Non-Contenders Eye Waiver Wire Trades as Deadline Approaches

As August winds down and the playoff picture sharpens, non-contending teams are beginning to consider aggressive salary-shedding moves through the waiver wire. This late-season strategy has become increasingly common, particularly for franchises focused on future financial flexibility and draft pick compensation.

The Angels demonstrated this approach in 2023, when they aggressively dumped veteran contracts to dip below the luxury tax threshold following Shohei Ohtani's departure in free agency. That move came with a dual benefit: immediate payroll relief and the modest improvement in draft positioning that comes with losing status. Other teams watching that playbook could follow suit over the next several days.

How it works: When a team places a player on waivers and clears him through, it typically sends him to the minors or releases him. If a team retains salary in the deal, they can sometimes find a taker. The key difference from midseason trades is that teams aren't seeking prospects back—they're simply trying to shed money and reset their financial situation for the offseason.

For fantasy players and DFS enthusiasts, this could mean sudden availability of unexpectedly dropped veterans if they clear waivers, as well as potential role changes for backups who might finally get regular opportunities. From a betting perspective, line movements on teams engaged in this housecleaning could reflect uncertainty about lineup stability over the final stretch of games.

Source: original report ↗