Quote:
Originally Posted by OKchiefs
So as you mentioned before teams aren't giving up their prospects as much anymore, even for someone who isn't a rental. Things tend to ebb and flow over time, and you'd think eventually the trend will revert to teams giving up huge deals in trades, wouldn't you? Eventually there has to be some blowback from teams not going all in and holding on to prospects only for it all to fail while they didn't do everything they could.
As to Merrifield, I understand not giving him away, and it's just ridiculous that he doesn't get the recognition he deserves as one of the better players in baseball. He absolutely should warrant a hefty return in a trade. My concern then goes to what happens at the end of his contract after 2022 when I believe he'll be 33. He has an option year from what I have read for 2023. I'm of the opinion that we likely still won't be contenders by then, so it really does suck to see him wasting his entire career on subpar to absolutely awful teams.
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I wouldn't count on that though. All these front offices are into analytics now and run by Ivy Leaguers. It's not even about how cheap an owner is anymore, well sometimes it is, but all of these front offices realize prospects are so much cheaper than any free agent.
In terms of cost efficiency and pure value, you're better off developing your own guys. It's why you see teams like the Dodgers and Yankees who have tons of money hoarding prospects like they're the Pirates.