Almora & Vitters Lead Cubs to Victory over A's

Today is the beginning of a new MLB waiver period, and it is in effect until 4 PM (EDT) on July 31st. .

For the past seven months or so the Cubs have had second waiver claim priorty (because they had the second-worst record in MLB last season), but starting today waiver claim priority changes daily, based upon the standings the morning the two-day waiver-claiming period ends for a particular player. So as of this morning, the Cubs are now 6th in waiver claim priority, behind MIA, HOU, TOR, SD and LAA. (The Padres and Angels are tied in the standings, so either could have 5th waiver claim priority, depending on whether the player is waived by an American League club or a National League club).     

Also, beginning with the new waiver period, Outright Assignment Waivers (once secured) are good for the entire waiver period, so (for example) a player who is outrighted during this waiver period can be sent back & forth to the minors without having to be placed on waivers each time. However, the player would have the right to decline the Outright Assignment and elect free-agency i9f he is outrighted a second in the waiver period, since he would have been outrighted at least twice in his career. But at the same time, a player on a minor league roster who is called up to MLB and is added to an MLB 40-man roster can sign a 45-day waiver that allows the club to outright the player without the player electing free-agency anytime during that 45-day period. This would be used (for example) in the case of a veteran player on the Iowa roster (somebody like Brad Nelson, J. C. Boscan, Alberto Gonzalez, Brian Bogusevic, et al) who is brought up to MLB to replace an injured player for a short period of time, where the club tells the player "we will bring you up for 15 days, but only if you sign the 45-day waiver." Sometimes a player will agree to sign the 45-day waiver (especialy if he understands his role in the organization), and sometimes he won't. And if two players play the same position and one agrees to sign the waiver and the other doesn't, the club will likely select the contract of the one who agrees to sign.

Here is a refresher on how waivers work:

For Optional Assignment Waivers, Outright Waivers, and Release Waivers, if a player is claimed by only one club, that club is awarded the claim. If more than one club makes a claim, the club with the lowest winning percentage (regardless of league) on the day the player clears waivers is awarded the claim. If two clubs with the same winning percentage make a claim, the club in the player's own league is awarded the claim. If two clubs from the same league make a claim and they are tied in the standings, the club with the lowest winning percentage from the previous season is awarded the claim. If the clubs are still tied, standings from two years back (or three years back, four years back, etc) are used to break the tie.

However, in the case of Trade Waivers (only), if a player is claimed by more than one club, the club in the player's own league with the lowest winning percentage is awarded the claim, even if that club has a higher winning percentage than the club or clubs making a claim from the other league. So a player placed on Trade Assignment Waivers must first be "waived out of his own league" before he can be assigned to a club in the other league. BUT THIS ONLY APPLIES TO TRADE WAIVERS, and Trade Waivers are only used beginning on August 1st up through the conclusion of the MLB regular season.  

For the purpose of determining the awarding of waivers claims, the previous season's standings are used during the off-season and up through the first 30 days of the following season. Then beginning on the 31st day of the season, the standings as of the date the player clears waivers are used to determine the awarding of waiver claims, with the previous season's standings used to break any ties.