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The non-waiver trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, but MLB teams can continue making deals until August 31st.  What kind of trades can we expect in August?  Of course, last year brought us the massive blockbuster between the Dodgers and Red Sox that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, and Nick Punto to L.A. and brought James Loney, Ivan De Jesus, Allen Webster, and two players to be named later who became Rubby De La Rosa and Jerry Sands.  Let's take a look back at the rest of last August's notable deals using MLBTR's Transaction Tracker to get an idea of what might be in store..

• Nationals acquire Kurt Suzuki
• Dodgers acquire Joe Blanton
• Tigers acquire Jeff Baker (later DFA'd and traded to the Braves at the end of the month)
• Red Sox acquire Danny Valencia
• Orioles acquire J.C. Romero
• Mets acquire Kelly Shoppach
• A's acquire Stephen Drew
• Diamondbacks acquire Matt Lindstrom
• Yankees acquire Steve Pearce
• Orioles acquire Joe Saunders
• Rays acquire Ben Francisco

I'm putting my fantasy baseball reputation on the line for the second week in a row. DraftStreet is offering $2000 in cash prizes for an exclusive "beat the expert" MLBTR/DraftStreet league using Friday night's MLB games. The entry fee is $11, but DraftStreet is raising the pressure on me (Tim Dierkes) by offering $5 back to anyone who beats my team, separate from the regular prize pool.  Last week's 200 slots filled quickly, so we brought back another.

Pick one player from each of eight tiers. You'll be competing based on the stats your eight players accumulate in Friday night's games. There are only 200 slots in this league, so sign up early.  Tier one starter Jose Fernandez was an easy call for me, as he's been quietly dominant.  One mistake I made last week was taking Jose Bautista over Jose Reyes; Reyes seems more of a multi-category contributor.  You can see a screenshot of my team in the making below.

Be sure to sign up as soon as possible, before the 200 slots are all taken quickly again. DraftStreet has raised the stakes by challenging you to beat me; are you up to it?

This is a sponsored post from DraftStreet.

After one of the slower non-waiver trade deadlines in recent history, we're into August, which doesn't mean that trades are off the table. Teams can still conduct trades in August, but they're more complicated. Here's a rundown of how August trades work…

• Teams have to pass players through revocable waivers to trade them after the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. Those revocable waivers last 47 hours.
• Players who go unclaimed after those 47 hours are eligible to be traded to any team for the rest of the season.
• A team has three options if one of its players is claimed off revocable waivers. That team can either pull the player back without penalty, work out a trade with the claiming team, or simply hand the player and his salary over for nothing. Recent examples of this include the White Sox's acquisition of Alex Rios and the Giants' acquisition of Cody Ross.
• Teams will often put most of their players on waivers to determine interest. There's no risk in doing so, as they don't have to actually give up a player that is claimed by another team.
• Regardless of the day of the week (Saturday and Sunday are treated as normal days), clubs have two days (48.5 hours) to deal claimed players. They can only negotiate a trade with the team that was awarded the claim on that player.
• 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 the same league with the worst record.
• If a player is only claimed by teams in the other league, he can only be dealt to the claiming team with the worst record.
• If a team places a player on waivers a second time after pulling him back, the waivers are no longer revocable. A claiming team would be awarded the player at that point. Obviously, the risk in placing a player on waivers a second time is significant.
• Teams cannot pass players on the disabled list through waivers. If a player is placed on waivers and then placed on the disabled list the next day, his team must cancel the waiver request.
• Players acquired after August 31st can't play in the postseason.

There are a few factors that could make this August (and future Augusts) more active on the trade front. The addition of a second Wild Card seems to have made teams less inclined to sell in July. Teams that may have sold in recent years have instead stayed the course and chosen to stand pat, likely with a hope of an August winning streak to push them into contention for one of the newly created playoff spots.

Additionally, the fact that the new CBA prevents teams from receiving draft pick compensation for rental players has made trades more difficult to work out. The CBA states that only players who are with their team for the entire season can receive qualifying offers at season's end. Teams are even more hesitant to part with top prospects for rentals now, as compensatory draft picks no longer soften the blow of dealing premium minor league talent. Because fewer impact players were on the move in July, more teams may be looking to make incremental (or in some cases, major) upgrades in August.

For proof that significant trades are likely still on the horizon, look no further than 2012. Last year, one of the largest trades of the past decade occurred on August 25 when the Red Sox traded Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto to the Dodgers for James Loney, Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa, Jerry Sands and Ivan De Jesus.

This post is based on an MLBTR post that was originally published by Ben Nicholson-Smith on June 25, 2009. Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts and this article by ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.

If you're a regular MLBTR reader, you'll be familiar with our chats, Week In Review posts and Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature. Here's some more detail on when you'll see our weekly features and exactly what to expect from them:

• MLBTR Chats - Join Tim Dierkes every Tuesday at 2pm CDT to chat about the latest trades, signings and rumblings around the Major Leagues.
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• Week In Review - It's remarkable how much happens in seven days. Every Sunday night, MLBTR summarizes the week's biggest stories in our Week In Review posts.
• MLBTR Originals - Edward Creech gathers all our original analysis and reporting in one place every Sunday night.

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I'm putting my fantasy baseball reputation on the line. DraftStreet is offering $2000 in cash prizes for an exclusive "beat the expert" MLBTR/DraftStreet league using Friday night's MLB games. The entry fee is $11, but DraftStreet is raising the pressure on me (Tim Dierkes) by offering $5 back to anyone who beats my team, separate from the regular prize pool.

Pick one player from each of eight tiers. You'll be competing based on the stats your eight players accumulate in Friday night's games. There are only 200 slots in this league, so sign up early. I decided to avoid a prominent trade candidate in tier eight in Alex Rios, instead taking Adrian Gonzalez. And although tier two starter Corey Kluber has posted three straight strong outings, I decided to take a pass given his recent hip issue. You can see a screenshot of my team in the making below.

Be sure to sign up as soon as possible, before the 200 slots are all taken. DraftStreet has raised the stakes by challenging you to beat me; are you up to it?

This is a sponsored post from DraftStreet.

Are you looking to advertise to 18 to 34-year-old males?  MLB Trade Rumors reaches tons of them this time of year (no disrespect to our many readers falling outside that demographic).  Last year, MLBTR had 5,956,590 pageviews and 895,264 unique visitors over the final two days of July, and should be in the same range in 2013. 

Our advertising packages include banner ads, sponsored Tweets, and sponsored posts, and begin at $250.  Email Tim Dierkes at mlbtradvertising@gmail.com if you're interested in learning more!

Players can be traded while on the disabled list, but it rarely happens.  Teams rarely want to acquire an injured player, especially if they're just renting a veteran.  Here are some injured players to watch this month and in August:

• Tommy Hanson, Angels: Hanson should be activated tomorrow after a right forearm strain.  He'd a non-tender candidate in the offseason.
• Ryan Madson, Angels: Madson still hasn't pitched in a big league game since 2011, after complications following Tommy John surgery.  Still, if he looks like the Madson of old on a rehab assignment, he could be a stealthy pickup for a contender next month.
• Jason Vargas, Angels: He had surgery to remove a blood clot and may be back in August.  He could certainly be moved then.
• Aramis Ramirez, Brewers: His knee injury is likely to keep him out until August, but his salary should allow him to clear waivers.
• David DeJesus, Cubs: DeJesus should return this week from a shoulder strain.  He could be moved, but the Cubs do have a club option for 2014.
• Ryan Sweeney, Cubs: Recovering from a rib fracture, Sweeney can't come off the 60-day DL until late August.  The Cubs may prefer to try to re-sign him.
• Franklin Gutierrez, Mariners: The oft-injured center fielder is currently on a rehab assignment, trying to shake a hamstring injury.  The team may not intend to exercise his 2014 club option.
• Mike Morse, Mariners: He may begin a minor league rehab assignment this week as he comes back from a quad strain.  He'd probably be claimed on waivers in August, but could still be dealt.
• Frank Francisco, Mets: Remember him?  Francisco's last minor league rehab appearance came a week ago.  If he gets his elbow right, the Mets could move him in August.
• Jason Marquis, Padres: With a recent right elbow strain, Marquis is an August trade candidate if anything.
• Roy Halladay, Phillies: Halladay, recovering from shoulder surgery, threw a bullpen session recently.  He'd clear waivers in August if the Phillies want to move him, but he'd have to show big league readiness first.  
• Josh Willingham, Twins: Willingham should return next month from a knee injury.  His offensive production has been way down this year, but he is cheap enough to be claimed on waivers in August.
• Jesse Crain, White Sox: He could be back this month from a shoulder strain, and the impending free agent will be well-scouted if so.
• Tim Byrdak, Mets: He's made a dozen minor league appearances on a rehab assignment following September shoulder surgery.  

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The booming business of baseball has led to some agents becoming household names on a par with the players that they represent.  While the larger agencies unquestionably have their advantages and operate on a large scale for a reason, many players opt to sign with agents that have a smaller stable of clients.  Burton Rocks, an accomplished author turned agent, knows what it's like to be represented by a big agency and aims to give his clients many of the same benefits with a more personal feel.

"I had the big agency experience in a different field and I convey to my players that the most important part of it all is understanding a client's real desires.  In the end, the players who are stable and want a long career, they really want stability in temperament, in the way you behave, and the way that you interact with people," Rocks explained.  "I've built a Rolodex of contacts with Major League executives and it has worked to my advantage in benefit of the doubt situations."

Understanding a player's goals comes in part from a personal relationship between the player and the agent.  In conversations with multiple agents with smaller offices, the case often was made that it is easier to build that type of rapport with a client when there's more time and attention that can be spent on each individual.  Jim Munsey of Munsey Sports Management, who represents Sean Burnett, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and others, understands that concept may be cliche, but he says that he finds it to be very true from his own personal experience.  

In the case of Alex Esteban, who represents Yuniesky Betancourt and others at Miami Sports Management, he believes the cozier nature of his firm allows for him to be highly detail-oriented in a way the bigger fish might not be.  Betancourt is one of his primary clients and he joined up with MSM after several stops around the big leagues, including his most recent tour of Kansas City where there was a public rift between him and manager Ned Yost.  Esteban says his client was portrayed as a clubhouse disruption, an image that couldn't be further from the truth for a guy he believes is a tremendously positive influence in the locker room.  To avoid a repeat when the infielder signed with Milwaukee, Esteban hatched a plan to help endear him to fans that he says most agencies out there wouldn't consider.

"We wanted to find the perfect walk-up music for Yuni.  Basically we did a market study of Milwaukee and their fan demographic and from there, we looked at what types of music that demographic would respond to.  We basically had a list of songs together and according to that we wanted to focus on a song that would kind of create a positive fan response.  We wound up with "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark [and the Funky Bunch]…Soon after there was an article when Yuni was playing well and the whole thing was about the 'good vibrations' he was bringing to the team."

"I think the misconception about larger agencies is that they're a one-stop shop and I think a lot of smaller agencies, people say, don't have that capability.  But I would argue differently. because we can focus on something as small as a player's walk-up music," Esteban said.

Signing with a power agency often means there are people in-house to handle taxes, make investments, book vacations, and hunt down lucrative endorsement deals.  That level of convenience is a massive draw, but smaller agencies can often find ways to make those connections happen.  Rocks draws off of a deep Rolodex of people with whom he has networked over the years from his time in baseball and in the literary world.  Munsey has a similar list of trusted people who specialize in those areas and argues that a player is better off working with someone whose specific expertise lies in, say, accounting or the stock market, while he and his colleagues zero in exclusively on baseball matters.

Munsey has built a strong list of clients over the years with that pitch, along with his vast knowledge of the business of baseball and friendly demeanor.  He signed Saltalamacchia and Burnett as 17-year-olds getting prepared for the MLB Draft and both players eventually blossomed into MLB notables.  The pitch of a small agency will work in some situations but fall flat in others.  Munsey recounted his attempt years ago to represent fellow New Hampshirite Jeff Locke, only to see him sign with ACES.  While Munsey made a strong impression on the the left-hander and his family, ACES was able to boast a lengthy client list full of All-Stars, and that ultimately made the difference in a close call.

While there is a shared loyalty between Munsey and his players, he says it hasn't stopped larger agencies from going after his clients in the past.  To help tackle the problem head on, he's now a part of an oversight committee that features fellow agents Alan Nero and Casey Close.  In Munsey's estimation, the problem of player poaching has improved in recent years and that's something he attributes to the new MLBPA regime led by Michael Weiner.

"The old administration didn't seem to care.  [Weiner], who I can't give enough credit to, he is one of the smartest guys I ever met, he got it," Munsey said.  "If a guy has been in the big leagues for a year, another agent can come along and tell him that he can get a guaranteed $20MM when you and I know that if he goes year-to-year, he'll be getting $25-40MM…The problem is, that hurts the market tremendously and hurts the greater good and Weiner was the only guy to understand that."

One could make the case that a player's choice between small agencies and large ones comes down to a matter of comfort and not dollars and cents.  Jim McDowell, who represents big leaguers such as Casey Janssen and Travis Ishikawa, believes the playing field is more or less level in 2013.  

"From a contract negotiation standpoint, a couple factors serving as 'equalizers' these days are the incredible amount of readily accessible information available for all agents (for which MLBTradeRumors should be among those taking a bow), as well as the Players Association's involvement in most significant contract scenarios," McDowell wrote in an email. "Any agent that denies the significance of the Players Association's contribution to this business is full of it."

Just like there are small and big market teams in the game of baseball itself, there will always be agencies with more money and resources at their disposal than others.  And those smaller agencies will always have a market, as some players will prefer what they feel is a more personalized experience.