"Put on waivers" means a sports team removes a player from its active roster and makes that player available for other teams to claim within a certain period. If another team claims the player during this waiver period, they assume the player's contract and rights. If no team claims the player, the original team can then assign the player to a minor league affiliate or release them, depending on the sport's rules
. In more detail:
- In the NHL, players who meet certain experience thresholds must be placed on waivers before being sent to a minor league team. Other NHL teams have 24 hours to claim the player. If multiple teams claim the player, the team with the lowest points in the standings gets priority. If unclaimed, the player can be assigned to the minors
- In MLB, when a player is placed on outright waivers, other teams have three days to claim him. If claimed, the new team takes on the player's contract. If not claimed, the player can be sent to the minors or become a free agent depending on service time
- The waiver process helps maintain competitive balance by giving lower-ranked teams the first chance to claim players no longer wanted by their current team and prevents teams from circumventing trade rules
Thus, "put on waivers" is essentially a formal process to expose a player to other teams before a team can move or release him
