Trade (sports)
Encyclopedia
In professional sports
, a trade is a sports league
transaction involving an exchange of players' contracts or draft picks between teams. Cash
is another commodity that may be packaged together with contracts or draft picks to complete a trade. Typically, trades are completed between two teams, but there are instances where trades are consummated between three or more teams.
was used as trade bait in 1984, when the Detroit Tigers
sent him along with Glenn Wilson
to the Philadelphia Phillies
for Willie Krishna and Dave Bergman
.
. In many cases, these no-trade clauses are limited, where a club may be limited to trading the athlete only at certain times, or only to a certain team or geographical area.
No-trade clauses are found in most sports in the United States, including Major League Baseball
, the National Football League
, the National Basketball Association
, the National Hockey League
, Major League Soccer
, and some minor leagues around the country. Many Europe
an leagues, mostly professional soccer and basketball
, also implement these contract amendments.
Each league usually has its own rules regarding these clauses; for example in the NBA, because of the agreement with the minor-league CBA
, no-trade clauses can only be negotiated into contracts when a player has four years of service for the team he's signing the contract with. Other leagues have other varying rules, for example in MLB the "Ten and Five" rule gives most every player limited control on his tradability once he meets the ten and five criteria, which means the player has played in the league ten seasons and with the current team for at least five. In the NHL, these rights have been blamed for the lack of trades that have been pulled off in recent years, with critics citing examples where "done deals" were blown up by "selfish players."
Often the no-trade clause is waived by the players themselves, usually in order to play for a contending team. In one dramatic case in 2001, Tampa Bay Devil Rays first baseman Fred McGriff
mulled over waiving his rights for nearly a month before ultimately accepting a deal which sent him to the Chicago Cubs
. In 2007, Kobe Bryant
was willing to waive his own rights with the Los Angeles Lakers
in order to be dealt to either the Phoenix Suns
or the Chicago Bulls
, but in this case Bryant's own pickiness as far as where he would like to play limited the Lakers' ability to move him and eventually no trade was made at all. Darryl Sittler
's no-trade clause protected him from being moved, when owner Harold Ballard
and manger Punch Imlach
wanted to get rid of or reduce Sittler's influence on the team; a few years later Sittler waived the clause when relations between him and Ballard deteriorated. Dany Heatley
demanded a trade from the Senators at the end of the 2008–09 season
, and a deal was in place to send Heatley to the Edmonton Oilers
on June 30 but Heatley refused to waive his no-trade clause (the Oilers had missed the playoffs for 3 straight seasons), so he was traded to the San Jose Sharks
instead.
. In the approach to the deadline, there is heightened activity and interest in trades.
non-waiver deadline is July 31. After the All-Star break, teams will determine whether or not they are in position to contend for the post-season. Because of free agency
and the lack of a salary cap
in baseball, players in the final year of their contract
are often put on the "trading block" by many of the non-playoff contending teams. Smaller market teams will not — or cannot afford to — pay their better veteran players high salaries, so they will attempt to trade them to a post-season contender, in exchange for some minor-league prospects or other players who might be able to help them in the future.
The MLB waiver deadline is August 31. There is much less activity between July 31 and August 31 because players must clear waivers. Players may be acquired after the August 31 deadline; however, while they can contribute to a team's push for the playoffs, they are ineligible for postseason play.
The trade deadline was instituted by MLB in response to various attempts by two New York City
-based ballclubs, the Giants
and Yankees
, to use its financial advantages to tilt its respective leagues' competitive balance in their favor from 1917
through 1922
. In the Yankees' case, most of its dealings were with the Boston Red Sox
. The American League (AL)
established MLB's first-ever such rule in 1920 as an indirect result of the Red Sox's sale of Babe Ruth
to the Yankees. It prohibited the trading and selling of ballplayers between August 1 and the conclusion of the World Series
. A uniform rule serving both major leagues, which was adopted prior to the 1923 season
, set the deadline at June 15. The date, chosen by MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis
based on a suggestion from Pittsburgh Pirates
owner Barney Dreyfuss
, remained in effect through the 1985 season
. The rule in its current form originated with the 1986 Basic Agreement which resulted from the resolution of the 1985 MLB strike
.
's deadline falls on the 16th Thursday of the season (usually in February) at 3pm Eastern Time
.
's deadline is the Tuesday following the sixth week of the regular season, which typically falls in mid-October.
However, there is fairly little activity on this day and almost no star players are ever dealt to other clubs on the sixth week of the season.
or Northern Europe
, the midseason transfer window opens in July/August, while the other starts from March to April. The difference between a transfer window and a trade deadline is that players cannot be bought or sold outside these transfer window periods. The notion of transfer windows was initially introduced in Europe
, and subsequently adopted by FIFA
. Like North America's trade deadline, there is greatly increased activity and interest as the close of a transfer window draws near.
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
, a trade is a sports league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
transaction involving an exchange of players' contracts or draft picks between teams. Cash
Cash
In common language cash refers to money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins.In bookkeeping and finance, cash refers to current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-immediately...
is another commodity that may be packaged together with contracts or draft picks to complete a trade. Typically, trades are completed between two teams, but there are instances where trades are consummated between three or more teams.
Trade bait
Trade bait refers to a player on a team used to entice another team into making a trade with them. Occasionally, it just refers to a player that is traded often or any player that is traded at all. For example, John WockenfussJohn Wockenfuss
Johnny Bilton Wockenfuss is a former utility player in Major League Baseball who had a twelve year career from 1974 to 1985.-Playing career:...
was used as trade bait in 1984, when the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
sent him along with Glenn Wilson
Glenn Wilson (baseball)
Glenn Dwight Wilson is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He was selected in the 1st round of the 1980 amateur draft by the Detroit Tigers, and made his Major League debut in a Tigers uniform on April 15, 1982...
to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
for Willie Krishna and Dave Bergman
Dave Bergman
David Bruce Bergman was a Major League Baseball first baseman, designated hitter, and outfielder.Born in Evanston, Illinois, Bergman is an alumnus of Maine South High School and Illinois State University...
.
No-trade clause
A no-trade clause is an amendment to a contract, usually relevant in American professional sports, wherein a player may not be traded to another club. Sometimes this clause is implemented by the club itself, but the vast majority are requested by the athlete and his or her sports agentSports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
. In many cases, these no-trade clauses are limited, where a club may be limited to trading the athlete only at certain times, or only to a certain team or geographical area.
No-trade clauses are found in most sports in the United States, including Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, and some minor leagues around the country. Many Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an leagues, mostly professional soccer and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, also implement these contract amendments.
Each league usually has its own rules regarding these clauses; for example in the NBA, because of the agreement with the minor-league CBA
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
, no-trade clauses can only be negotiated into contracts when a player has four years of service for the team he's signing the contract with. Other leagues have other varying rules, for example in MLB the "Ten and Five" rule gives most every player limited control on his tradability once he meets the ten and five criteria, which means the player has played in the league ten seasons and with the current team for at least five. In the NHL, these rights have been blamed for the lack of trades that have been pulled off in recent years, with critics citing examples where "done deals" were blown up by "selfish players."
Often the no-trade clause is waived by the players themselves, usually in order to play for a contending team. In one dramatic case in 2001, Tampa Bay Devil Rays first baseman Fred McGriff
Fred McGriff
Frederick Stanley McGriff is a left-handed former Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in , the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both...
mulled over waiving his rights for nearly a month before ultimately accepting a deal which sent him to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
. In 2007, Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
was willing to waive his own rights with the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in order to be dealt to either the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
or the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
, but in this case Bryant's own pickiness as far as where he would like to play limited the Lakers' ability to move him and eventually no trade was made at all. Darryl Sittler
Darryl Sittler
Darryl Glen Sittler is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1970 until 1985 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989.On February 7, 1976, Sittler set an NHL...
's no-trade clause protected him from being moved, when owner Harold Ballard
Harold Ballard
Harold E. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League as well as their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. A member of the Leafs organization from 1940 and a senior executive from 1957, he became part-owner of the team in 1961 and was majority owner from February...
and manger Punch Imlach
Punch Imlach
George "Punch" Imlach , was an NHL coach and general manager. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.-Early career:...
wanted to get rid of or reduce Sittler's influence on the team; a few years later Sittler waived the clause when relations between him and Ballard deteriorated. Dany Heatley
Dany Heatley
Daniel James Heatley is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger, and alternate captain for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League . Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top NHL rookie in 2002...
demanded a trade from the Senators at the end of the 2008–09 season
2008–09 NHL season
The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the...
, and a deal was in place to send Heatley to the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
on June 30 but Heatley refused to waive his no-trade clause (the Oilers had missed the playoffs for 3 straight seasons), so he was traded to the San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
instead.
Trade deadline
A trade deadline (or trading deadline) is a rule regulating the trading of professional players' contracts between clubs. Usually players acquired through trade after the trade deadline are ineligible for postseason play in that season, unless the respective league allows them to replace an injured player on the roster. In some leagues, post-deadline trades may be banned entirely. This term is used mainly in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In the approach to the deadline, there is heightened activity and interest in trades.
MLB
The Major League Baseball (MLB)Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
non-waiver deadline is July 31. After the All-Star break, teams will determine whether or not they are in position to contend for the post-season. Because of free agency
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
and the lack of a salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
in baseball, players in the final year of their contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
are often put on the "trading block" by many of the non-playoff contending teams. Smaller market teams will not — or cannot afford to — pay their better veteran players high salaries, so they will attempt to trade them to a post-season contender, in exchange for some minor-league prospects or other players who might be able to help them in the future.
The MLB waiver deadline is August 31. There is much less activity between July 31 and August 31 because players must clear waivers. Players may be acquired after the August 31 deadline; however, while they can contribute to a team's push for the playoffs, they are ineligible for postseason play.
The trade deadline was instituted by MLB in response to various attempts by two New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based ballclubs, the Giants
History of the New York Giants (NL)
The history of the New York Giants, before the franchise moved to San Francisco, lasted from 1883 to 1957. It featured five of the franchise's six World Series wins and 17 of its 21 National League pennants...
and Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, to use its financial advantages to tilt its respective leagues' competitive balance in their favor from 1917
1917 Major League Baseball season
-Statistical leaders:-External links:*...
through 1922
1922 Major League Baseball season
- External links :*...
. In the Yankees' case, most of its dealings were with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. The American League (AL)
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
established MLB's first-ever such rule in 1920 as an indirect result of the Red Sox's sale of Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
to the Yankees. It prohibited the trading and selling of ballplayers between August 1 and the conclusion of the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. A uniform rule serving both major leagues, which was adopted prior to the 1923 season
1923 Major League Baseball season
The 1923 Major League Baseball season.- External links :*...
, set the deadline at June 15. The date, chosen by MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death...
based on a suggestion from Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
owner Barney Dreyfuss
Barney Dreyfuss
Bernhard "Barney" Dreyfuss was an executive in Major League Baseball who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise from 1900 to 1932....
, remained in effect through the 1985 season
1985 Major League Baseball season
In 1985, the Major League Baseball season ended with the Kansas City Royals defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh game of the I-70 World Series. Bret Saberhagen, the regular season Cy Young Award winner, was named MVP of the Series...
. The rule in its current form originated with the 1986 Basic Agreement which resulted from the resolution of the 1985 MLB strike
1985 Major League Baseball strike
The 1985 Major League Baseball strike was the sixth work stoppage in Major League Baseball since the 1972 Major League Baseball strike. The strike ran only two days, August 6 and 7...
.
NBA
The National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's deadline falls on the 16th Thursday of the season (usually in February) at 3pm Eastern Time
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
.
NFL
The National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's deadline is the Tuesday following the sixth week of the regular season, which typically falls in mid-October.
However, there is fairly little activity on this day and almost no star players are ever dealt to other clubs on the sixth week of the season.
Association football
Association football clubs have two transfer windows per season. In most countries, one falls during the middle of the season and the other runs during the close season (in Europe) or off-season (in North America). For those countries with seasons starting in August/September such as most European countries, the midseason transfer window usually falls in January, and the other one opens from June to September. In countries with seasons that operate entirely within a calendar year, like the leagues in Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
or Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
, the midseason transfer window opens in July/August, while the other starts from March to April. The difference between a transfer window and a trade deadline is that players cannot be bought or sold outside these transfer window periods. The notion of transfer windows was initially introduced in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and subsequently adopted by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
. Like North America's trade deadline, there is greatly increased activity and interest as the close of a transfer window draws near.
See also
- Major League Baseball transactions#Trades
- Player to be named laterPlayer to be named laterThe concept of the "player to be named later" is most often associated with Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball trades.-Description:...
- Sign and tradeSign and tradeIn U.S. basketball, a sign-and-trade agreement is a type of contract allowed in the NBA collective bargaining agreement, wherein one team signs an unrestricted free agent to a contract and trades him to another team of the players choosing...
- Transfer (association football)