No one ever said winning a fantasy baseball title would be easy. In fact, you were warned that it was a grind. Draft prep is extensive, the player pool is vast and the season is a six-month battle filled with more hurdles and obstacles than a Tough Mudder race.

In recent weeks, you’ve dealt with the momentum shifts caused by the All Star break and the tumultuous nature of the MLB trade deadline. It probably wasn’t easy, but you’ve survived and are now ready for the home stretch. Or so you thought. Only up ahead, there’s another big obstacle in your path – the almighty dollar – and believe it or not, it can turn your whole league upside down.

While the public only hears about it for the big, marquee names, hundreds of players were placed on revocable waivers at the beginning of August. If a player is claimed, their team can either let them go for nothing, pull them back and work out a trade with the claiming team or pull them back and keep them. Many of these players have enormous contracts which rebuilding teams are looking to dump off and they’ll shed that financial commitment for a song if they can. Just look at the Mets trade of Jay Bruce.

In return for a perennial 30-homer guy, the Mets received a prospect name Ryder Ryan who isn’t really much of a prospect. In fact, few scouts think he’ll ever make it to the show. But the Indians were willing to pick up the rest of Bruce’s contract, so the Mets weren’t concerned with which player they received in return. The deal was strictly about money and left reeling in the wake of the trade were fantasy baseball owners.

Owners of Bruce in NL-only leagues lose him for nothing. AL-only league owners suddenly have a major power-hitter join the player pool. Mixed league owners of Indians outfielders now have to adjust for lost playing time. And why? Because a major market team is trying to shed a few million off an already obscene payroll.

The deadline for these deals is August 31, so fantasy owners have two more weeks of potential money-shuffling to monitor. Big money contracts are your next obstacle and you probably didn’t even know it. It’s not commonplace, but it will happen, so be prepared.  Get through this and you’re in the clear. At least until the September call-ups.