While July 31 (the non-waiver trade deadline) has come and gone, that doesn’t mean baseball trades cannot occur anymore this season.

According to SB Nation, a player can be traded in August if he is placed on special waivers. When placed on special waivers, a player can be recalled, if another team places a waiver claim on them. The other two options are that they could let the player go to the team that put the claim in for them, or they can work out a trade within 48 hours.

Last year saw a bevy of trades in August. Three players are mentioned, but also Yonder Alonso, Tyler Clippard, Curtis Granderson, Mike Leake, Neil Walker, and Brandon Phillips were dealt.

Here are some of the more notable players who were traded in August since 2000. Players such as Greg Maddux and Jim Thome aren’t included because they were in the twilight of their careers and were not performing at the Hall of Fame level they did in the past. Someone like Nelson Cruz isn’t included because he hadn’t yet made a name for himself when he was dealt.

2017 - Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, Jay Bruce

Justin Verlander was traded by the Tigers to the Astros on the very last day of August in 2017.

He was the runner-up to Rick Porcello for the American League Cy Young in 2016. Verlander previously won the award (along with AL MVP) in 2011. Up until the trade, he went 10-8 with a 3.82 ERA in 28 starts for Detroit.

Once he joined Houston, Verlander was nearly unhittable. He went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five regular season starts for the Astros last season and went on to win ALCS MVP. He is a Cy Young candidate again this year as he is currently 11-6 with a 2.19 ERA in 24 starts.

  • Upton traded to Angels

Also on the last day of August, the Tigers traded outfielder Justin Upton to the Angels.

In 125 games with Detroit last year until he was traded, Upton owned a .279 average with 28 home runs, 37 doubles, 94 RBIs, 81 runs, and 10 stolen bases.

He hit another seven homers in 27 games with the Angels last season. Upton was given a substantial new deal of five years, $106 million to remain with the team during the offseason.

  • Bruce to the Indians

On August 9, 2017, the Mets sent Jay Bruce packing for Cleveland when they traded him to the Indians.

At the time of the trade, Bruce was amongst the league leaders with 29 home runs and 75 RBIs. He was named an All-Star in the previous season.

In 43 regular season games with Cleveland, Bruce hit seven homers and hit another two in their ALDS loss to the Yankees. He went back to the Mets as a free agent in the offseason but is currently injured and has had a rough go at it this season. According to CBS Sports, Bruce will play some first base once he comes off the disabled list.

2013 - Marlon Byrd

  • Byrd to Pirates

On August 27, 2013, the Mets traded outfielder Marlon Byrd to the Pirates.

Despite the trade occurring just days before his 36th birthday, Byrd was still a very productive player. Before the trade, he was hitting .285 with 21 home runs, 26 doubles, and 71 RBIs in 117 games with the Mets.

He hit .318 with three homers and nine doubles in 30 games with Pittsburgh that year. Byrd played three more seasons with 2016 being his last.

2012 - Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford

With the Red Sox fading far out of contention in 2012, they traded three of their high-priced veterans to the Dodgers on August 25.

  • Adrian Gonzalez

Gonzalez was hitting an even .300 with 15 home runs, 37 doubles, and 86 RBIs with Boston prior to the trade in 2012. The previous year with the Red Sox, he led the American League with 213 hits and batted .338.

He went on to hit .297 for the remainder of 2012 with the Dodgers. He played for Los Angeles until the end of last season and was mainly productive. Gonzalez led the National League with 116 RBIs in 2014.

  • Josh Beckett

While Beckett was sporting an ugly 5-11 record and 5.23 ERA with the Red Sox in 2012 when the trade occurred, he previously was an All-Star in 2007, 2009, and 2011 with the team (as well as the 2003 World Series MVP with the Marlins).

He pitched much better with the Dodgers for the rest of the season to the tune of a 2.93 ERA in seven starts. In his final season of 2014, Beckett owned an excellent 2.88 ERA with Los Angeles in 20 starts.

  • Carl Crawford

Crawford was an All-Star with the Rays in 2004, 2007, 2009, and 2010.

In 2012, his season ended early as he needed Tommy John surgery. In 31 games with Boston that year before the injury, he was hitting .282 with three home runs, 10 doubles, and five stolen bases.

The outfielder did not get to play for the Dodgers until 2013. In that season and the next, Crawford combined to hit .290 with 14 homers, 44 doubles, and 38 steals. His last year in the league came in 2016.

2009 - Billy Wagner

  • Wagner traded to Red Sox

An All-Star in 2007 and 2008 after combining to save 61 games, Billy Wagner only pitched in two games for the Mets in 2009. This was due to his needing Tommy John surgery late in the 2008 season. After two scoreless appearances after he came back, he was shipped to Boston.

There, Wagner had a 1.98 ERA in 13.2 innings while striking out 22 batters. He saved 37 games with a superb 1.43 ERA the following year with the Braves in what turned out to be his last major league season.

2008 - Adam Dunn

  • Dunn sent to the Diamondbacks

Adam Dunn had four straight seasons from 2004-07 with at least 40 home runs. He hit another 32 with the Reds in 2008 before he was traded on August 11 to the Diamondbacks.

Dunn hit another eight long balls with Arizona in 44 appearances. He went on to hit another 184 homers from 2009-14 with the Nationals, White Sox, and Athletics.

2003 - Brian Giles

  • Giles shipped to the Padres

Brian Giles averaged about 37 home runs, 109 RBIs, 108 runs, 108 walks, and a .309 average from 1999-2002 with the Pirates. On August 26, 2013, Pittsburgh decided to deal him to the Padres.

He hit .298 with four homers in 29 games for San Diego that season. Giles went on to play for the Padres until 2009 before retiring.
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