Though the Aug. 31 deadline has come and gone, teams are still free to make trades.
While a player is only eligible for the postseason if they are on a team’s active roster, disabled list, bereavement list or suspended list by midnight of that day, deals can still be made.
Only players that have been pulled back from revocable waivers can’t be dealt. Those that have passed through, however, can be traded to any team.
Why would a team do this, you might ask?
Even if you acquire a player that won’t be eligible for postseason play, they can still help you in reaching that plateau.
It’s not as common for trades to go down after the Aug. 31 deadline, but they have happened in the past. Sparky Lyle was acquired by the Phillies in Sept. 1980 and helped them reach the playoffs en route to their ultimate World Series championship.
Back in 2013, Brendan Ryan was sent from the Seattle Mariners to the New York Yankees for a Player to be Named Later, so they occasionally happen.
In the Mets case, Asdrubal Cabrera has already passed through waivers and can be traded to any of the other 29 ball clubs.
A team may have interest in acquiring the veteran infielder for next year as he currently holds a team option for the 2018 season.
Will it happen? It’s unlikely, but you never know. It’s been a wacky year in baseball. Just two days ago, two huge moves were made as the Detroit Tigers traded long-time ace Justin Verlander and outfielder Justin Upton.
