Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

Steve Adams

• Good afternoon! I'll get going at 3pm CT, but feel free to start firing questions off ahead of time, if you are so inclined!
• Greetings! Plenty to discuss post-deadline, so let's get after it.

Jon D

• If I understand the post-deadline rules, minor leaguers can still be traded, yes? If so, I think the Red Sox need to get Trey Mancini from the D-Backs. I think this can still be done and he could (hopefully) help fill a hole at 1B that Breslow couldn't address. Thoughts?

Steve Adams

• Ran through post-deadline acquisition rules here over the weekend:
  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/how-to-acquire-players-after-th...Some, not all minor leaguers can be traded. Any player who's on a minor league contract that has not been selected to the majors this season is eligible. He can only be traded for cash, a PTBNL or other minor leaguers who've not had their contracts selected to a major league roster. The PTBNL cannot be someone on a 40-man roster or someone else who's been previously on a big league roster.

  There are some oddball exceptions. Cavan Biggio was traded last September because he'd been released from his prior major league contract (not had that contract outrighted) and signed a new minor league deal with the Giants, for instance.

• But by and large, you can cross off the idea of trading for the vast majority of players who've appeared on a major league roster or injured list all season.
• Mancini is eligible to be traded, though if the Red Sox felt he was a prominent upgrade to their first base situation, they could've already acquired him from the D-backs for a song. Arizona isn't going to give Mancini much of a look (if any look at all) -- not after acquiring Tyler Locklear to play 1B going forward.

Duffy Scliff

• Will the Royals pick up Salvy’s player option at season’s end? And should they?

Steve Adams

• It's a club option, not a player (or else it'd be Perez's call, not the team's!)Semantics aside, I expect they will. Perez is a franchise icon at this point, and while his seasonlong numbers aren't great, he's hitting .290/.339/.584 over his past 250 plate appearances. That's 48% better than league-average.

  It's a $13.5MM club option with a $2MM buyout, so it's really only a net $11.5MM decision for Kansas City. I'd be surprised if they bought him out.

Jim

• If you were the A's, what off-season moves would you make with an eye toward contending in the postseason in 2026?

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