What ever happened to the waiver trade deadline?

The 2024 MLB trade deadline has been a hoot and a half. So much for a sellers' market leading to fewer trades. It just means the trades are more unexpected (and pricey) than usual, with several big-name contenders and shocking dark horses maneuvering aggressively to land their desired upgrades.

Multiple current and former All-Stars changed teams, including Miami Marlins closer Tanner Scott (now with the San Diego Padres) and Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Isaac Paredes (now with the Chicago Cubs). With a hard deadline set at 6 PM ET on Tuesday, however, many fans are reminiscing about a time when the trade deadline wasn't so simple. So cut and dry.

What happened to the waiver trade deadline, and why aren't important MLB players changing teams in mid-August anymore?

Explaining why the MLB 'waiver trade deadline' no longer exists

There used to be two MLB trade deadlines — the "non-waiver" deadline at the end of the July, and the "waiver" trade deadline at the end of August. A waiver trade involved revocable trade waivers, which were eloquently described by Rustin Dodd and Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic.

"The old waiver trade system was scrapped in 2019, as was the stipulation that waiver order was determined by record and league affiliation. Before that, teams would dump almost everyone on their rosters onto revocable waivers, meaning they could be pulled back without being lost. Teams employed the tactic to disguise the players they actually wanted to trade, allowing them to see if they could sort out a deal on the other side... Until Aug. 31, teams could trade for players on waivers and have them be eligible for postseason play, effectively creating two trade deadlines."

Essentially, teams used to put their best and most expensive players on revocable trade waivers all the time. That offered front offices the flexibility to withdraw a player from waivers, let a claim through, or trade him. If a player made it through waivers unclaimed, he was eligible to be traded to any team up through the end of August. So, while the official trade deadline was still in late July, there wasn't really much of a restriction on who could be dealt until the end of August.

The league did away with revocable waivers in 2019 and put the kibosh on (major) August trades. There are still deals that transpire involving players not on 40-man rosters — so, expect plenty of minor-league swaps in the weeks to come — but now, players on a 40-man roster in the current season or the season prior are ineligible for August trades.

We can debate the merits of this change, but it sure does simplify the process. Rather than blockbuster trades out of nowhere in August, we know the general state of MLB rosters by the end of July. Teams can still engage in waivers or add free agents, but trading members of the 40-man roster who clear waivers is no longer in the cards. It's an element of front office gymnastics that has been stripped away, probably for good.