With several competitive division races and a deep list of teams in contention for the Wild Card, this year’s MLB trade deadline is again shaping up to offer plenty of intrigue.

Before the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA), the trade deadline annually was every July 31 at 1 p.m. PT.

However, the CBA that is in effect for the 2022-2026 seasons, allows commissioner Rob Manfred to set the annual MLB trade deadline on any day between July 28 and Aug. 3. The flexibility is in effort to avoid conflicting with games.

The MLB trade deadline was on Aug. 1 in both 2022 and 2023. For the 2024 season it was moved up to July 30. MLB has not yet set the trade deadline date for 2026.

Before the 2019 season, July 31 was referred to as the non-waiver trade deadline, meaning players could be traded after that date if they first cleared revocable waivers. However, the August waiver trade period was removed in favor of a single deadline.

When is MLB trade deadline in 2025?

The exact 2025 MLB trade deadline is at 3 p.m. PT on Thursday, July 31. However, it is possible for deals to be finalized shortly after that time if calls were initiated with the league before the deadline and simply need to be processed.

With Manfred holding the authority to pick a day for the trade deadline, this year’s date coincides with only three games being on the MLB schedule.

What is the trade deadline?

The trade deadline is the last point during the season when players on 40-man rosters can be traded.

After this date, players on any team’s 40-man roster must first pass through waivers before being traded.

Players can still be placed and claimed on outright waivers after the July 31 deadline, but trades are not permitted.

One caveat, however, is Minor League players not on 40-man rosters can still be traded after the MLB deadline. They then must be in an organization by the end of Aug. 31 in order to be eligible for the postseason that October.

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