Even fans waver over waivers
Back in the day, major-league baseball used to be all about wins and losses, home runs and strikeouts.
Now, baseball tends to leave many of its followers in a daze.
Sure, the old standards still are in play. But baseball has expanded to the point where knowing about escalator clauses, mutual options, OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) and limited/partial no-trade clauses is a must to stay on top of the game.
Then there's waiver trade season. We're right in the middle of it, but not many people comprehend what that means.
For as savvy as the modern-day baseball fan has become, understanding waiver trades still can be daunting. In this regard, the media has not been of much help.
Just in Chicago the past week alone, the White Sox reportedly were close to getting shortstop Miguel Tejada in a waiver deal from the Baltimore Orioles and the Sox were just as close to sending left fielder Scott Podsednik to the cross-town Cubs in a waiver trade.
Chances are, the White Sox did put in a claim for Tejada. Ditto for the Cubs with Podsednik.
According to one front-office executive who wished to remain anonymous, there are a multitude of players being claimed off waivers at this time of the year.
Before July 31, nonwaiver trades are made. That's how the Cubs got Jason Kendall from the Oakland Athletics, and that's how the White Sox sent Tadahito Iguchi to the Philadelphia Phillies and Rob Mackowiak to the San Diego Padres.
Nonwaiver trades are easy to understand. "I've got this guy,'' one general manager will say. "And I want to trade him for that guy.''
As long as there is an agreement on both sides, nonwaiver trades can be ironed out in minutes.
Waiver trades are much more complicated, and they always are done under a veil of secrecy.
"If you were to tell a player he is on waivers and you're trying to trade him, he would be understandably insulted,'' the executive said. "There is really no upside to making it public.''
Typically, major-league teams place their entire 25-man roster through waivers after July 31. Any -- or all -- can be pulled back if a claim is made, and those players cannot be traded for 30 days.
"Let's say there are two or three guys you really want to move,'' the executive said. "If you were to put just their names out on waivers, other teams would know you value them less.
"But if you run the entire roster through waivers, which the vast majority of teams do, you are not sending any kind of message.''
If a claim is made and both sides are interested in making a trade, it can be done. That's how the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired first baseman Mark Sweeney from the San Francisco Giants last week.
Other times, teams simply are looking to dump salary via the waiver wire, which is how the Arizona Diamondbacks got infielder Jeff Cirillo (Minnesota Twins) and pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim (Florida Marlins) in outright claims.
Adding to the complexity of the waiver season is the block.
Should the Milwaukee Brewers, for example, put in a claim on White Sox starter Jose Contreras, the Cubs could step in and block the National League Central leaders.
But the Cubs would become Contreras' new home, and they would be on the hook for his $10 million salary in both 2008 and 2009, plus the $20,000 waiver claim.
There are a multitude of options for teams looking to make changes at this time of year. Maybe that's why there is so much confusion.