"Team X won't trade Player Y inside division" also means "Team X won't take quality players away...

"Team X won't trade Player Y inside division" also means "Team X won't take quality players away from Team Z inside division".

Sky Kalkman | Twitter

In response to the Royals not willing to trade Greinke within the AL Central, and it's a good take, too.

over 1 year ago Justin Bopp 6 comments 0 recs |

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Here's the question, though:

Assuming we’re talking about prospects, is taking unknown talent away from a rival worth seeing known talent with a rival? I’m not sure it is.

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by Justin Bopp on Dec 2, 2010 11:23 AM EST reply actions

Whoa whoa whoa

So you’re saying that Royals don’t like Chicago’s Viciedo/Flowers/Escobar/Infante offer?!??!?

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by Satchel Price on Dec 2, 2010 11:46 AM EST reply actions

Ugh dont bring up Viciedo....

I thought that the Brewers blew it when they turned down Hudson/Viciedo for Fielder last July. Doug Melvin foolishly asking for Gordon Beckham to be included. Kenny Williams probably refers to Melvin now as that “silly cracker!”

Who else in the division has the prospects to make the deal? Twins or Tigers maybe, but not the Sox. Maybe if it included Sale, Viciedo, Flowers and Morel. Or the Tigers sending both Oliver and Turner gets it done.

I get the logic in it, but whenever I’m thinking trades I just never even consider intradivisional ones, especially when it involves top tier talent or prospects.

by backtocali on Dec 2, 2010 4:38 PM EST up reply actions

I agree with Sky here, especially in the situation the Royals are creating.

We’re trading Greinke because we won’t be competitive during his contract but we won’t take prospects that will help us after Greinke’s contract is up and likely gone from the division?

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by Warden11 on Dec 2, 2010 8:51 PM EST reply actions

This is wrong

The reason you don’t trade inside the division is that the zero-sum element of the trade is so much larger than normal that it is incredibly hard to find enough non-zero-sum gains for each side to make the trade overcome standard inertia.

Normally, if a trade improves you and the partner by 3 wins each, you’d make the deal without hesitating. If it’s a divisional rival, suddenly you’re not improving at all relative to one of your key competitors.

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by PaulThomas on Dec 7, 2010 1:31 AM EST reply actions