The MLB Trade Deadline and Finding the Right Players

Sacrificing long-term assets for short-term acquisitions is the internal debate teams have over the trade deadline. Some think teams are one piece away from changing a team’s production. In most cases, organizations find stop-gap replacements at the trade deadline that don’t blanket a team issue. While there are exceptions to this thought process, that one player can dramatically fix the culture of a franchise, one player will not often change the outlook of a franchise. The MLB trade deadline, while a source for discussion and trade debate, should be seen as an extension of a team’s performance rather than changing everything at a whim.

Teams that go “all in” at a trade deadline must believe they are in contention for the World Series, or else they would not sacrifice their long-term assets. Throughout a season, teams judge all players throughout their system, classifying them as tradeable, building blocks, or depth players. While these projections can change with a hot or cold streak, seasons of evaluating a player, and seeing the bigger picture of a player’s impact, determine how the team will classify them in the short term. These projections of a player can be wrong due to the unpredictability of baseball, but with more available data, knowing what a team has on a player becomes more accurate year after year.

Desperation leads to overactivity. Dramatically changing a team's roster can lead to disastrous results. The teams most active in acquisition periods are usually those that do not make it far into the postseason. Sacrificing top prospects for rentals must be done in areas where teams need to establish talent rather than a “seeing what works” situation.

Fans see the list of available talent and find reasons as to why their team will make a move for a player. Speculation is fun, but part of baseball’s unpredictability is the differing mindsets of each organization and what they hope to accomplish. In most cases, finding players that complement a roster work better than acquiring superstar talent on name alone. Teams that win championships have identities that separate themselves from others and make their teams iconic.

The bottom line remains that teams value specific players over others and find a way to acquire a player they believe will help them. Short-term sample sizes can frame a player in a more positive or negative light, but keeping a long-term perspective and building relationships allows two sides to find an agreement that benefits both parties. The trade deadline remains a time when teams utilize their season-long progress to determine the course of the remainder of the season.

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