Kuzul

Now that the 2010 MLB trading deadline has passed, we now have to look forward to the potential waiver deals. The waiver deadline is exactly like the trading deadline except that players have to clear waivers first before they can be traded.

Here’s what waivers means according to Wikipedia:

Any player under contract may be placed on waivers at any time. If a player is waived, any team may claim him. If more than one team claims the player from waivers, the team with the weakest record in the player’s league gets preference. If no team in the player’s league claims him, the claiming team with the weakest record in the other league gets preference. In the first month of the season, preference is determined using the previous year’s standings.

If a team claims a player off waivers and has the viable claim as described above, his current team (the “waiving team”) may choose one of the following options:

• arrange a trade with the claiming team for that player within two business days of the claim; or
• rescind the request and keep the player on its major league roster, effectively canceling the waiver; or
• do nothing and allow the claiming team to (1) assume the player’s existing contract, (2) pay the waiving team a waiver fee, and (3) place the player on its active major league roster.

If a player is claimed and the waiving team exercises its rescission option, the waiving team may not use the option again for that player in that season. If no team claims a player from waivers in three business days, the player has cleared waivers and may be assigned to a minor league team, traded, or released outright.

The waiver “wire” is a secret within the personnel of the Major League Baseball clubs; no announcement of a waiver is made until a transaction actually occurs. Many players are often quietly waived during the August “waiver-required” trading period to gauge trade interest in a particular player. Usually, when the player is claimed, the waiving team will rescind the waiver to avoid losing the player unless a trade can be worked out with the claiming team.

Now that we all know, here are some players that I think could be on the move this year:

Kenshin Kawakami, RHP, Braves : Kawakami was a starter on the Braves this year but failed to produce the numbers. He’s 1-9 with a 4.75 ERA. He will have a hard time attracting interest since he still has three years left on his current contract.

Nate McLouth, OF, Braves : McLouth was traded to the Braves from the Pirates at the beginning of last season. The Braves have nowhere to put him since they acquired Melky Cabrera in the offseason and Rick Ankiel at the trading deadline .

Chone Figgins, INF, Mariners: Signed over from the Angels during the offseason, Figgins’ relationship with the Mariners is deteriorating. It doesn’t look like they even want him there since they do have Dustin Ackley and Justin Smoak now in the system. Figgins might head to Atlanta where there was interest in him on Saturday.

Manny Ramirez, OF, Dodgers : Manny? No way. Manny Ramirez being traded in August? Can’t be. Well, there is a chance that Manny can get traded. Ramirez is hitting .317 with eight homers and 39 RBI but is on the DL with a calf injury.

We saw the White Sox take a shot at him this past weekend. We also heard from Jon Heyman that the Yankees, Rays, and Angels were also interested. Who knows? Reading through the Internet, people say it’s a “long shot,” but I believe that anything is possible.

Adam Dunn, OF, Nationals : Another big name out there is Adam Dunn of Washington. Dunn was placed on waivers Tuesday and could be out of DC by the end of the month. The White Sox still look to be the prime favorites in the Dunn race. Dunn can still produce 40 homers a season and is always a threat to change a game.

Brian Fuentes, LHP, Angels : Fuentes will most likely not be traded, but it could still happen. Fuentes has 20 saves and is the closer for the team, but if the Angels can’t catch Texas then they could consider trading some of that money away.

But I just don’t see it happening. The Angels are a good team and seem to be in the thick of things.

Jeff Francoeur, OF, Mets : What about the Mets? Their money was so tight during the trade deadline that they couldn’t move anything. Deals that involved Jose Guillen, Carlos Zambrano, and Brett Myers were shot down and to make matters worse, Jason Bay was placed on the DL with a concussion . The only move they made was trading Mike Jacobs to Toronto.

Now, Bay may come back later in August, which could give them a chance to move Francoeur. There was a deal in place for Guillen but the Mets couldn’t do it. I suspect a possible Francoeur move.

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