It appears the MLB’s August waiver trade deadline is no more.
According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the league will make the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline the only deadline this season.
In the past, trades could be made in August if the players involved cleared waivers first. Rosenthal writes that last season 48 trades were made in July and 24 in August.
He also adds the move was initially proposed by the MLBPA “to protect the competitive integrity of the 162-game regular season, create more certainty for players and force teams to decide earlier whether they are buyers or sellers.”
The change to a singular deadline was met with mixed feelings by sources Rosenthal spoke to. One general manager says the current format is “old, outdated and weird,” but another said the move to one deadline is a “huge mistake.”
The MLB regular season begins on March 28.
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