Waivers
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[edit] Definition
Waivers are a permission granted by the other teams in Major League Baseball to allow a team to do a player move which would not normally be allowed by the rules. In other words, opposing teams waive their objection to the move.
[edit] Use of Waivers
The most frequent uses of waivers are as follows:
[edit] Waivers for the purpose of completing a trade
If two or more teams wish to make a player trade after the Major League trading deadline (currently on July 31 at midnight Eastern Time) has passed, they must use the waiver process. Between the end of the trading deadline and the end of the postseason, the teams must submit the names of the players involved to all other teams, who can decide whether they have use for these players themselves. Teams have a pre-determined amount of time to make a claim on any of the players, and if more than one team makes a claim, the one with the poorest record at the time can obtain the player. At this point, the claiming team can either work out a trade with the submitting team or, if the submitting team agrees, obtain the player outright by simply assuming the remainder of his contract, or the submitting team may withdraw the player from consideration, and thus the contemplated trade does not take place.
The purpose of this rule is to prevent front-running teams from acquiring a superstar player in the middle of a pennant race simply because they have more ressources than their competitors. The rule does not make trades impossible, but prevents some egregious trades from taking place. Because it is difficult to pass many players through the waiver process, trades completed in this manner often involve a player to be named later.
[edit] Waivers for the purpose of sending a player to the Minor Leagues
When a team wishes to send a player who has no more options to the minor leagues, it needs to place his name on the waiver list for a prescribed time. As in the first instance, the team which claims the player can either work out a trade, or assume the player's contract, or the submitting team may withdraw his name from the waivers.
The purpose of this rule is to prevent organizations from burying players in the minor leagues when they have the talent to play in the Major Leagues. It should be noted that if the player has a certain number of years of professional experience, he can refuse assignment to the minor leagues and ask for his release, at which point he becomes a free agent and can negotiate a new contract with all teams.
[edit] Waivers for the purpose of granting a player his unconditional release
These are also known as irrevocable waivers. When a team wishes to release a player, it must place his name on the waiver list for a prescribed period. The player's spot on the team's roster has already been filled at this point, and if the player is claimed, he simply becomes the property of that team, which assumes the remainder of his contract in its integrity. If no team claims the player, he becomes a free agent, with his former team being responsible for the remainder of his contract. If another team wishes to sign him after that point, it only needs to pay him the Major League minimum salary, as his former team remains responsible for the difference. As a result, only players making the minimum or close to it are usually claimed in this manner, as others will be available as cheap free agents in a matter of days.
[edit] Negative Connotations
The use of waivers has traditionally been associated with marginal players, or players reaching the end of their major league career. Thus, expressions such as waiver wire fodder describe players who are not quite good enough to hold a job, even as a substitute in the major leagues, and can therefore be had for the price of a waiver claim (i.e. next to nothing). A veteran player who has gone through the waiver process is considered to be washed up, and any contribution he makes after that point is an unexpected bonus.
However, with the evolution of baseball's salary structure, the use of waivers has changed, and players are more often traded or released for financial reasons and not for reasons of production. Thus, some still-productive players, but with expensive contracts, have gone through the waiver process in recent years. Famous cases include Tony Batista, whom the Toronto Blue Jays tried to send to the minor leagues in June 2001, confident that his expensive multi-year contract would scare other teams away from claiming him. However, Batista was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles and spent a number of productive seasons with his new team. Another famous case involved Manny Ramirez, who was placed on waivers by the Boston Red Sox after the 2003 season. In this case, there was no question that Ramirez was still a great hitter, but he had a multi-year contract worth over 100 million dollars, and the Red Sox were looking for some financial flexibility. No team was willing to assume Ramirez' contract and he remained a member of the Red Sox.
There have also been famous instances when a team has claimed a player off waivers to prevent him from being traded to a competitor and later regretted that decision. Most famous is Randy Myers, whom the Blue Jays wanted to trade after the deadline in 1998. The San Diego Padres claimed him to prevent the once-great closer from ending with a competitor, and worked out a deal with the Blue Jays, sending minor league catcher Brian Loyd to them for Myers. Myers had a 6.28 ERA for the Padres over the remainder of the year, was awful in the postseason, and never pitched again in the majors, while the Padres were saddled with his hefty contract for a number of years while receiving no value in return. Caveat emptor.
