Jul 26, 2006
http://0rz.net/1f1KG



WASHINGTON - By now you have heard hundreds of trade rumors, most of which
have no basis at all. You have your buyers; you have your sellers. Every team
has its own agenda at the trade deadline. After years of making trades, I
have learned some lessons.


Lesson One: In July 1995, I was the Reds' GM. We were leading the National
League Central. We had a great offense, but also knew that pitching wins in
the playoffs. A week and a half before the deadline, we solidified our
rotation by adding Dave Burba and Mark Portugal. But I was still not
confident enough in our rotation. I felt a competitor like David Wells would
push us over the top. Wells won six games; we won the division and then swept
the Dodgers in the first round. To acquire Wells from the Detroit Tigers, we
traded C.J. Nitkowski (a former first-round pick with a high ceiling), David
Tuttle and a player to be named later (who turned out to be Mark Lewis).

We were reluctant to deal Lewis because we knew he would be valuable in our
playoff run. Because the Tigers were in the American League, we could include
Lewis as the player to be named later after the season. When trading with
teams from the opposing league, you are allowed to include players who are
named at a later time.

Lesson Two: Be creative. Some years the playoffs are out of reach and
ownership wants to cut payroll. This happened to me in 1997 and '98 in
Cincy. Ideally we would have kept John Smiley, a 31-year-old pitcher who
averaged 12 wins a year with an ERA below 4.00 during each of the previous
three seasons. Circumstances did not dictate that. So we traded him for four
prospects from the Indians. The result: Danny Graves, a two-time All-Star and
Rolaids Relief Award winner. The other players we received made no impact.

Lesson Three: In trading for prospects, be sure to acquire quantity because
many become suspects. The following year we were in the same predicament:
forced to unload aging-high priced veterans.

This time closer Jeff Shaw drew the most interest. The Dodgers made the best
offer: minor league first baseman Paul Konerko and left-handed reliever
Dennys Reyes. But we already had a quality young first baseman in Sean Casey.
We decided to make the trade because we felt Konerko was the best talent
available.

Shaw had a couple good years with the Dodgers, but Konerko ended up the
better long-term talent. We knew we would be able to trade Konerko or Casey
for something we needed. Four months later, we traded Konerko to the White
Sox for Gold Glove caliber centerfielder Mike Cameron, who helped us win 96
games in 1999. Though Cameron was productive, we then traded him to the
Mariners for one of the best baseball players of the 1990s in Ken Griffey,
Jr. In essence, we swapped Jeff Shaw, an aging relief pitcher, for a Hall of
Fame player.

Lesson Four: Always trade for the best talent. If they do not fit, you can
trade them elsewhere for a better fit.

I sit here fielding, and making, hundreds of calls trying to figure out the
best way to rebuild the Nationals. Leaning upon the opinions of my trusted
assistants, Tony Siegle, Bob Boone, Mike Rizzo and Jose Rijo, as well as all
of our scouts and player development staff, we will improve the Nationals one
way or another.

Hopefully, years of learning lessons will be beneficial.