Thanks to the expanded playoff format, more teams have the chance to compete for a spot in the postseason. This leads to more teams declaring themselves buyers rather than sellers at the trade deadline, or at least waiting longer to wave the white flag. As is often the case in simple cause-and-effect situations, the sellers are asking for more in return than usual because of the high demand.
Yankees baseball boss Brian Cashman has already hinted at the high prices, trading for Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario several days before the deadline.