It’s officially MLB trade rumors season with the 2023 MLB trade deadline fast approaching. Shohei Ohtani could be on the move, while the Mets and Yankees might be sellers. Are the Reds going to buy? If you’re curious about all of this, head to Twitter on Aug. 1st and make sure to refresh every 30 seconds.

Here on Betway Insider, we will take a look at some overall rules and regulations concerning the MLB trade deadline before going deeper into the weeds. We’ll discuss the deadline’s likely buyers and sellers, past famous trades, and more.

When is the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline date?

The 2023 MLB trade deadline date is Tuesday, Aug. 1.

What time does the MLB trade deadline end?

In 2022, the MLB trade deadline ended at 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 1. While the exact time for 2023 has yet to be confirmed, it is highly like that this year’s MLB trade deadline will also be at 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 1. Trades that do not get completed before the deadline will not be allowed to happen afterward.

How does MLB trade deadline work?

Similar to trade deadlines in the NBA, NFL, and NHL -- as well as the transfer deadline in European soccer -- teams cannot trade away any players after the Aug. 1 deadline.

The deadline is designed to prevent teams that are completely out of the playoff picture late in the season from trading players to teams who have already clinched playoff spots. Aug. 1 typically falls about two-thirds of the way through each MLB season, and teams are forced to make decisions about their rosters for the stretch drive by either buying, selling, or standing pat at the deadline.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal are both known for breaking news about deadline-day deals, so keep up with their Twitter feeds on Aug. 1 if you want up-to-the minute trade coverage.

MLB Trade Deadline Rules

As mentioned above, all MLB trades must be agreed upon by both parties prior to the Aug. 1 deadline, which is expected to be 6 p.m. ET.

What’s going to happen with Shohei Ohtani at the trade deadline?

All 2023 MLB trade-deadline attention centers on one player: Los Angeles Angels pitcher/DH Shohei Ohtani. Will they or won’t they trade him? Headed into the Jul 21-23 weekend, the Angels were 49-48 and nine games back in the AL West. They were also five games out of the AL wild-card picture.

Why would the Angels even consider trading a player who is leading the league in fWAR with an astounding mark of 6.8 (for context, Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr is in second at 5.1). It’s because Ohtani becomes a free agent after this season and might leave the Angels for nothing. While he has never given the club an ultimatum, the remarkable two-way threat has made it clear that he would like play for a championship contender.

Would a smaller-market team with a bountiful farm system such as the Tampa Bay Rays or Baltimore Orioles give up precious assets for Ohtani, knowing that he’s only a rental? Would a major-market contender, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Francisco Giants, try to land him now to strengthen its chances of signing him to a big contract heading into next season?

Ohtani is so good that his next multiyear contract might be worth more than $600 million. No, that figure is not a typo. 

Who are the top buyers and sellers at the 2023 MLB trade deadline?

Apart from the Ohtani buzz, there is plenty of other news regarding teams looking to add players at the deadline.

Two overachieving sleeper teams ahead of schedule in their rebuilds are the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds, and both need starting pitchers. The Diamondbacks are rumored to be seeking a deal for Chicago White Sox hurler Lucas Giolito, who was an All-Star just four years ago.

The Dodgers, now sitting atop the NL West, might look to strengthen the back end of what has been an extremely injured pitching rotation. The Braves have also dealt with injuries on the mound, but with Max Fried and Kyle Wright soon returning, Atlanta might hold off on a big deadline move. How all-in will the Rays or Orioles go? Baltimore recently made a small ripple in landing pitcher Shintaro Fujinami from the Oakland A’s.

Surprise sellers at the 2023 deadline might include the St Louis Cardinals. While the Redbirds have been hot of late, they remain well outside of the postseason picture. Could starting pitchers Jordan Montgomery or Jack Flaherty be on the move? St. Louis outfielders Tyler O’Neill, who has already expressed his displeasure with the organization, and Dylan Carlson are also potential trade bait. Perhaps the Cardinals might even be willing to deal away a big fish in 2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt.

The New York Yankees and Mets could also be sellers at the deadline, since both teams are struggling this year. The San Diego Padres have already indicated that they are ready to add some players at the deadline, but would they actually do it when they are still under .500 this late in the season?

It is impossible to predict just what will happen on Aug. 1, since no Major League Baseball trade or transaction is ever off the table.

Did you know? The 2022 trade of Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres was considered one of the biggest ever because of Soto’s generational potential. Time will tell if it pans out for the Padres and brings them that elusive first title, so it is not yet Top 10 material. Check out our rankings of the 10 biggest MLB trade deadline deals of all time.

Can MLB players be traded after the trade deadline?

Prior to 2019, players could still be traded after the deadline. Back then, Aug. 31 was known as the “waiver trade deadline,” giving teams one last chance to add players to their postseason rosters. However, those deals often required taking on big contracts as well as some waiver-wire gymnastics.

One famous example of a waiver deadline trade involved star pitcher Justin Verlander in 2017. Verlander was “waiver-deadline traded” from a non-competitive Detroit Tigers team to the Houston Astros. Verlander went on a late-season surge with his new team and led the Astros to the 2017 World Series title. Although it came after the traditional trade deadline, this was in fact one of the best trades in Astros history and one of the best last-minute deals in MLB History.

Can an MLB player refuse to be traded?

Many MLB players have no-trade clauses built into their contracts, meaning they can reject a trade to any team. Some have partial no-trade clauses, meaning they can reject trades to some teams but not others.

There’s also the famous “10-5 rule.” A player who has 10 years of total MLB service time and has been with his current club for at least five years can veto any trade that involves him. Adam Jones (Baltimore Orioles) and Brandon Phillips (Cincinnati Reds) both used this rule in the past to avoid being traded to other teams.

Notably, current Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, who meets the 10-5 criteria, might be a popular name on the 2023 trade market. View the full list of 10-5 players here. 

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