How August trades work in baseball

What? Over? Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is!

The trade deadline is never over. It simply morphs into the next trade deadline.

The A’s and Giants can make trades after Monday’s nonwaiver deadline, but players on 40-man rosters must clear revocable waivers. Players who clear waivers can be traded anywhere. If a player doesn’t clear waivers, he can be traded to the team that claimed him, or pulled back and kept.

The A’s have a history of moving players in August, including last year when Coco Crisp was traded to Cleveland and helped its World Series run.

The A’s have two prime candidates to deal, first baseman Yonder Alonso and second baseman Jed Lowrie, both of whom can be free agents after the season (if the A’s don’t exercise Lowrie’s $6 million option).

The team’s focus in recent days, if not weeks, was trading Sonny Gray, now with the Yankees, and perhaps interest will increase for Alonso, Lowrie and others.

“Certainly, given where we’re going, I think we have to at least consider some things,” executive vice president Billy Beane said. “We still have two months of the season, and we’ll see what happens.”

Alonso was Oakland’s AllStar, and Lowrie has been what Beane called “one of our most consistent players.” Still, Franklin Barreto appears the future second baseman, and Matt Olson or Ryon Healy could succeed Alonso at first.

When the A’s contended, Beane would use August trades to buy, not sell. Likewise, the Giants added NLCS MVP Cody Ross in August 2010 by claiming him off waivers from the Marlins, if only to block thenfirst-place San Diego from claiming him.

The Giants seem to have fewer trading options than the A’s with so many big contracts, including those of Brandon Belt and Jeff Samardzija, whose limited no-trade clause complicates any talks. Johnny Cueto’s issue is thorny with his recent injuries and ability to opt out, which now seems unlikely.

For now, teams are showing they’re unwilling to pick up big contracts. If the Giants are going to move any key players, they might be forced to wait until the winter when more suitors become available.