MLB Trade Deadline could be the most raucous in recent history

The newly imposed MLB trade deadline could see more players change teams than any in recent history.

There will be baseball in 2020 after all, and with the announcement of games being played were a few side-note rule changes. One of them being the MLB trade deadline being moved from July 31st to August 31st.

When the trade deadline comes around there may not be too many teams eliminated from playoff contention, though there will be a lot of teams looking to sell.

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The shutdown has really thrown the economics of the game into turmoil and one shouldn’t be surprised to see a purge on the major league level similar to the one we saw on the minor-league circuit.

Organizations will most likely have a tight budget as they enter the 2020-2021 free agency period. The combination of paring down payroll while getting cheaper, controllable players, serves as a baseline for seeing numerous players traded. Even teams not in rebuilding mode could use this to shed payroll.

Rental players, or players who are on expiring contracts at the end of the season, are the ones most usually seen changing teams at the deadline. Players know the free-agent market next year will not be in their favor and may be willing to sign a contract extension with the team who acquires them at the deadline.

This may be an incentive for General Managers to take a risk in acquiring a player, knowing they may have a leg up in signing them to a deal if they are willing to gamble on offering a larger dollar amount.

Players with lofty salaries who have two/three more years on their contract may be moved as well, similar to what we saw the Houston Astros do in acquiring Zack Greinke last year at the deadline.

With the luxury tax threshold not resetting, teams who have been violators in back to back years are surely going to want to avoid the penalties which come along with exceeding in consecutive years.

I may be mistaken, though I think come to the August 31st MLB trade deadline we will be more teams looking to cut costs than teams bolstering for a playoff run.