The commissioner has shown himself open to new ideas. What do you think of this one?
It might be difficult for you to believe now, but major-league teams used to have to make non-waiver trades before June 15 every year. They did so between 1922 and 1986; here's a brief history of the trade deadline via SABR. The Lou Brock deal was consummated on June 15; so was the Cubs' acquisition of Rick Sutcliffe in 1984.
The deadline has been July 31 for three decades, but Commissioner Rob Manfred says he's open to changing that:
"I think that the July 31st deadline is something that we may want to revisit in the context of the revised playoff format," Manfred said Wednesday.