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Every variable MLB contenders must consider at unusual trade deadline

Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

Now we know that the Philadelphia Phillies are all-in in this very strange Major League Baseball season following their Friday deals to make over baseball's worst bullpen. But not all teams are going to be that aggressive after weighing all of the variables that are in play leading up to the Aug. 31 deadline -- many of them unique to 2020.

Some teams -- even good teams likely to be part of the 16-team playoff field and with legitimate chances to win -- are probably going to pass on deals because of one or more of those variables.

This week, front-office executives helped to define a lot of the considerations that are on the table as teams decide whether to do what the Phillies did and expend at least some resources to get better.