This past Tuesday, July 30, was MLB's trade deadline. More than 50 trades were completed in the week leading up the deadline and a few more trades will be completed in the coming weeks. Wait, what? Yes, post-trade deadline trades are a thing. Familiar names like Kole Calhoun, Tyler Naquin, and Sean Newcomb were traded last August.
Trades never actually go away. They are just severely limited after the deadline. There are other ways to acquire players after the trade deadline too. The league can't just say, no, that's it, you're not allowed to add new players after this date. At minimum, teams need to be able to add reinforcements when they're hit by injuries, even just at the minor-league level.
Here is a primer on the different ways teams can still add players after the trade deadline.
Trades
The old August waiver trade system, the one that allowed the Tigers to trade Justin Verlander to the Astros on Aug. 31, 2017, went away in 2019. Under those rules, impactful major-league players could still be traded after the deadline. The current rules significantly limit the pool of tradeable players. These are the players eligible to be traded after the deadline:
- Players signed to a minor-league contract
- Players who have not been on a 40-man roster at any point this season
- Players who have not been on the MLB injured list at any point this season
Last year, Calhoun had spent the entire season in the minors before being acquired by the Guardians on Aug. 4. He spent a few weeks in Triple-A with the Yankees, opted out of his minor-league contract in June, then signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers. Los Angeles traded Calhoun to the Guardians and he hit .217/.282/.376 in 43 MLB games down the stretch.
Among the recognizable names currently in the minors and eligible to be traded in August are righties Kyle Barraclough (Rangers) and Ken Giles (Braves), first baseman Yuli Gurriel (Braves), corner bat Jake Lamb (Pirates), outfielder Jake Marisnick (Angels), right Adrian Sampson (Rangers), and infielder Andrew Velazquez (Braves).
Waivers
Waivers still exist in August and September. Under the old trade waiver system, waivers were revocable, meaning you could pull your player back and keep him even if he got claimed. Now it's regular old outright waivers (used to remove a player from the 40-man roster) and release waivers (used to release a player). They are not revocable. If your player gets claimed, he's gone.
Teams can coordinate waiver claims so they function as a salary dump "trade" this month. "I can't send you anything in return, but I will claim that guy if you put him on waivers, and take his salary." That kind of thing. Last year Harrison Bader, Lucas Giolito, Ramón Laureano, Reynaldo López, and Hunter Renfroe were claimed on waivers in August. The Angels very aggressively waived players.
White Sox righty John Brebbia stands out as an August waiver candidate. He's owed the remainder of his $4M salary this year plus a $1.5 million buyout of next year's $6 million club option. Brebbia has an inflated ERA, but he's striking out close to 30% of the batters he's faced, and has late-inning experience. Not crazy to think a contender could want to add him to their bullpen.
Other August waiver candidates include lefty Scott Alexander (Athletics), righties Buck Farmer (Reds) and Chris Flexen (White Sox), outfielder Kevin Pillar (Angels), and lefty Justin Wilson (Reds). They'll all become free agents after the season and they hit the sweet spot between being useful to a contender while also not having a ton of money remaining on their contracts.
Free agents
Business as usual here. Teams can still sign free agents the same way they can at all other times of the year. The only problem is the free-agent pool is not exactly loaded with talent in August. Notable names on the market right now include lefties Dallas Keuchel and Rich Hill, catcher Martín Maldonado, slugger Miguel Sanó, and first baseman Jared Walsh. These players are freely available and can sign at any time.
Postseason roster eligibility deadline
There is one important deadline to keep in mind as teams plot post-deadline trades and waiver claims: 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 31. That is the postseason roster eligibility deadline and it is a hard deadline. To be eligible for the playoff roster, a player must be in your organization by the deadline, period. There are no loopholes. He doesn't have to be on the MLB roster at the deadline, just in the organization. The Twins could bring Joe Mauer out of retirement on Sept. 15, but he would not be postseason-eligible.
September acquisitions are uncommon but they do happen. Last year the Marlins claimed veteran lefty Matt Moore off waivers from the Angels on Sept. 19, he threw four scoreless innings down the stretch, and helped Miami get to the postseason as a wild-card team. But, because he wasn't in the organization at 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 31, Moore could not pitch in the playoffs. Moore helped the Marlins get to the postseason last year but had to be left off their October roster.
The time to add impactful big-league players has come and gone. The July 30 trade deadline was the last chance to get someone who will really move the needle these last eight weeks. The trade market is now limited to minor leaguers, plus teams can always scour the waiver wire and free agency. There are still ways to acquire players, but your options will be very limited. Who knows though. Perhaps a team gets lucky with a waiver claim, and bottle some lightning down the stretch.
