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Atlanta Braves Might Be Involved, So Here is a Lesson in Waiver Trading

By Alan Carpenter

Jul 31, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Andrew Cashner (48) throws during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 31, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Andrew Cashner (48) throws during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Gotchas, Part 2

3. Non-revokable Waiver Claims. If a player is pulled back to his original team (i.e., a waiver request is revoked), the original team CAN place the same player on waivers again during August.  However, during that second time, the Right to Revoke is lost: any team making the claim has effectively bought the player without the need to negotiate anything. This is rare, but it happens.

4. Trader Jacks: Let’s say that a bona fide trade deal is worked out. Waived Player A is traded for a Player B.  If Player B is on the 40-man roster of his club, then he must also have already passed through waivers successfully (i.e., his own 48-hour waiver period is done and nobody claimed him) before being trade-eligible.

When I mentioned “maximum flexibility” above, this is what I was referring to: when you get a large number of your own players through waivers, your GM has more options for possible trades. If ‘Player B’ is not on the 40-man, then there is no issue, as waivers are not required for them. This turns out to be common with “player-for-prospects” kind of trades.

5. The PTBNL.  Sometimes, these trades are also done on a “Player To Be Named Later” (PTBNL) basis… if you believe you can’t get a guy through waivers to make him tradable, then you could simply wait out the process and “name” the guy after the season when this process is no longer in force. This also happens for players currently ineligible to be traded for some reason or another (such as being on the Disabled List).  So there are ways around it if the two partners are satisfied enough to wait it out… including trades made for a versatile player named Cash Considerations.

Three quick rules on PTBNL:

  • There is a 6 month window available for trades involving PTBNL.
  • If a major leaguer is involved, “the player named later can’t have played in the same league as the team he’s being traded to.” (Rob Neyer’s words). Don’t ask me why. It’s an odd rule.
  • Players drafted in 2016 are not eligible by rule.

Next: Waiver Conflicts!

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