Although the non-waiver trade deadline is in the rear-view window the trading season is still open. All 30 MLB clubs can place players on waivers and the long rumored Chicago Cubs target, Justin Verlander, has been placed on waivers by the Detroit Tigers.
So, this means any team can put a claim on Verlander.
The #Tigers placed Justin Verlander on revocable waivers today, source says. Name came up at the deadline, but he stayed put in Detroit.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) August 2, 2017
The Cubs have been linked to trade talks for Verlander since early July and now they have another shot to get him. However, it’s a lot more complicated than simply putting in a claim for him.
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Bleacher Nation’s Brett Taylor broke down the process perfectly.
If a player is placed on waivers, any team may “claim” him. If more than one team claims the player from waivers, only one team’s claim actually goes through. Priority during this August waiver period is given to teams in the player’s league, with the team with the worst record getting highest priority. If no team in the player’s own league claims him, then priority goes to the other league, again, in reverse order of the standings. (So, as things stand, the Cubs will be near the bottom in waiver priority for all AL players (ahead of only the Dodgers, Nationals, Diamondbacks and Rockies, but will have priority over AL teams for NL players – though they’ll be behind every team in the NL with a worse record.)
Verlander is a 10 and 5 guy, meaning he can veto any trade. If no one claims Verlander, then he has “cleared waivers” meaning the Tigers could try and trade him to any of the other 29 teams.
Still, if Verlander clears, the #Tigers will have the latitude to talk trade with all 29 teams in August.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) August 2, 2017
So, hypothetically speaking the Cubs could put a claim on Verlander, win it, and then the Tigers can try to work out a trade with the Cubs, keep Verlander, or the Tigers just give Verlander to the Cubs and the Cubs then would have to pay the rest of his contract.
Verlander has 10-5 rights, so he can veto any trade. Big contract also makes claiming him a risk. Guaranteed $56M in 2018-2019.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) August 2, 2017
And so we have something else to monitor. Waiver trades are rare, but in 2015 the Cubs did get Austin Jackson and Fernando Rodney after both of them cleared waivers.
