Don’t sleep on trades for August. July 31st was only the deadline for non-waiver trades. There are always plenty of moves made after August 1st. One of the many things that some fans misunderstand is that there technically isn’t any trade deadline from here on out until the end of the regular season. Teams must set their playoff rosters before August 31st, but otherwise they can make trades clear through September.

Beginning on August 1st, teams will begin sending waves of players through what is called revocable waivers. Essentially, the process takes three days. If a team claims a player, the waiving team can pull him off waivers and keep him or allow him to be claimed. If they pull him off, they are essentially blocked from trading him for the rest of the season. If they allow him to be claimed then the other team is responsible for his whole contract. Teams will try to get all of their players through waivers by the middle of the month. Beginning August 15th, we will likely see some more deals for contenders.

If you read only one thing…..

Many publications have begun their grades on the non-waiver deadline and we’ll be doing the same next week. One thing that is encouraging is seeing the number of middle income teams that went gangbusters at the deadline to go for the brass ring. The Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, and Toronto Blue Jays all made multiple moves to improve their rosters at the deadline. Like most things, it will take awhile to see if it was worth it, but it’s fun to see more teams in on the action.

Meanwhile, the big market boys largely stayed out of the fun. The Dodgers are the noted exception as they have made the Yankees look like paupers in recent seasons. They added two starting pitchers and two relievers at the deadline. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Angels largely stayed out of it this time.

Just as we expected….

One of the more remarkable things is noticing the difference between fantasy baseball and real baseball. In real bases, Jose Altuve is a good player, but most observers wouldn’t call him a great one. He hits around .300, but he doesn’t draw walks. Yes, he has good speed and decent power, but it isn’t enough to make him stand out. In a 5×5 league, his surprising power numbers and league leading 28 steals make him a fantasy star. Meanwhile, Carlos Gomez had his first two RBIs as an Astros and stole his eighth base of the season. He might be due for a strong finish in Houston.

Despite Mark Lowe’s uninspiring performance on Saturday, the Blue Jays have generally been hot since acquiring Troy Tulowitzki earlier in the week. They took two of three from the Royals over the course of the weekend and got good performances from R.A. Dickey, Mark Buerhle, Liam Hendricks, and Marco Estrada. Imagine that David Price hasn’t even pitched for them yet.

But we didn’t see this coming….

Seeing Daniel Norris throw a good game in his debut with the Tigers wasn’t completely unexpected, but it is interesting to see the headliner of the deal make the deal worth it before you even consider the others in the deal. Dave Drombowski got very good returns for all three of his major pieces that he traded, but it is unexpected for the returns to pay dividends this early in the game.

Lonnie Chisenhall found himself in a new home on Sunday: right field. The former third base phenom is trying to reboot his major league career in the outfield. He started in right field as the leadoff guy and didn’t disappoint. He had one hit, two walks, and a run scored (the only run for the Indians). I doubt he will play out there everyday and he might end up back at third at some point, but if he can show versatility he might be a decent fantasy and real life option.

The Rest of the Details

Save Chances

• Sam Dyson (converted)
• Tom Wilhelmsen (converted)
• Hector Rondon (converted)
• Brad Boxberger (converted)
• Joakim Soria (converted)
• Roberto Osuna (converted)
• Luke Gregerson (converted)

Injuries

• C.J. Wilson has an injured UCL nerve and is likely done for the season
• A.J. Burnett is suffering from elbow discomfort and might be out for the season

Transactions

• Toronto Blue Jays designate Danny Valencia and Ezequiel Carrera
• Baltimore Orioles designated Chris Parmelee