A Crash Course on the Waiver Process in MLB

Today will mark a huge day in the major league season, with ten players set to hit the waiver wire. What makes it significant is players must be on the 40-man roster come 11:59pm E.T. in order to be postseason eligible. The Diamondbacks very much are still in the postseason chase, sitting just half a game out of Wild Card spot entering play today, and could be looking to add to their roster.

These are the basic rules of how the waiver process will work:

Initial priority is based off reverse order standings, the team with the higher priority will get awarded the claim.
If two or more claiming teams have the same winning percentage, then the team with the lower winning percentage the previous year would get higher priority.
Making a successful waiver claim during the season will not impact a team's priority.
The claiming team is responsible for the rest of the player's salary.
A player who goes unclaimed will remain with his original team.

The two teams that present the biggest obstacle in the waiver priority are the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins, as both teams are close in the Wild Card race and have a worse record than the D-backs. That means those two teams could theoretically claim a player to block them from getting to Arizona on the waiver wire, although it also means they're on the hook for the player's salary. In theory, the Reds could block Reynaldo Lopez and Matt Moore from making it to Arizona and roster them in their own bullpen. The Twins and Red Sox have the same record as Arizona at 69-65, but due to a better record in 2022 have a lower claiming priority status.

On Tuesday, I highlighted four potential players that could make sense for Arizona to put a waiver claim on. Those names included relievers Reynaldo Lopez, Matt Moore, outfielder Harrison Bader, and starting pitcher Mike Clevinger. Another big name that is out there is starter Lucas Giolito, although he has struggled this year. The D-backs will likely put a claim on some of these players, but it will be interesting to see who they target. If they make a successful claim, they will need to clear space on a 40-man roster that's currently full.