With the much publicized trade deadline a couple of weeks ago, what is the deal with Edmonds being traded from the Brewers to the Reds today? Was the deadline a deadline or was this a "player to be named later" for a trade within deadline? Isn't there another trade window right before playoffs?
Baseball trade question
- Thread starter JimC1097
- Start date
Players can be placed on waivers and other teams can claim them and work out a deal. I don't know the exact specifics, but it happens a lot.
To be traded past the July 31 deadline, a player must be placed on waivers. This means every team gets a chance to claim him, with the worst team getting priority on up to the best team. If no team claims him (happens often for players with overpriced contracts), then he can be traded to anyone. If one or multiple teams claim him, then only the team with the highest priority, the worst team, can trade for him.
Lots of behind the scenes strategery happens. Teams place tons of players on waivers, just to see who claims them, with no real intention of ever doing anything. Teams will make claims just to block other teams from getting certain players.
Lots of behind the scenes strategery happens. Teams place tons of players on waivers, just to see who claims them, with no real intention of ever doing anything. Teams will make claims just to block other teams from getting certain players.
You're right that for a player to be traded he has to clear waivers. But if a team claims the player off of waivers, the original team has the chance to withdraw him from the waivers and keep him. If the original team doesn't withdraw him from waivers, the team that claims him get him. There is no compensation to the original team. But the team that claimed him HAS to take him and keep him through the end of the season. So, for example, if the Braves and Red Sox wanted to work a trade, the Cardinals could block it by claiming one of the players off of waivers. But, if they do, they have to prepared to actually have that player on the roster through the end of the season.</p>
...pieces for a claimed player. The original team has the option of just giving him up for nothing, but can also demand players or else they'll pull him back from waivers and keep him. Stark's explanation isn't clear on that point, but that seems to be what he's saying here: "If a deal can't be worked out or the team doesn't want to trade that player, he can be pulled back off waivers once in August."