Transaction

A transaction is a deal through which a player changes teams. The most common transactions includes trades, signings of free agents, the purchase of a player from another team, a player being claimed off waivers, and the acquisition of a player through a draft such as the Rule V draft. Transactions also include actions in which a team gets rid of a player, for example by having him designated for assignment or released.

Transactions also include players being called up from or sent down to the minor leagues, either by being optioned or outrighted. It also includes players being assigned to a different minor league affiliate.

Transactions occur throughout the year, but are most common around the trading deadline, at the end of spring training when rosters must be finalized for the upcoming season, and around the annual winter meetings. There are sometimes periods when there is a freeze on player transactions, for example during the All-Star Game break and the postseason, in order not to have news about player movements distract from the main story which Major League Baseball is highlighting. This can also happen because of special circumstances, such as the attacks of September 11, 2001, or the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Transactions are reported in the media when they occur. The type of article or news service that simply lists these without additional comments is known as the "transaction wire".