Add new comment

This is a great point, and sometimes I think the dominating factor.   
You can just picture one GM arguing that Lee-for-3-no-name-but-quality guys is the right precedent, and another one arguing that the Haren quantity trade is the right precedent, and another arguing that the Shields trade is the right precedent.
But, without a doubt, if you say "devil may care" and give a package that has EVERY national site rolling in the aisles laughing, then your future trade partners are going to want to negotiate from that baseline.  Zduriencik, in particular, strikes me as the type of man who is hyper-aware of this.
.......
With Tampa, it is obviously about the "name recognition," as with Myers.  (D.J. has this, being in Sickels' and others' top 100.)  Also the Cubs went with the single glam prospect, as opposed to the 6-for-1 paradigm.
At SSI, we'd much prefer the 6-for-1 type deal -- Beane has often taken quantity back -- but not every GM is going to pull off the idea of the one exciting name.
........
The most RECENT deal tends to weigh heavily as a precedent:  Oakland got Samardzija PLUS, for one great prospect.  But Tampa is (apparently) demanding that people ignore this, and give them (say) Taijuan, DJ, and another name prospect.  So Price stays.
.......
Another great read amigo.