now that it’s the primary means of acquiring talent from another organization: waiver priority is determined based on overall record (worst record to best record) and, unlike the now-retired “revocable trade waivers,” is not league-specific. If the Rockies want outfielder Dustin Harris or lefty Bryan Hudson — designated for assignment by the Rangers and Brewers, respectively, following the deadline — they’ll have first crack. Next up would be the White Sox, Nationals, Braves, Pirates and so on — all based on the reserve order of the MLB-wide standings at the time (which is to say… the 28-80 Rockies are going to have first dibs all month long).

Teams who didn’t find sufficient interest in veteran players prior to the trade deadline and thus held onto them could eventually place those players on outright waivers in August, hoping another club will claim said player and simply spare the waiving team some cash. This is likelier to happen late in the month — when there’s less cash owed on those veteran contracts.

In 2023, we saw the Angels undergo a mass sell-off in hopes of dipping under the luxury tax. The Halos placed more than a quarter of their roster on waivers, with Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Matt Moore, Randal Grichuk, C.J. Cron, Hunter Renfroe, Dominic Leone and Tyler Anderson all hitting waivers. Giolito, Lopez, Moore, Renfroe and Leone were all claimed by new teams. Anderson, as with Polanco in ’21, went unclaimed and simply returned to the Angels’ roster. He’s still there two years later.

The 2023 Angels stand as an extreme example, but it’s feasible that a current fringe contender who’s not far over the luxury tax (or who simply wants to save some money) could do so again late this month.

As with any minor league trades, players claimed off waivers will only be postseason-eligible with their new club if claimed before 11:59pm ET on Aug. 31.

3. Sign Free Agents

Same as ever. Anyone who gets released or rejects an outright assignment in favor of free agency will be able to sign with a new team and, so long as the deal is wrapped up prior to Sept. 1, they’ll be postseason-eligible with a new team. It’s certainly feasible that a once-productive veteran enjoys a hot streak with a new club or fills a useful part-time role.

There aren’t many free agents of note still on the market — not after David Robertson signed with the Phillies last month. However, designated hitter J.D. Martinez has reportedly stayed in shape and remained open to signing. The Rangers are said to have made him a minor league offer earlier this summer. A contending club that either incurs an injury this month or simply didn’t find a deadline upgrade to its liking could conceivably roll the dice on Martinez.

The same postseason eligibility date applies to incoming free agents as well. As long as Martinez or any other free-agent additions are with their new organizations prior to Sept. 1 — they do not need to be on the 40-man roster at that point — he could make his way onto a postseason roster.

4. Scour the Independent Leagues

Roll your eyes all you want, but the Atlantic League, Frontier League and American Association (among other indie circuits) are all teeming with former big leaguers. Need a speedy fourth outfielder who can provide some late-game defense and baserunning during September roster expansion? A platoon bat off the bench? An extra southpaw to stash in the bullpen? There will be experienced names to consider.

Look up and down the Atlantic League leaderboards and you’ll find former big leaguers like Kyle Barraclough, Phillip Diehl, Dalton Guthrie and even Pablo Sandoval still rolling along. It’s unlikely anyone finds a true impact player on the indie scene, but then again, people cracked jokes when the 2015 Red Sox signed the aforementioned Hill away from the Long Island Ducks as a 35-year-old. He’s earned nearly $80MM and tossed more than 900 innings in the majors since joining the Red Sox under similar circumstances to the ones described here.

5. Look to Foreign Leagues

We don’t often see players return from the KBO, NPB or CPBL to sign with big league clubs midseason, but there’s precedent for it happening. There are also quite a few former big leaguers playing down in the Mexican League, creating another area for front offices to scout as they mine for depth options. Interest won’t be limited solely to former big leaguers, either. In 2022, the Mariners signed lefty Brennan Bernardino after a strong nine-start run in Mexico, watched him dominate through 12 2/3 innings in Triple-A Tacoma, and selected him to the Major League roster by the end of July. He made his MLB debut with Seattle in ’22, was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox earlier in ’23, and now carries a combined 3.47 ERA in 145 1/3 innings for the Red Sox from 2023-25. You never know!