[EmpireWF]

Now that the non-waiver trade deadline has passed, the only way to trade is through waivers. It's a confusing and sometimes complicated process but former GM and current ESPN "analyst" Steve Phillips once penned a column describing it.


Thanks to MLBTradeRumors.com for this helpful summary...

Any player can be put on waivers by his team, and the player does not need to be informed.

Other teams have the chance to make a claim on the player during a 47 hour window.

If the player is claimed, the team that placed him on waivers has the option of pulling him back. If the team pulls him back they can't trade him for 30 days.

If his team decides not to pull him back:

Option 1: His team can work out a trade with the team that claimed him. Any player involved in the trade who is on a 40 man roster must go through waivers first.

Option 2: His team can just dump him and his salary on the team that claimed him, getting no player in return.

Option 3: No one claims him, and his team is free to trade him to any team.

If more than one team places a claim on a player, the winning claim is awarded based on worst record or the league the claiming team is in.

So you can still see the likes of Livan Hernandez, Jon Leiber, Rodrigo Lopez, etc. be traded in August. It will just take some keen work by the GMs to get it done.

[legend]

That's why it is tough for teams in the same division to grab up a player, as the other team can block the deal. Thanks for the info.