The 2020 season has presented any number of unique challenges to the game of baseball. The July 31 trade deadline is not one of the larger ones, but for general managers around the league, figuring out how to position themselves, and how aggressive to be in either buying or selling, are more difficult questions than they usually are.
Normally, things are pretty simple, at least in terms of big picture strategy. A team in contention looks to acquire players to fill weaknesses, while teams that aren’t contending look to add young talent for the future. This season, there are quite a few additional factors impacting those decisions.