Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk

This is the time of year when trades go down that many owners cry foul over. Just because you don’t like the trade doesn’t mean any kind of collusion took place. Try to take a look at that deal from both owners’ points of view and see if there really was one side selling out for no real benefit.

Usually, owners are out of the running for this year and are selling off their studs in return for next year’s keepers. The trade partner is glad to trade away a piece of his future for a shot at winning it all this year. This is what MLB GM’s do all the time. They know their window of opportunity to win is narrow and they have to move when they have the chance.

If we examine the C.C. Sabathia trade to Milwaukee, we’ll see that Cleveland was out of the running, so they traded away their best player (who happens to be a free agent at the end of the season, so he’s not a keeper) for several young players including the best hitter in all of the Minor Leagues, Matt LaPorta (a great keeper). LaPorta won’t help the Indians in 2008, but he’ll be a great MLB hitter for years to come. Meanwhile, Sabathia gives the Brewers a legitimate chance at going to the World Series for the first time in more than 25 years. The Cubs didn’t like the deal, but they have to acknowledge that both sides benefitted from making that deal and their was no collusion.