so the baseball trade deadline was monday....yet the red sox are close to finsihing a deal to bring javy lopez to boston:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2538688

whats the point of having the deadline if trades can still happen?

in the article, it says:

Quote :

"Lopez lost spots as Baltimore's starting catcher and designated hitter this season and was hoping to get dealt before July 31, the deadline for making deals without waivers."

...what exactly is a waiver?

8/4/2006 8:40:17 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_transactions#Waivers


ehh that doesnt really work, nm

[Edited on August 4, 2006 at 8:50 AM. Reason : e]

8/4/2006 8:48:35 AM

yeah, that didnt make much sense to me.

8/4/2006 8:52:39 AM

If I understand it correctly, it's like Tax Day. You can file an extension and file your taxes after April 15.

8/4/2006 8:54:39 AM

so any team can just say, "i want more time?"

8/4/2006 8:56:27 AM

In order for Boston to acquire Lopez via trade after the non-waiver deadline, Lopez has to pass through waivers. That basically means every team in the majors has to pass on claiming him before Boston can get him.

If another team puts a waiver claim on Lopez, the Orioles can only deal with that team until said team withdraws its claim.

8/4/2006 8:57:55 AM

gotcha...thanks.

8/4/2006 9:05:27 AM

so does Boston in effect ask Baltimore to put him on waivers? Then any other team in the league bids on him, or is there a ranking order of teams that must say PASS before Boston can get him?

8/4/2006 12:52:37 PM

from what i understand, then waivers go up the list of teams in the standings, worst to first.

8/4/2006 12:54:39 PM

almost every player in the league is put on waivers

Buster Olney schooled my last night

Even Andruw Jones cleared waivers

8/4/2006 1:21:49 PM

see randy myers to padres 1998

8/4/2006 1:24:37 PM

http://proxy.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=1860265

8/4/2006 1:33:32 PM

The waiver order is set in order from the worst team to the best team. Prior to 7/31, you can deal with anyone w/o having to worry about this, but any player on the MLB roster must pass through waivers to be dealt.

Therefore, the only players that really can be dealt in Aug. are those that make more than they are worth. If Soriano was placed on waivers, most every team would place a claim on him, so he could only be traded to the team with the highest wiaver priority. This wouldn't happen though.

An overrated bum like Javy Lopez however can easily pass through waivers because no team in their right mind would take his rediculous salary. So once he passes through waivers, he can be traded to Boston with cash. So basically the only players you'll possibly see dealt are those that make way more than they are worth.

If a team did not like the Lopez to Boston trade however (the NYY possibly), that team could block the trade by placing a claim on Javy if they have waiver priority. That team would be responsible for paying the entire salary however, if they didn't come to an agreement with Baltimore. A senario similar to this happened in the NFL 2 season ago (which has the same basic system), when Deion Sanders wanted to make a postseason run with a team. The move was blocked by a rival team that didn't want Deion helping their opponent. (even though Deion wasn't playing at the time, he was still property of a team b/c he retired under contract).

Also, most every MLB player is put on waivers yes, but this is just as a measure to test the waters, to see who is interested in a given player. If a player is claimed, the players team will generally pull the player off of waivers, unless the claiming team makes a suitable trade offer.

8/4/2006 1:42:09 PM

good explanation. thanks.

8/4/2006 1:44:21 PM

I'll add something else


" With the passing of Monday's trade deadline, all teams must now pass players through waivers before trading them.

Beginning Tuesday, all teams were permitted to place as many as seven players per day on the waiver wire. Thus by Friday, many teams will have already put members of their 25-man roster on waivers.

Multiple teams can claim a player who has been placed on waivers. If two teams were to claim a specific player, the lower-ranking team according to winning percentage (whether it be an American or National League team), is given rights to that player for 48 hours. "


" All players remain on the waiver wire for two full business days. If they are never claimed, they can be traded at any point, to any team for the remainder of the season. But to be eligible for the postseason, a player must be traded by Aug. 31.

If a player is claimed by a team and a deal never materializes, a team will not likely place them back on waivers. When they initially place a player on waivers, a team has the right to pull them back at any time.

But when a player is placed on waivers a second time, the claim is irrevocable. Thus any claiming team owns the rights and a trade must be completed."

8/4/2006 1:54:14 PM