Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline came and went last weekend, with a number of clubs making last-minute additions to their team in a bid to make one final charge towards October.
There were buyers and there were sellers. Others decided to stay pat, content with what they had, or, more likely, unable or willing to shell out top dollar or part ways with highly-touted prospects.
Now that July 31 is a thing of the past, baseball fans can look forward to the next big deadline… August 31. It’s a convoluted time in MLB’s calendar when bluffs and counter bluffs can push a team over the top or hamper their finances for years to come.
It’s a time when teams put virtually everyone up for grabs, only to take them back off of waivers when somebody shows interest in them, and it’s a time where players, if dealt, can only get moved to the bidding team with the worst record within the league.
Should no teams show an interest in a player, usually because they don’t want to get left picking up the player’s remaining salary if his owner says, “Take him; he’s yours,” then it’s open season once again, and clubs can trade him to any team they wish.
Here are some players who could pass through waivers, but still switch teams before the end of summer.