Jonathan Papelbon Claimed Off Waivers
August 5, 2010 by Alastair Ingram
Filed under Blog Network, Boston Red Sox
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reports that an unknown American League team has placed a waiver claim on the Red Sox closer. But before you destroy your computer in disbelief, just know that this is standard procedure in baseball. NOTE: ESPN’s Jayson Stark does a much better job of explaining the waiver process in this article, but I’ll try to do my best as it relates to Papelbon. As Rosenthal notes, the majority of players are placed on waivers in early August. If a player passes through (meaning no Major League club claims him), he can be be traded to any team before the end of the month. In this scenario, the clock is essentially turned back to the rules which precede the July 31st trade deadline. If he is claimed by another club, a trade can only be negotiated with that claiming...
