MLB Commissioner Makes Decision Which Impacts Entire League

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has decided that the MLB Trade Deadline will be on July 30th of the 2024 season.

Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post:

There are still dozens and dozens (and dozens) of free agents left.

But in case you wanted to set your clock for when the drop dead time will be for, say, the Mets to decide if they are dealing Pete Alonso before his free agency, then the trade deadline for 2024 will be July 30 at 6 p.m. ET.

The commissioner has the ability to place the deadline between July 28 and August 3rd. According to Sherman, the league likes having the deadline on a Tuesday, which is why Manfred chose the 30th.

That makes sense because it allows fans to fully get back into baseball after the weekend, and gives talking heads nationally a chance to discuss the looming deadline on the preceding Monday. It's a good way for baseball to take up the airwaves and talk radio space for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of a given week.

In a sport that's fighting for constant attention, especially as it battles with NFL training camps at that time of the calendar, that's valuable real estate to have access to.

The trade deadline is an interesting animal nowadays. Given that an extra team makes the playoffs, as of 2022, there are more teams that are buyers and less that are sellers. There's the potential for less players to be moved, but for higher prices to emerge.