August MLB trade candidates: Josh Donaldson, Matt Harvey, Andrew McCutchen and more

July 31 was not necessarily the deadline to trade these players

The 2018 non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone. Many players who were expected to be traded were indeed traded. And, as always, there were some surprise trades as well. Here is our trade tracker.

It is important to note trades can still happen after July 31. They just require trade waivers. Here's a quick primer on how trade waivers work:

• All players on the 40-man roster must go through trade waivers to be traded after July 31. Non-40-man roster players can be traded at any time.
• Players who pass through trade waivers unclaimed can be traded anywhere. Players who are claimed can only be traded to the claiming team. The two sides have 48 hours to work out a deal.
• If a player is claimed on trade waivers, his team can pull him back and keep him. Trade waivers are completely revocable. 

Most post-July 31 trades are minor deals, though significant August trades do occasionally happen. Justin Verlander was traded in August last year, for example. The blockbuster trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford from the Red Sox to the Dodgers way back when also went down in August.

As always, several players who were on the trade market prior to July 31 will remain on the market in August, especially impending free agents on non-contending teams. Here are five players who could on the move via an August waiver trade.

The Rangers are a last-place team and Adrian Beltre, now 39, will be a free agent after the season. He's accomplished pretty much everything a player could dream of accomplishing in this game, except win a World Series. He came painfully close with the 2011 Rangers, but no luck.

Beltre is very loyal to the Rangers, and while he has not closed the door on a trade -- Beltre has a full no-trade clause and is in total control of the situation --- he has indicated he'd like to remain with Texas. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has more:

"Obviously, it's going to come down to what works for the team, and what works for me," Beltre said. "A chance for me to -- if we go down that route -- a chance for me to actually be part of that team, not just sitting on the bench. A chance for me to play. I'm not going to specifically say, 'I need to play every day,' but contribute to that team to win the World Series, if that's going to happen. But it's a matter of what that team needs, and what their offer to the Rangers looks like." 

Beltre is owed the balance of his $18 million salary (approximately $6 million), which is enough to ensure he goes through trade waivers unclaimed. Enough contenders need third-base help -- the Phillies have reportedly shown interest in Beltre -- that the Rangers can continue to monitor the market, and see whether something that makes sense comes along.

And, if a potential deal does begin to take shape, Texas can go to Beltre to see whether he's willing to waive his no trade clause to go to a contender, and potentially win that first World Series.

A lingering calf injury more of less removed Josh Donaldson from the trade market prior to July 31. He has not played since May 28, and while he recently resumed baseball activities, he has not yet returned to the field. The calf as well as an earlier shoulder problem have limited Donaldson to 36 games this season.

Donaldson is an impending free agent, and the combination of his salary ($23 million total with approximately $7.7 million remaining) and the injury make it all but certain he will clear trade waivers in August. No team is claiming an expensive player who has barely played this season and may not be healthy, even when he has Donaldson's resume.

The likely outcome here is Donaldson finishes his rehab, plays a few games in August to show he's healthy, and then the Blue Jays engage potential suitors in trade talks. The question is this: Can Toronto get something in a trade that is more valuable than the draft pick they'd receive should Donaldson leave as a free agent after the season? I think so.

It was pretty surprising the Reds did not trade Matt Harvey prior to the deadline. He pitched fairly well the last few times out, and, realistically, his value isn't going to get any greater than it is right now. Teams have made their evaluations of this version of Matt Harvey, the post-shoulder injury and post-thoracic outlet syndrome version, and that's that. His value can only go down from here.

Harvey is an impending free agent and it's unlikely the Reds will retain him after the season, so he is an obvious August trade candidate. His relatively low salary ($5.625 million) means he might not even clear trade waivers, which could limit the team's options to trade him. I'm not sure the Reds can get more than a Grade-C prospect for Harvey given his overall performance and reduced stuff, but a Grade-C prospect is better than nothing. Harvey may be more likely to move in August than any other player in MLB.

The Giants are in bad shape right now. Even with their recent hot streak, they're in fourth place in the NL West and they're 4 1/2 games behind the second wild card spot. SportsLine puts San Francisco's postseason odds at 4.3 percent. Not good. Not good at all.

Furthermore, the Giants are trying to stay under the $197 million luxury tax threshold this season, and they have less than $300,000 in wiggle room under the threshold according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. That is nothing. Not even enough to cover a handful of September call-ups, let alone any injuries that pop up between now and them.

Andrew McCutchen is an impending free agent and an obvious trade chip for a team fading out of the race. He is making $14.75 million this season and that equals $79,301.08 per day against the luxury tax payroll. The sooner the Giants trade McCutchen, the more likely it is they stay under the $197 million luxury tax threshold for the season.

Offseason finger surgery sidelined Twins righty Ervin Santana the entire first half. He returned last week and has made just two starts so far, during which he's allowed seven runs in 101/3 innings. Santana does have a strong track record though, one that includes nearly 400 innings with a 3.32 ERA from 2016-17. That matters.

The Twins traded away several players at the deadline, including Brian Dozier, Ryan Pressly, and Lance Lynn. Santana could be next. This is the final guaranteed of his contract, though his deal includes a $14 million club option for 2019. Minnesota could hang on to him rather than sell low following the finger injury, pick up the option, and see what the trade market looks like in the offseason.

Or, once Santana makes a few more starts to show he's healthy, the Twins could put him on the trade block and market him as a low-risk player who could be a rental if you're not looking for a long-term commitment, or someone who can help you this season and next. That club option equals flexibility.

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Other August trade candidates: Matt Adams, Nationals; Jose Bautista, Mets; Tyler Clippard, Blue Jays; A.J. Ellis, Padres; Marco Estrada, Blue Jays; Mike Fiers, Tigers; Gio Gonzalez, Nationals; Curtis Granderson, Blue Jays; Kelvin Herrera, Nationals; Jose Iglesias, Tigers; Francisco Liriano, Tigers; Ryan Madson, Nationals; Devin Mesoraco, Mets; Bud Norris, Cardinals; Sergio Romo, Rays; Tyson Ross, Padres; Jeff Samardzija, Giants; James Shields, White Sox; Danny Valencia, Orioles; Jordan Zimmermann, Tigers;