Two MLB questions from me in two hours.
Coincidence?.. or conspiracy?
MLB’s trade deadline was last Saturday (7/31). Yet I just read that Larry Walker was traded to the Cardinals yesterday .
What’s up with that? Under what conditions are teams allowed to make trades after the trade deadline?
July 31st is the non-waiver trade deadline. This means any team can freely trade with any other team (subject to a few restrictions in the Collective Bargaining Agreement [no draft picks, no draftees signed less than 12 months ago, no players with 5-and-10 rights unless they approve, etc.] and subject to any restrictions in the contracts of the players being traded, like no-trade clauses).
After the non-waiver deadline, you can still trade players, but they must first pass through waivers. This means that all 29 other teams must fail to make a waiver claim on the player you are waiving. Once that happens, you’re free to trade him.
And the other 29 teams can make a claim on the player in the reverse order of the standings (I believe they mix the two leagues now)
Regardless, the Cardinals would either have been the last team in the NL or the Majors and they got Walker anyway. Mainly because nobody else would make a claim on him because he has such a high salary.