MLB trade deadline moves back one day for 2016 season

Relax, Cincinnati Reds fans. Your team will be able to hold onto its good players for an additional 24 hours this season. Major League Baseball pushed back its trade deadline for the 2016 season. Instead of falling on July 31, the trade deadline will be August 1 this year. 

The reason for the change isn’t dramatic or exciting. July 31 falls on a Sunday this year, and MLB didn’t want its trade deadline to pass while nearly every team was playing a day game Sunday afternoon. For that reason, the league opted to move it to Monday. The change will only be for the 2016 season. The trade deadline will shift back to July 31 in 2017. 

[Elsewhere: Dan Haren seems to be enjoying his retirement]

There you have it. The 2016 trade deadline will feature far fewer hugs than expected. 

That will likely be the only change as a result of the move. An extra 24 hours is unlikely to make a huge difference in whether teams decide to hold steady or make major additions. The decision to move the deadline also saves managers from having to pull guys mid-game, and, hypothetically, allows fans to experience a better on-field product that Sunday. 

The only people impacted by this are fans who really enjoy hugs. While we’re sad for them, moving the trade deadline by one day isn’t going to impact any other aspect of the season.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik