It’s August, and MLB’s trade deadline is in the rearview mirror. Dozens of 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, and sometimes they involve familiar names. Yuli Gurriel was traded last August, for example.
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, Gurriel had spent the entire season in Triple-A with the Braves before being acquired by the Royals on Aug. 31. He was traded for cash, hit .241/.338/.296 in 18 September games, and started every one of Kansas City’s postseason games. Gurriel flew out for the final out of the Royals’ season in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Yankees on Oct. 10. Who saw that coming on Aug. 30?
Among the recognizable names currently in the minors and eligible to be traded in August are righty Nabil Crismatt (Phillies), lefty Josh Fleming (Mariners), lefty Anthony Gose (Diamondbacks), utility man Vimael Machín (Orioles), first baseman Joey Meneses (Mets), outfielder Óscar Mercado (Phillies), first baseman Edwin Ríos (Reds), and infielder Yolmer Sánchez (Angels).
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 righty Shawn Armstrong, outfielders Robbie Grossman and Tommy Pham, and infielders Emmanuel Rivera and Amed Rosario were claimed on waivers in August.
Diamondbacks lefty Jalen Beeks stands out as an August waiver candidate. He’s owed the remainder of his $1.25M salary this year and will be a free agent after the season, and remains effective against lefties. Beeks is currently on the injured list with back inflammation and is expected to return soon. It’s not crazy to think a contender could want to add him to their bullpen.
Other August waiver candidates include Pham (Pirates), DH Josh Bell (Nationals), lefty Andrew Heaney (Pirates), righty Jakob Junis (Guardians), infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Pirates), and outfielder Michael Taylor (White Sox). They’ll all become free agents after the season and hit the sweet spot between being useful to a contender while 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 high-end talent in August. Notable names on the market right now include lefty Scott Alexander, outfielder Travis Jankowski, DH Eloy Jiménez, and infielder DJ LeMahieu. These players are freely available and can sign with any team at any time.
Marcell Ozuna’s $16 million salary is prohibitive enough that, if he were to change teams this month, he would not be claimed on waivers. The Braves would have to release their DH, putting them on the hook for his salary. At that point any team could sign Ozuna for the prorated league minimum. He could hit the free-agent pool at some point this month.
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 Yankees could bring new Hall of Famer CC Sabathia out of retirement on Sept. 15, but he would not be postseason-eligible.
September acquisitions are uncommon but they do happen. Two years ago 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 31 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.