MLB's trade deadline is officially in the rearview mirror. Dozens of trades were completed in the days leading up to 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. Remember the Yuli Gurriel trade of August 2024? Probably not, but it did happen.
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.
Two years ago, 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, played 18 games in September, 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 include righty Dan Altavilla (Royals), utility man Cavan Biggio (Astros), righty Alexis Díaz (Rangers), catcher Andrew Knizner (Red Sox), infielder Marco Luciano (Yankees), righty Tanner Rainey (Tigers), and utility man Pablo Reyes (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, lefty Bryan Hudson, outfielder Jake Fraley, righties Aaron Civale and Cal Quantrill, and infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa were among those claimed on waivers in August.
Some August waiver candidates include catcher Jonah Heim (Athletics), righty John Schreiber (Royals), and infielder Luis Urías (Blue Jays). They'll all become free agents after the season and they 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 outfielder Nick Castellanos, lefty Danny Coulombe, and righties Lance McCullers Jr. and Dennis Santana. These players are freely available and can sign with any team at any time.
Jorge Soler's $13 million salary is prohibitive enough that, if he were to change teams this month, he would not be claimed on waivers. The Angels would have to release him, putting them on the hook for his salary. At that point, any team could sign Soler 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 Dodgers could bring Clayton Kershaw out of retirement on Sept. 15, but he would not be postseason-eligible.
September acquisitions are uncommon, but they do happen. Three 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. He 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 Aug. 3 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? Perhaps a team gets lucky with a waiver claim and bottles some lightning down the stretch.
