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5 players that could be moved on waivers in August

Jake Roth / USA TODAY Sports

Tap here to access our MLB Trade Tracker, which includes all trades and rumors leading up to the July 31 trade deadline.

The non-waiver trade deadline has now passed, but it's not the final opportunity for major-league general managers to improve their rosters.

Here are five players that could still be moved on waivers by Aug. 31:

Justin Upton

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller was expected to be a seller at the non-waiver trade deadline, but he truly believes his club still isn't out of the playoff picture - despite being 7 1/2 games off the wild-card pace and eight games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the American League West. The Padres could quickly fall out of contention with an extended losing streak in the coming weeks, and Preller will surely be placing the powerful Upton on waivers to gauge interest.

Yovani Gallardo

Gallardo's fate is likely sealed after the Texas Rangers acquired Cole Hamels to complement Yu Darvish at the top of the rotation next season. The veteran righty will be a free agent this fall, and can slide nicely into the middle of a rotation for a contending club. The Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, and Dodgers were all reportedly interested in the 2010 All-Star leading up to the non-waiver deadline.

Jeff Samardzija

Samardzija was a virtual lock to be dealt at the non-waiver deadline until the Chicago White Sox rattled off seven consecutive wins from July 23-29, vaulting back into contention in the AL wild-card race. GM Rick Hahn attached an "astronomical" price to Samardzija, according to reports. However, he may lessen his expectations should Chicago fall off the pace in the dog days of summer - and if he receives an offer that outweighs a compensatory draft pick for losing Samardzija in 2016.

Aroldis Chapman

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros were salivating at the thought of acquiring the fireballer, but couldn't pry the Cuban lefty from the grasp of the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. Chapman is still under team control for next season, so Walt Jocketty isn't feeling the pressure to move him just yet. The Reds are more likely to hold onto Chapman and hope a wider market materializes for him this winter, but he'll certainly garner interest on waivers, and there will be offers to consider.

Craig Kimbrel

The Yankees and Astros were hot on Kimbrel leading up to Friday's deadline, but he's under control until 2018, so it's going to take a package of top prospects in order for the Padres to turn him loose. Like Chapman, a deal for Kimbrel may be more likely in the offseason. However, if a top team sustains an injury to a closer in August, anything is possible.

Click here for detailed information on how the waiver process works.

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